Continuing with sentiens
Well, now three runs passed since the last entry. On Friday the 20th, I skipped the run and, with it, the weekly wandering, so I didn't publish that week's entry.
Why did I skiped the run? Yes, it's true that I had a get-together with friends on Thursday the 19th, but the truth is, I didn't eat much or drink much, so the excuse that I slept poorly because of a heavy dinner is irrelevant. The problem was quite the opposite: I slept very well and kept going. When I woke up, it was too late to go running. With the heat and humidity now, it's better to go very early.
I'm still fine-tuning the distances I'll run this summer. I've already found routes longer than 6 km, which was the route I ran when I recovered from my shoulder dislocation last year. But I haven't finalized them yet. I'd like to set a 6.5 km route on Tuesdays and at least an 8 km route on Fridays. Today I fell short; I didn't even reach 8 km.
One of the curious things that has happened to me with the publication of "HISTORIA DE LA TIERRA, UNA COSMOGONÍA PERSONAL" is that many people are sending me reading suggestions; some send me articles, others recommend books; I'm taking notes on them all. I hope to have time to read them, but the truth is, the to-read list keeps growing. This week I read a good book, "La Conquista de México: Tenochtitlan. Poema épico en décimas" by a dear classmate at Madrid School, David Peña Alfaro. I liked it; I generally prefer prose to verse, maybe because I don't have the slightest sense of rhythm, but David's book captivated me from the beginning. Writing a rigorous historical account isn't easy, but doing it in verse makes it even more complicated. I recommend it.
So around Wednesday I faced my backlog of readings, a difficult confrontation: what to read from a list that keeps growing?
Well, there was one that caught my attention right away, and no, it wasn't from my readers' suggestion list. It was a book by an author who popped up in my searches for authors who might be comparable to me. His name is Ed Yong, and the book is "An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us." The truth is, what caught me was a sentence on the cover: "How animal senses reveals the hidden realms around us." I've only just started reading it, but it already caught me. It has a lot to do with what he mentioned in the last chapter of my book.
In addition to this book, two other things caught my attention this week. First, I came across a note about a type of wasp, discussing its memory and analytical abilities; second, some demonstrations in Mexico City.
First, about the book. I'll just get to the beginning, but the topic is captivating: how, depending on each organism's sensory system, the interpretation of reality varies drastically. When talking about sentience, this is very important.
Second, regarding wasps, the wasp in question is solitary. During the breeding season, females lay several nests. To do this, they take advantage of cavities in the ground to lay nests, in which they deposit an egg and some prey that the caterpillar that emerges from the egg will feed on. After this, they cover the nest with stones. They then visit each nest and, depending on the degree of breeding progress, decide how much time to leave. If they see that the nest's contents are failing, they can lay a new egg and begin the process. The researchers decided to see what would happen if they changed the contents of the nests. The wasps adjusted their decisions based on what they found in each nest. Each wasp can manage up to nine different nests. How can such a small brain manage all that information? They are undoubtedly sentient.
Finally, the protests in Mexico City by bullfighters and cockfighters about the ban on bullfighting and cockfighting in Mexico City. I've said it many times, and I'll say it again: SHOWS BASED ON THE TORTURE AND SUFFERING OF A LIVING BEING CANNOT CONTINUE TO EXIST.
But that said, both bullfighting and cockfighting are deeply rooted in the country, so the transition to a country without these activities cannot be undertaken drastically. The problems of doing so are clear; we only have to remember what happened when circuses were banned from keeping animals. Many of the stories that appeared in the news about animals in "shelters" in deplorable conditions came from that era. Sadly, we don't know what happened to most of the other animals that didn't make the news.
In addition to animals associated with bullfighting and cockfighting, we must also include cetaceans, which have just been banned from shows.
For me, first of all, are these measures considering what will happen to the live animals that are currently present in these activities?
If this has not been considered, it will cause much suffering to these sentient beings who want to protect themselves.
Second, many people depend economically on live festivals and roosters, both directly and indirectly, and until then, these activities were legal. If they are banned, are economic alternatives being considered for all the people who depend on them?
I hope these activities disappear, but for that to happen, very good planning is necessary; otherwise, the broth will be more expensive than the meatballs.
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