One of the aspects of going on safari that always surprises and thrills first-time visitors to Africa is how CLOSE you can get to the animals. Its one of the reasons that pictures turn out so good - you don't have to have a $10,000 400mm lens to get a picture of a zebra's face, because the zebra is literally ten feet away from you! Animals seem to have a totally different presence when they are "up close and personal," and the experience of being mere feet away is magical in a unique way for each type. Sitting still while a herd of elephants meanders past, I am always blown away by the sound of their giant ears flapping against their bodies - like the sails of a boat flapping in the wind. Watching a lion stalk across the road three feet away from the van's bumper, I am struck by the intensity and focus of her gaze, and by the reality that it would only take a quick leap for her to be IN the van next to me. Holding my breath as wildebeest run past on both sides, I can't help but wonder what they think about the crazy "animals" that block their path and point shiny cameras at them all the time!

Many of the animals in the Masai Mara have adapted to the point where they barely seem to notice the presence of safari vehicles. They've realized that the white vans and green Land Cruisers aren't going to hunt or eat them, and they know that the humans aren't competition for their sources of food. Often times a giraffe or elephant will look at a van for a few seconds when it drives up - and then go right back to the important matter at hand: eating. Sometimes a sleeping male lion will open his eyes and glance at the strange species a few yards away, only to lazily roll over and get on with his nap. We aren't a threat or an opportunity, but simply something to be ignored. The humans, vans, and trucks have become a part of their environment.

I feel like we respond to many aspects of our culture in the same way. Something that might be startling at first, be it for good or bad reasons, becomes routine and unremarkable over time. Lions probably didn't sit passively by when the first trucks arrived in Africa, but now they don't give them a second thought. Whether the novel feature is an exciting thing (a new toy, an opportunity, a technological advance that makes life easier) or a negative influence (vulgarity in movies, compromises to "the world," immoral messages from TV shows), we become accustomed to their presence over time. Sometimes this causes us to take things for granted - think about how you respond when your internet connection is interrupted! Other times it causes us to gradually accept the things that we once found repulsive or sinful. In either case, it usually happens without our noticing, and it could end up being dangerous. If Kenya suddenly legalized hunting and all of the tourists carried rifles instead of cameras, the lions would be in trouble...

What are you getting used to?