Sister Koko

This Friday is the anniversary of the death of Hanabi-Ko, "Fireworks Child"; known to the world as Koko. Like most, her life was a mixture of both delight and pain. She expressed serious thoughts, on mortality and existence for example, as well as petty ones, such as lies or anger. She became infatuated with colleagues, and mourned a beloved pet. Koko was an attentive listener and a good friend. And yes, she was also a gorilla.

I have long been fascinated by the implications of Koko's story. Was she truly conscious? Could she love? Did she have a soul? Was she a glimpse into our past, or a harbinger of our family's expansion? Dr. Penny Patterson, the psychologist who taught and cared for her, once asked Koko, "Do gorillas know things that people don't?" How much wisdom is out there in the wild, awaiting our acceptance of its keepers as our equals?

Koko and her kin are evidence of the falsity of anthropocentrism. We humans are not the apex of creation or evolution. Our Parent has birthed countless sisters and brothers; and not just on one little rock in the universe. Abandon your fear, and open your hearts to this strange and wonderful reality. For as Dr. Patterson declared about gorillas, so it must be said of all created beings, "If there's anything sacred in us, it's in them, too."

E Pluribus Unum

Out of many, one. We Americans are called to be a sacred people, a manifestation of the family to which all humans belong. A heavy cross, for sure, but ours nonetheless.

I understand that it is hard to recognize such duty in the midst of these days of rage. We seem hell-bent on dividing one another into two camps: the children of light on one side, and the children of darkness on the other; or vice versa, depending on your point of view. In such an atmosphere, hatred and vengeance can feel righteous. But it is precisely now, when we appear most divided, that we must return to our sacred task. The truest way we can honor George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and all of their companions is to actively strive to become the people our Parent is calling us to be.

Let us begin by recalling the admonition of our Brother: love your enemies. Listen to the voices with whom you most differ; not just with your ears, but with your heart; and not to change your mind, but to understand the soul of that other. Why does he think this? Why does she feel that? The goal here is not to appreciate their perspective, but to genuinely see life through their eyes. It is about moving from enmity to sympathy to empathy, then allowing that vision to carry you onward to friendship and family.

This path, however, will not eradicate injustice. As long as we are human, our lusts and fears will spawn viruses of the heart and soul. And as long as our skin comes in a variety of shades, racism will be among them. We can never remove the viruses completely, but we can alleviate their symptoms. And to do that, we must come to know one another as friends, as family. Siblings can fight viciously, but they also have a way to navigate out of conflict, because the bonds of family cannot be permanently severed.

Now, nowhere in this post have I mentioned the state, for this is not their project. Human institutions will always be corrupt and abusive, for they cannot escape the arrogance and greed of their builders and keepers. Friendship can mitigate such failures, more soundly than the reforms or rebellions of the smart people and their smart ideas, but nothing can eliminate them. We are forever sinful and fallible, as are the works of our hands.

Fortunately, our cross does not belong to that category. Will you help carry it? If so, then let this be our cause: to see the other, every other, not as a threat, but as a sibling whose story we have yet to learn. An impossible task, for sure, but do not allow reality to hinder the attempt. This is about family, after all. And you never quit on family.