The Artist's Swan

Sometimes, like one of those Bewick's swans that breed in the Arctic in the area surrounding the Kara Sea and now reside on the small gentle pond I pass most days, you just want to build enough momentum to get those big old wings flapping again and take off. It's not that you don't like the pond. In fact you care about the pond more than anything else in the world - it's where your family stay. It's just that you need the big picture and you need to hunt. Now, hunting isn't exactly what you might call particularly swan-like behaviour, but when there's not much in or on your pond and you know where to look, you must go there. Especially when you've an important artist and mother by the pond, who needs time to make one day what may be a priceless picture of that pond, let alone two beautiful cygnets. Thankfully, I know it's important to look around, to check the temperature, to be informed. This old swan likes to do that anyway. Take that talk I attended the other day, the one given by the principal spokesman to the largest military alliance in the world. One hell of a smart swan. But what wasn't mentioned then and maybe should be mentioned more now are some pretty salient facts, namely what have just been deemed the four key threats to the security of this planet.

1. Political fanaticism and religious fundamentalism.

2. The "dark side" of globalisation, meaning international terrorism, organised crime and the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

3. Climate change and energy security, entailing a contest for resources and potential "environmental" migration on a mass scale.

4. The weakening of the nation state as well as of organisations such as the UN, Nato and the EU.

Now, few of the other creatures I meet flying around this small airspace here seem to care much about these points, though they do have beautiful nests. Especially the politicians. I don't know, even in a powerless kind of way as I peer from high above the pond at the horizon, I'm sure I'm a better swan for being informed and this will make me a better hunter.