Of Time and Turtles

*Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell*

This book brings back memories. My Dad had a pet guinea pig he named Toodie. I don’t know where that name came from as Dad didn’t talk much about all the stuff he was thinking about. Toodie lived freely in our house, leaving compact little turd pellets anywhere it pleased. And would come running every morning when Dad came down the stairs whistling its name.

Dad also had a budgie bird that he named Foxy. Again, sure wish I knew how he decided that name. Foxy flew around without restraint. It would sit on his shoulder and gently pick at Dad’s eyebrows and tap away on his glasses. And seemed to love sending little guinea pig Toodie running for shelter under the sofa.

I’m trying to recall if our family ever had a pet turtle. In the United States, baby turtles -just the right size to fit in a child’s mouth- have been illegal to sell since 1975 due to fear of salmonella bacteria. Laws in Canada have been mixed regarding their sale and possession. We probably did have a turtle since they were available in every aquarium/fish store at that time. I have no recollection of putting one in my mouth.

Looking at just the cover, one might think it to be a whimsical book with a few ‘morality’ lessons. It is everything but that. Sy Montgomery is a global naturalist and “internationally bestselling writer of thirty-six celebrated books for adults and children.” Her insightful analysis and narrative ability have converted the realities “of time and turtles” into a fascinating metaphor to enhance our awareness on several fronts.

On one level, this book uses the plight of turtles to focus on ecological and environmental issues. Montgomery traces the daily missional work of men and women who are devoted to rescuing and restoring turtles from the ravages of the world, primarily the highways around which they live. With a 50% reduction of commuter traffic during the COVID pandemic, one study showed that “the numbers of animals, from cougars to turtles, saved by the reduced traffic will be estimated in the tens of millions.” This COVID connection reminds me of the satellite pictures taken over China that showed, for a brief duration of time during the pandemic, it was possible to see the ground undisturbed by air pollution.

Since I am in Canada, I must include the author’s Banff illustration. She describes how Banff (“in Canada”) has created safe corridors for wildlife to cross highways. There are 6 overpasses, 38 underpasses, and extensive fencing to guide wildlife away from the roads. The net effect? It is “estimated to have saved more than 200,000 individual animals, from lynx to toads, since completion in 2017.” That’s pretty good, eh!

For the men and women in Montgomery’s story, “caring for turtles is more than a job, more than a charity: It’s a sacred devotion.” The reality narratives of daily ‘in the trenches’ work done by these heroes are worth reading on their own. But the author also uses the turtle to raise a more conceptual and philosophical issue – the idea and experience of time.

A predominant feature of turtles is their longevity. One fascinating fact from Montgomery: “A turtle who recently died at age 288 was alive when George Washington was born, when homes were lit by candles, medicine largely consisted of enemas and bloodletting, and mental illness was treated with powder made from the hooves of moose.” Wow! I had to read that twice.

Montgomery says, “Everything takes a long time for a turtle.” They live and breathe slowly. Their hearts beat slowly and they even die slowly. Examples abound in the book of these extraordinary qualities. It may take several days for a turtle to gradually respond to an anesthetic or antibiotic treatment. They are not assumed dead until decomposition sets in since it is common for a turtle to appear dead for quite a while then gradually stir again. As Natasha, one of the key rescuers in the narratives, says, “Time is what the turtles have.”

Time. A concept that philosophers, astronomers, and many others have wrestled with for a long time (I hope you get my attempt at provoking a smile). The arrow concept of time was proposed in 1927 by physicist Arthur Eddington. Like an arrow’s flight, time goes in only one direction. In comparison to space, which moves forwards and backwards, time always moves forward, never in reverse. I can’t help but think of all the novels and movies that aim to ‘challenge’ this reality with tales of elaborate contraptions and excursions into the past or future.

Just to muddy the waters a bit more, the author adds Albert Einstein to the discussion. His concept of time was not an arrow pointed in only one direction. When one of his close friends died, Einstein wrote to the grieving widow, “Though he has left this strange world a little before me, this means nothing. For us who believe in physics know the distinction between past, present, and future is nothing more than a persistent stubborn illusion.” For Einstein, his friend was still on the landscape of life but just over the next hill where we cannot presently see him.

With this deep awareness of the magnitude and mystery of time, Montgomery links the concept of time to her focus on turtles. She affirms that people throughout history have tried to explain how time began and used the turtle as a vehicle of explanation. Hindu and Buddhist mythology have the tortoise Akupara who carries the world on her back. China has the World Turtle named Ao whose legs prop up the heavens. Indigenous peoples refer to North America as Turtle Island. And, interestingly, this is the continent with the most turtle species in the world.

Linking time and turtles to philosophical and religious paradigms, Montgomery challenges us, even in the midst of global calamities like the COVID pandemic, to take ‘the long view’ of turtle wisdom. Maybe time is not linear at all. Rather than being an arrow, perhaps time is an egg. She suggests that we make it “a turtle egg – with its promise that each end might lead to a new beginning.”