Going Gently Toward Death

Last night while watching the film, Encounters At The End Of World, I learned every once and a while there is a male penguin that for unknown reasons heads for the interior of Antarctica instead of the ocean. The director of the film, Herzog, asked the scientists why they didn’t stop them. The scientist replied that even if you put the penguin back in the center of the community, he would simply head out for the interior again. He is driven by an irresistible urge and will continue walking toward the mountains until he starves to death.


There is another group of scientists 20 KM interior to the penguin colony doing separate research. Occasionally, one of the rouge penguins walks through their camp on his way to the mountains. The policy is simply to stand still, let the penguin pass, and then continue with their research once the penguin is outside the camp again. It’s heartbreaking, watching the scientist just stand there letting this penguin pass by on to his certain death.

I wished that one of the scientists would stop the little guy and try to talk him out of it. I know it’s irrational, but to see a creature unwittingly just walk to his own doom tears me up inside. I can’t help but wonder if the scientists are passionate enough that their emotions will get through to the penguin and convince him to snap out of it. I naively believe the penguin is simply a sleep walker that needs a gentle jolt to wake them up and return them to reason.

I’m haunted by the image of the penguin nonchalantly waddling past the scientist who stands there watching curiously as the little guy heads to the mountains. It’s so tragic and depressing.