Saturday, December 21, 2013

The Finnish Wildlife

The Finnish nature is characterized by the harshness of climate. The insect can endure only during the summer and the cold winter forces most birds to flee to warmer countries, but they return to raise their kids here where also predators are few and so the beginning of birds' lives much safer. The harsh winter kills many animals and plants, so here there isn't as much competition as a quest for survival in the hard winter time.
Finns see nature as a place of harmony and a source ogf enermous wisdom of life. So also the nature in other countries but there predators' role is often emphasized even though in warmth one needs much less food than in cold. So I guess that the difference in the number of predators hunting must be smaller than the difference in the number of predators. Big predators are scarce in Finland because they have been hunted away. While many other countries often take a gun to fight with wildlife, Finns treat wildlife with respect and get peace, harmony and friendliness in return. For example the bear is calles "the king of the forest" and if there is any bear near, people respect it like an honoured owner of the forest and give room to it, so that usually only bears dwelling near human homes  with small kids get hunted. Finns see animals as friends and worthy of the same rights as humans according to their understanding and moral. Wildlife is seen as close to the healthy ways of living that bring good life to also humans. That means having senses open, living close to the basic things in human life, having a family, friends, building nest, fetching food, looking, discussing, feeling, reacting, being social, having one's own view, being curious, valuing one's own life especially etc. Like the original life that we meet closest at a summer cottage. Having lived the winter indoors in cities one does not lack city life, work or real rationality. Instead one lacks pleasant contact with the nature which makes also the seasons easier to bear. One longs for life as it should be lived, the original life, which we see as producing great results in good quality thinking and wisdom of life when we look for superior things on these areas of life. With our own understanding a nature hobby seems to be very benefical, since it also gives energy for the work and city life. A summer holiday on a forstry lake shore, swimming and just enjoying the beauty of nature is one of the major highlights of the Finnish year.