What is it like to be a bear?
It’s a question that undoubtedly has crossed everyone’s mind at some point. Well, there is one person on Twitter who has answered that question – and changed my life. That person is not a person at all. That person is a bear.
Am I the same bear to me as I am to others? Can others tell? Maybe I do not know what a bear is. Do others know what a bear is meant to be?
— A bear (@A_single_bear) July 24, 2014
Empathy. Philosophy. Existential dilemmas. Three things most people would not immediately think of when they think of Twitter. But then again, most people don’t know what the eff they’re talking about when it comes to Twitter. They don’t even know that those 140 characters can contain a godd*mn link.
The same is true with what they know of being a bear, and there’s also a lot more to it.
“Am I the same bear to me as I am to others?”
Is our definition of ourselves only our own perception? And if that perception is created by our perception of what others think of us, then is it really our own? This all boils down to @A_single_bear, because our idea of what other people think we are is also created in our own mind. Others do not know what we are meant to be, and they definitely do not know what a bear is meant to be.
In essence, we learn from @A_single_bear that it doesn’t matter what others think of us because even if we tried, we would never know what they are thinking anyway. Thus, don’t worry about what other people think of you. Thanks, Bear.
Today I found a place where the forest briefly turns into a very flat, long black rock with lines on it. It is also very hot. I am a bear. — A bear (@A_single_bear) July 23, 2014
There is an argument that spans science, philosophy and literature over whether human beings have a more complex consciousness than animals. A philosopher named Martin Heidegger had a theory that all beings inhabit singular “Worlds of Perception.” For example, as Thomas Nagel famously wrote, we will never be able to comprehend what it’s like to be a bat, because a bat’s existence is based on sonar, or echolocation – a way of comprehending the world that we do not possess. Does that then mean the bat’s world is less rich in experience, or consciousness, than the human’s world? No, it does not. It means we don’t know.
It means the two ways of experience are totally different. It’s like a human trying to explain the color blue to an alien.
The same goes for this bear, but he lets us into his world. He finds the rock. It is hot. We see the road through the experience of the sensations of a single bear. The world is rich to him, and he is a bear. and in this case, he is hot.
I wonder if the wind bothers the eyes of birds. Maybe flying really is not all that great. I am a bear.
— A bear (@A_single_bear) July 22, 2014
Again, the Bear teaches us empathy. Humans are always trying to fly, not really thinking about it. The Bear actually thinks about how it would feel to be the bird. Would the wind hurt their eyes? Probably, especially if it was cold. Empathy: it’s like that song by Everlast, but better, and much better taught by a bear. The bear doesn’t really wish he could fly; he’s content on the ground. Flying may not be that great, or sometimes at least, flying may not be better than not flying. All of this learned from a bear.
Bear Advice: Do not eat all the acorns. Save some for later. This has been Bear Advice. I am a bear. — A bear (@A_single_bear) July 21, 2014
Following this bear on Twitter will bring you sage advice when you least expect it: Bear Advice.
Here, the bear probably has a tummy ache from eating too many acorns. How many times have your eyes been bigger than your stomach? Thanks, Bear.
No matter how slow you move throughout the forest, the forest still goes #Bearku #Haiku
— A bear (@A_single_bear) July 24, 2014
The #Bearku is another joy @A_single_bear brings into the world. Slow down, he says. The forest goes on and on. In the same way, the Internet goes on and on and on. Go too fast and you might burn out. Sometimes you must stop, read an article or two, consider your existence, and then continue tweeting. I’ll leave you with four more of my favorite Bear Tweets. There are just too many to count:
Today would have been a good day to move the rocks I found into an interesting shape. I did not though. Oh, the things we lose as time goes. — A bear (@A_single_bear) July 20, 2014
Today was good, but it would have been better had I seen more butterflies. I am a bear.
— A bear (@A_single_bear) July 18, 2014
I was quite taken aback the day I realized there was dirt under the water too. Dirt just seems to be everywhere. I am a bear. — A bear (@A_single_bear) July 19, 2014
I hope the forest never ends.
— A bear (@A_single_bear) July 21, 2014
As do we, Bear.
And we just want you to know that you are so much more than just @A_single_bear. You are a bear who knows who he is, but is not afraid to admit that he knows nothing.
You, Bear, are all of us.
FOR MORE, FOLLOW @A_SINGLE_BEAR ON TWITTER AND CHECK OUT HIS CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE TUMBLR… JUST BE WARY OF THE SQUIRRELS!
