Sometimes the bear gets you

The small blonde seen today on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska (Photo credit: Martin at Scenic Bear Viewing)

The smaller blonde bear was digging for clams. She was moving closer to the big bear, who was undeterred from her digging, despite the rising tide.

I feel lucky to have lived in bear country for many years. I’ve always enjoyed seeing them in the wild. There is nothing quite like being a few feet away from North America’s apex predator, the grizzly bear. These grizzlies were Alaskan coastal brown bears, and they are waiting for the coho salmon to start running in the next few weeks. They will gorge themselves, and prepare for their long hibernation through the darkness and harshness of the Alaskan winter.

The sun doesn’t set until well after 11 pm in Alaska, and the night sky remains tinged with light even at 2 am. Yet, the days are dramatically shortening each night as the relentless march towards the autumn unfolds.

The bigger bear (Photo credit: Martin at Scenic Bear Viewing)

There is a lot to learn from watching bears. Just seeing them can often be enough to clear the head and heart, and understand the degree to which everything is connected. The bear, humpback whale, orca, sea lion, seal and every other magnificent part of the Alaskan ecosystem is connected to the salmon. The salmon is among Earth’s most remarkable animals. Its life is a journey, and its circle leads the salmon to the place of its birth where it reproduces before dying. There is an inherent beauty to the rhythm and purpose of the salmon’s life. It is a small part of the rhythm of life that connects all things.

American politics is not unlike the vast estuary where the bears roam. The first thing that every bear guide will tell you is that running is a bad idea. They will be sure to point out that it is impossible to outrun a grizzly bear. Left unsaid is what everyone is thinking who hears the message. No one is worried about outrunning the bear. Everyone is focused on what person they intend to outrun. That is the way life works. What is said aloud isn’t often as important as the things left unsaid.

The American political media is looking for the marquees that will drive clicks, ratings and drama for the next great national reality show set for 2024. The pugnacious front of the “mom and pop” duo from Tallahassee is getting a lot of attention as the GOP alternative to Trump. Is Ron DeSantis the mythical Trump slayer about which pundits dream? Probably not. Personally, if he was a stock, I would short it.

When prognosticators are opining about the next president there is something important to remember. The next president is always a reaction to the last president. That will remain true in 2024. What comes after Trump will not be an imitation. It will be an amplification. Since most people who cover politics are gifted with deep amnesia, and no appreciation for history – or even the immediate past – they don’t recognize Ron DeSantis as a latter day Scott Walker. If you’ll recall, Walker, the former governor of Wisconsin, was the great conservative hope back in 2016. Like DeSantis, he was a AAA ball player at best, and found the presidential proving grounds to be a political burial ground.

Perhaps DeSantis can outrun the aging and sluggish Trump. I wouldn’t bet on it. Trump can still move faster than he looks. DeSantis would be well advised to remember another old saying about bears: “Sometimes you get the bear. Sometimes the bear gets you.”

Looking up and out, Kenai Peninsula, Alaska (Photo credit: Martin at Scenic Bear Viewing)

I was simply grateful to not think about any of these unfit and loathsome people for a few hours. I know the bears’ ecosystem is fragile. So is our society. The people who manage it shouldn’t moonlight as the people who vandalize it. Both we, and the bears, deserve better.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Thanks to those of you who have participated in our poll on what topics you’d like me to cover. There are still two days left to cast your vote. Right now, overwhelmingly, you want me to comment on the news of the day. Consider that done, with a sprinkling of other topics too. I am also grateful for all of your comments, and the sense of community that we’re building at The Warning. Thank you.