"If a war of races should occur between the wild beasts and Lord Man, I would be tempted to sympathize with the bears . . ."

"I have precious little sympathy for the selfish propriety of civilized man, and if a war of races should occur between the wild beasts and Lord Man, I would be tempted to sympathize with the bears . . . Bears are made of the same dust as we, and breathe the same winds and drink the same waters. A bear's days are warmed by the same sun, his dwellings are overdomed by the same blue sky, and his life turns and ebbs with heart-pulsings like ours, and was poured from the same First Fountain. And whether he at last goes to our stingy heaven or not, he has terrestrial immortality. His life, not long, not short, knows no beginning, no ending. To him life, unstinted, unplanned, is above the accidents of time, and his years, markless and boundless, equal Eternity. God bless Yosemite bears!

The Contemplative John Muir

Photo: Black (cinnamon) bear, Mt. Rainier National Park, WA. "Unstinted" means "bestowed liberally."
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