When we observe ourselves and other living beings, we are observing a continuity with nature and an evolutionary procession from which our bodies and minds have emerged over countless millennia. When we silently search within for a solid self we find only perpetual, flowing change. Much like a waterfall we are more of an event than a thing. Much like the flowers and fruit on a vine, we emerge from natural conditions without our own knowledge or permission. So do all of those with whom we share our Earth. They too are subjects of a life with sentient interiors, existing autonomously as fluid lifeforms on their own unique and mysterious path. As humans, our path has reached the technological age and the dawn of god-like power over the other inhabitants of our world. If we are to proceed wisely, we must transcend the obsolete, primitive, “might makes right” tendencies to which we still cling, and extend merciful respect to the vast, interconnected web of life from which we have grown and upon which we depend. - DL