What Can Bf Teach Us

[Guest Primate]

We can't approach the subject of learning without looking at ourselves(directly or indirectly) and asking what do we want/need to learn . In relation to Bigfoot it goes to the heart of 'What is human?" and "What is nature/reality?" It seems to me many debates here simply depend upon where one draws the line when defining the quest for information . Is it more human or more animal ? Can it teach me more then a snail or a sunset ? The answers here depend upon how I see myself as a human being in the universe .

Edited February 25, 2012 by Primate

[Guest]

To say we can learn nothing from a bear is being plain foolish in my opinion. Every animal on this planet has it's importance from the smallest insect to the largest mammal, every man/animal has it's worth.

I said bigfoot may not teach anything more than a grizzly bear. I didn't say we can't learn anything from a bear. Can you explain how that is "plain foolish"? Enlighten me. What life lessons are you gaining from observing bears? Which ones have been most influential? Yogi, Fozzie, Winnie??

I will tell you there is one thing about life that has absolutely been taught to me by bears, so I can appreciate their value. They are the one animal that taught me you never, ever go out into the woods unarmed. One cracked my cousins skull like a walnut and had it not been for my uncle, my cousin would not be here today. Lesson learned.

[Guest]

Arizonabigfoot

I apologize for misinterpreting what you said, like i said I agree with Encounter, I believe you can learn something from every creature on this planet, It's pretty clear that you've taken something quite valuable from the bear yourself. So there is no need for us to debate on that point.

[JDL]

Conversely, from this thread BF could learn that confounding diminutive pink navel-gazers will remain easy and entertaining.

And even easier if they happen to be gazing out at the world through their navels because of the positioning of their heads.

[Guest]

Caesar

It's all good. I absolutely agree with you that every being has it's value and reason for being here. I guess I didn't like how this thread started with the whole "you don't get it" type of feel. Art has summed it up perfectly. While the possibilities may be endless for what we can gain from Sasquatch, we need to find a way to actually get started with seeing it from them. Not just second hand reports of them being seen praying beside the road and whatnot.

[Shelly]

Algebra

[Guest Transformer]

Maybe saquatches can answer this universal question:

Where do all our single socks go to when they mysteriously leave our dryer?

[Guest BFSleuth]

The things I would like to learn from BF would be their general way of life. What do they eat, when and where? I'm sure they have an annual trek they like to take from the beaches to the alpine meadows, depending on what is in season.

Where and how do they shelter?

Is there anything within their lifestyle that we can learn from? I'm looking at this more from a forager's point of view. I'm sure they know where the best berries are, the best mushrooms, etc. and I would love to know where they are lol!

From a medicinal point of view I'm sure they also take advantage of the natural pharmecopia in their area. It would be interesting to note that as part of what they consume.

The local Indians in the PNW often said they would store roots and other foods in caves. This might be possible, they are highly intelligent. If they store food, what else do they store? Hmmm

[Guest]

All replies to this question “what can BF teach usâ€, are valid.

There have been some excellent posts on this thread devoted to answering that question. The reason I posed the question was that there had recently been a few threads devoted to ways we might research BF in future and in the present. In those threads there have been a number of responses and rightly so for a forum. Still it seemed to me, in my opinion, that there was very little discussion of what BF had to teach us. More the discussion was on finding answers to questions we had due to our current perspective on life. There is nothing wrong with that but to me, asking something about another from our current perspective is different to asking what the other could teach us.

As I say some here have indeed given excellent answers to the OP question IMO. There are some also, who have responded by questioning the validity of my question and I have wished to reply in a way that could perhaps better explain the usefulness of my question.

I can see a difference between approaching BF in terms of what BF has we can use and what BF might teach us we never knew we could use (that doesn’t fully cover the what can another teach us type question but in respect of discourse on the forum in general it has context).

Here are two examples of intention which might illustrate the difference between asking, what can you teach me, and what do you have I can use.

Example A - Mr X is looking to find what others have he can use (again nothing innately wrong with this). He travels to lands his culture has only recently chartered and sometimes even stumbles on unchartered lands (unchartered by his country). At some point he finds himself in a land he calls BFLand where there is a culture and geographical environment with which he is extremely unfamiliar. He looks about and sees that the culture utilises implements which are different to his but are made out of materials his culture much requires for manufacture of goods in his homeland. He sees that there are resources in that land which could be of great use to his country. He also sees a few implements made by this other culture which are perhaps better made than in his country and sees there could be some technology he could take back to his culture to further the excellence of things already manufactured there. So bit by bit he gets a hold of some of the materials, and technology from that culture and land, goes back to his homeland and gives this to his nation. Back there they discuss how they could further exploit this new country and land. Even so, after many lessons they wish to exploit this new land and culture ethically .

