Zhuangzi - The Crack of the Whip

Horses' hoofs are made for treading frost and snow, their coats for keeping out wind and cold. To munch grass, drink from the stream, lift up their feet and gallop this is the true nature of horses. Though they might possess great terraces and fine halls, they would have no use for them.

Then along comes Po Lo. "I'm good at handling horses!" he announces, and proceeds to singe them, shave them, pare them, brand them, bind them with martingale and crupper, tie them up in stable and stall. By this time two or three out of ten horses have died. He goes on to starve them, make them go thirsty, race them, prance them, pull them into line, force them to run side by side, in front of them the worry of bit and rein, behind them the terror of whip and crop. By this time over half the horses have died.
~ from Chapter 9, Burton Watson translation ~

Why is it that we humans always think we can improve upon nature? Almost every time we try to bend nature to serve our own desires, we end up making a mess of things.

Here in the Pacific Northwest -- as well as countless other locales around the world -- we have built a lot of dams. The purposes behind these dams are many: flood control, to create man-made lakes for water storage and recreation, irrigation for agriculture, and, most importantly, to generate inexpensive hydroelectricity.

Dams, unfortunately, have had a very negative impact on the many ecosystems that the streams nourish. In many ways, a river is like the blood stream of a region. It brings nutrients and takes away waste. It keeps the heart of the ecosystem pumping.

A dam is like applying a tourniquet to an arm or a leg. It interrupts the flow of life-giving water to the impacted areas. In our neck of the woods, one of the serious repercussions of dams has been to block the return of spawning salmon. Salmon runs on many of our main rivers have dwindled down to almost nothing. Not only has the hurt the area's economy, but it has damaged ecosystems far and wide.

In a few areas of Washington state, plans are underway to tear down some of these dams in the hopes of facilitating the return of the salmon. When these dams are breeched, it will be like releasing a tourniquet and allowing the blood to flow again.

To read more musings about the Zhuangzi, you can visit the index page for this ongoing series.