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My curious mind never rests. This is a fascinating question, right? If somehow there could instantly be an exact copy of you, could that person become your good friend? I know... a clone is really the same thing as an identical twin, and twins develop many personality (and even physical) differences during their lifetimes. But I'm talking about the common science fiction concept of creating a copy that is identical to you as you are right now. Same memories, same experiences, same everything. First, there are reasonable arguments for and against creating a copy of yourself. First, assuming your copy is willing, you could accomplish a lot more with two than with one. Some people might think: I wouldn’t have to go to work! Well, that’s probably wrong. Remember, your clone is just like you, so your clone also doesn’t want to go to work. You might have to establish an agreement where you alternate days with your clone… which does mean you would only have to go to work half the time. But then you’d have to spend a lot of time each day briefing each other on what you accomplished that day at work so you wouldn’t get totally confused the next morning when you get there. And you would have to share one salary! It might benefit you to observe yourself from an outside perspective (not just in a mirror). You could watch your clone’s mannerisms, gestures, facial expressions, allowing you to recognize and change your annoying habits. I’m sure there is a lot we could learn about ourselves… from ourselves. There are also some pretty serious negative consequences. If a copy of you suddenly appears, which one of you actually owns your house and other property? Which of you really loves your spouse and all your friends? Would your spouse have to choose one of you? With only one job, you now have two people to feed and clothe. The new person would need their own social security number, health insurance, driver’s license, and bank accounts. Uh-oh, I’m going down a deep rabbit hole with this. So, back to the original Great Mystery… could you and your clone be friends? A tough question. It forces us to ask: Knowing exactly who I am, would I be willing to hang around with myself for fun? Different people might answer this differently. Trish and I are best friends partly because we are different. When I am feeling quiet and contemplative, she talks and fills the gaps. Sometimes, it’s the other way around. I tend to be impulsive to a fault, while she plans and considers consequences. If two people are exactly the same, could they really be friends? After all, we spend every waking hour with ourselves already. Could we really tolerate another copy of ourselves? I suppose we would laugh at the same jokes and enjoy the same TV shows. But I think the similarities would become tiresome. However, here’s how I think it could work. I could send my clone off on his own, to have his own experiences, say, for a year. Then, when he comes back, his experiences would have changed him enough, and my experiences would change me enough, that we would no longer be identical, and we would then have things to talk about. Of course, the problem is, he would be me. He would not want to leave his wife, his home, his family any more than I would. *Sigh* No... this just wouldn't work at all. I do NOT want a copy of myself! 
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I was hiking in the forest near our house recently, and I came upon this carcass of an eastern wild turkey (the eastern wild turkey is one of the four subspecies of wild turkeys living in North America). I immediately determined this turkey was a tom... a mature male. Notice the sharp spur on the leg bone. The spur isn't real long, but it's longer than the spurs of a jake (a juvenile male turkey). The second photo is a close-up of the leg bone and spur, an important bit of forensic evidence. It's time to put on our Sherlock Holmes hats, folks, because murder is afoot. Or should I say fowl play? Something—or someone—murdered this turkey, and I aim to sleuth it out (can sleuth be a verb?). Your ideas are welcome, so feel free to contribute to solving the mystery of this dastardly deed. First, let's rule out some suspects. Although October happens to be one of the hunting seasons for turkeys in Missouri, I offer my opinion that a human was not involved. Why? Well, based on the advanced state of decomposition of this body, it must have been killed long before October. It's mostly feathers and clean, white bones. Also, when humans kill turkeys, they take them home and eat them. They do not leave them on the ground. Also, this carcass is on our property, and we have never seen or heard trespassers here. The carcass is far from the nearest road, so not a roadkill. I'll also offer my opinion that this bird did not die of old age. The spur is simply not long enough to belong to an old tom. Could it have been an accident? Like flying into a tree trunk? Not likely. Turkeys are excellent flyers and rarely have such accidents. And they're tough birds. Disease? Possible. Turkeys sometimes die of diseases such as avian Influenza or avian pox. However, while wild turkeys occasionally get sick, disease does not play a major role in overall wild turkey mortality. Although disease is a possible suspect, I'm ruling it out simply based on low probability. The process of elimination leads me to a PREDATOR as the culprit. But what predator? Turkeys roost in trees at night. Therefore, the adults rarely fall prey to coyotes, bobcats, and other predators that normally hunt at night (whereas turkey eggs and flightless poults—babies—often do). However, coyotes and bobcats do sometimes hunt during the day, and they are excellent ambush hunters (they sneak up on prey and leap onto them with a sudden burst of speed), but this was in an area of forest with little cover. Besides, I did not see any broken bones—a coyote or bobcat would likely crunch some of the bones while feeding on the bird. The breast bone, in particular, would have been crunched, but you can see it is intact. Birds of prey, on the other hand, usually just pick the meat from the bones with their razor-sharp beak, leaving the bones intact. I could be wrong, of course, but I conclude that this bird was likely killed by a bird of prey, probably either a great horned owl, a barred owl, or a red-shouldered hawk (the only three large birds of prey that hunt in the forest around here). We have a lot of bald eagles here, but I've never seen one hunt birds in a dense forest. Considering owls hunt at night, a roosting turkey, though quite large, would be a logical prey option. Numerous barred owls live in the area, so my primary suspect is a BARRED OWL (third photo). Do you have any suggestions that might change my conclusion? After all, what kind of sleuth would I be if I didn't listen to the opinions of others?    |
Stan's Cogitations
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December 2025
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