Example B, Mr Y. Mr Y is an adventurer, an explorer. Mr Y finds the same land as Mr X and same culture. Mr Y realises that there could be whole new understandings about the nature of existence or whole new perspectives on ways of living from this culture and country. He looks about and sees that it is all pretty beautiful and it inspires him concerning possibility even more than his naturally pretty exuberant outlook. He knows he will need to learn that cultures language, and try to act in a way where he can listen deeply to the teaching that culture can give him, he will need to have an open mind as much as possible but he also knows to some extent he will be learning from some perspective he already had until his perspective transforms. Mr Y always is aware its important to ask what can you teach me – in this way he finds himself in a sense evoking a likely atmosphere of new learning. After listening, learning and in fact having formed a kind relationship with some in that culture, Mr Y goes back to his homeland (now his other homeland as he considers this new land home as well) and tells of wonderous things, and inspires many in terms of their greater possibilities and potential.

There is room for both Mr X and Mr Y – they are not in conflict with each other necessarily. One though is clearly asking what do you have I can use for the way of life I currently have, and the other is asking what can a meeting with otherness teach me I don’t even know to ask yet, what can the other teach me and/or what sameness in me will be awakened in meeting you?

All in all the question “what can BF teach us†is to me a reminder to expect the unexpected in all encounter, to look toward illumination in meeting another rather than only to see the other in a way which ultimately conforms to our world view and as a resource which serves our needs – needs created due to our world view. Now this will be one of my few posts from now on so if I don’t respond to those who have argument with this post, I am not ignoring your input - i welcome reflection on this question in all regards.

[Sasfooty]

The problem you have here is that Mr Y is likely to learn about things that people in his homeland don't believe are possible & absolutely don't want to hear about.

Mr Y will be lucky if he isn't tarred & feathered & set on fire when he starts making his "extraordinary claims".

I don't think anybody here wants to be Mr Y.

Know what I mean?

Edited February 27, 2012 by Sasfooty

[Guest]

[bipedalist]

Hopefully someday discovery or naturalistic observations and tissue sampling will teach us the answers to some of these questions:

What do they "know"? How do they "know" it?

Where did the first Sasquatch come from..... the squatchlet or the egg or......? What are the characteristics of their gametes that may be different than modern human?

What is the function of their "night lights" and complex visual apparatus used nocturnally and sometimes diurnally.

Are they traditionally dna-based, partial cyborg, or other? Do they have varied blood types? Are they based on hemoglobin (Fe)

or other elements?

What is the nature of the infrasonic perceptions others have when near these beings? How is it produced? Are they in fact primates and do they metabolize in the manner of traditional mammals?

Do they have hibernation-like capacity, dormancy?

Edited February 29, 2012 by bipedalist

[Guest]

I've pondered that thought since joining this sight, Does BF hibernate? It would lend a lot of credence to the animals elusive nature in my opinion. Another thing i think we can learn from BF is that having a little bit of mystery in this world can do us a lot of good, maybe it will allow our species to let go of the notion that we know all there is to no about this planet. We have gained a lot of valuable knowledge as a species over the last 6 millennia, but we know far from it all.

[Guest]

In this thread I have brought up the concept that Bigfoot or even the idea of something not witten in the concrete of western science can teach us something, rather than being the brunt of our limiting enquirey. I did so as it seemed from this forum that should western scientists finally notice they exist, (long after others have throughout history as per usual), they would only treat them as they have treated so many others, without respect for their equal import and with the concept they are somehow to be forever alien to ourselves.

This thread was for those who might see that current western beliefs are not the ultimate authority on what is real and what is not, what is important and what is not. I have been at times filled with inspirational joy at seeing those who have posted here with immense scope of vision and the capacity to further it. There are some though who seem to think I have said I know what BF can teach and then sought to denigrate the thread. Those who understand eternal posibility know I had not said I know definitevly what BF can teach us.

I think every being can teach the infinite, if their student wishes to learn the infinite= and visa versa. Perhaps while BF is not considered proven to those who have not yet had their eyes opened to it, then the lesson there is to recognise those root assumptions, or underlying beliefs whicht have put barriers to seeing - and at the very least dont seek to imprison or denigrate those who do see.

Edited March 2, 2012 by Encounter

[Guest MikeG]

That's very true Caesar.........but I have never heard anyone suggest that we know it all. We've barely started looking under the seas, for a start, and there are hundreds of unclimbed mountains and un-explored valleys (and before Encounter counters.......yes, unexplored by any human, including the local indigenous folk).

The thing is, just because we don't know it all, that isn't even close to an excuse for those who would invent magical and multi-dimensional explanations. Rationality pushes back the fog of unreasoning in the end, always.

Mike