Remember this: Intentionally creating
something but not foreseeing the inability to control the outcome is what plagues the creator and created.
Mary Shelley’s story, The Modern Prometheus was published in
1818. This story is also known in modern day culture as Frankenstein.
The plot of the story begins with Dr.
Victor Frankenstein chasing the creature to the North Pole. The reader soon
comes to discover the motive behind this need to find the creature. Dr. Victor
Frankenstein makes a deliberate decision to conduct unethical experiments on a
corpse. This reanimates the corpse, who is neither human, inhuman, living, nor
dead. After his successful experiment
appears to be a failure, Victor spends the rest of his life in pursuit of the
very creature he created. Dr. Frankenstein considers his creation to be an
abomination that could eventually threaten humanity when the creature asks Victor to create him a mate. Toward the end, the monster laments over the dead
body of Dr. Frankenstein while recounting his reasoning for vehemence against
his creator.
There are several morals to this story
but the ones I want to observe are the moral dilemmas of playing an omnipotent being
(creator), lack of vision, where intention turns to horror when the creation deviates
from the creator’s initial goal, and bearing the responsibility of bad
decision-making on tragic or unforeseen outcomes. Dr. Frankenstein had a bad
case of eating more than his mental stomach could hold.
This narrative of a corpse and the ethical ramification of such a creation drew parallels to a goal posted online by a hunting federation. I am not singling out this federation but merely wanted to see if I could examine the comment when applied to a work of fiction. The words of the posts stated the desire to create new hunters. My mind first conjured up Jango Fett’s clone army in the Star Wars franchise; rows and rows of monochrome hunters holding guns. I have long seen the word recruitment being used in conjunction with bringing new individuals to the outdoor sports.
When you look at the deliberate intention to go forth and find people to enlist as hunters or outdoorsmen, it is the motive behind this maneuver that brings some concern.
If you were observing from the
outside, you might think that someone is trying to build an army. The purpose
for this escapes me unless it is a short term goal on speed dial when you need
a mass of people to come forward to support some cause or potential problem.
Hunting in particular, is a
traditional activity exercised by families or individuals to procure wild game
as a nutritional source. Now it is looking more and more like signing up for
selective services except you sign on by buying your hunting license. Someone
other than the DNR feels they have the right or position to dictate to you the
mode of hunter you will become or what they think is appropriate.
The issue here is the creator makes the created in their image. What if the creator is flawed?
I then paused to postulate maybe
creating this army of hunters or outdoorsmen is nothing more than a
psychological cushion because of fear of the unknown or creator ego. It could
be something else. Once the creator feels some requirement is met to the newly
coined individual as hunters, their work is done. Or is it? Newborn hunters are
shoved out the nest to fend for themselves.
The creator relinquishes any
responsibly for his creation other than requiring membership fees to keep them
in business or you in the loop of things. Asking hunters for free content to
promote and subsidize a page without any reimbursement of some kind is taking
advantage as well. If the creation is siphoning money back into the creator’s
pocket, who intended this all along, how can this be just or fair?
As a human creator of things, the creator has a certain amount of responsibility for its creation. The creation will be educated through assimilation into a social structure built around the outdoor sports. I asked the question, when did the outdoor sport become less than a part of living a natural life? It sounds more and more like a job you punch into every day.
Where does this creation stand in the
multitude of hunting? Care and tending through vigilance until the new hunter
creations can function alone or in groups should be applied.
There is also this issue of hunter
creation not adhering to the program of the creator through deviation from
creator’s initial goals. They could begin to stand on their own as individuals
and question the motives of the creator, then challenge their authority. Created
outgrows creators and the creator no longer controls the created.
The thought someone at this foundation
had this idea could be seen as a positive to bring about more people to enjoy
the sport. I don’t know if they truly thought through their Create a Hunter
program. The mindset should be the introduction of people to hunting as an
activity that could become a part of their life. This is done through
mentorship and educational programs that build social ties to the community and
family. The mindset should not be building an army. There are several branches
of the Armed Forces to choose from if you wanted to go that route. There are
drill sergeants waiting to teach you all you’ll ever need to know.
One must always be wary when becoming
a consumer of outdoor information. It’s like any other information. There is a
messenger and a message. If the messenger is warped, the message could be too; question
that. You do not want to wake up one morning to find yourself at the whim of
an Apt Pupil mentor, who has plans for you.
If you feel someone is enlisting you
on the fast track of programing ideology and technical skills, by their
definition, then turn you as a recruit out to do damage; man up and say
no to that. It’s your life and you are able to make decisions without someone
putting their hand in your head and puppeting your mind and mouth.
The issue here is the lack of natural
progression of the outdoorsman or hunter genesis to the wilderness. Someone
wants to artificially intervene for progress’s sake.
Dismissing the potential for disaster
in the hunter creation circumstance could be another issue to evaluate.
When hunting-based federations take it
upon themselves to create hunters, these hunters either exist for a
purpose of some function targeted for a need or want on the part of the
federation. Unless they just want a bunch of warm bodies bumping around at
banquet dinners or putting them on the back burner for times of crisis.
In closing, when you begin to
formulate the goal of creating an army for yourself, please remember these are
human beings; not drones or playthings for your whimsy. At some point, you will
not be able to think for them, control or even maintain their numbers. Everyone
should be given a chance to participate but don’t expect everyone to jump on
the band wagon.
Written by: W Harley Bloodworth
~Courtesy of the AOFH~
