As a family therapist and cultural anthropologist I have
been increasingly concerned about how casual and disrespectful humans are about
their relationship to animals—companion animals as well as those in the wild.
In my search for ideas for changes in this world view of the supremacy of
humans, I opened the book of essays, Zoologies: On Animals and the Human
Spirit by Alison Hawthorne Deming, a science writer and poet. Her answer to
my dilemma came in the form of a question, “What does the disappearance of
animals mean for the human imagination?” I admit it took me three days of
pondering what she was talking about.
Then I got smart and consulted with my 11-year-old
granddaughter, Avery, about what she thought animals mean for us. Instantly,
she said she loves the beauty of the flowers along with the bees they feed, not
only the animal but how the rest of nature relates to it. She went on to say
birdsong is so important to her that she couldn’t imagine outdoors without it.
She agreed with me that animals can teach us things like how all the elephant
family helps take care of the babies. Then lovingly she described the
connection with her two dogs, wanting to be with her and snuggle and play. They
feel warm and soft, comforting.
Interestingly, in Avery’s brief and heartfelt conversation,
she hit upon most of the salient points I had unearthed in two years of
research. She connected the beauty of nature with the animals (bees). She
showed her mindfulness of the birds in her own habitat and how they contribute.
She noticed that animals have found ways that work toward caring for their own
that might be an improvement on what some humans do. She picked up on the
importance of reciprocal connection in the world with animals. She touched on
the idea that animals she is familiar with live in the moment and provide
comfort. And what really stood out is the joy she feels about the natural world.
She notices the beauty with her hearing and eyesight, her touch and her
emotional attachment, especially to her furry friends.
Avery also pointed
me toward asking the right question in my own imagination--not what do we do for
animals but what do they have to offer us? What would the world be without
them? Thinking of animals as a resource for our spirits and imagination and for
our sense of wonder and awe opens us to a new worldview. We share the earth and
contribute to each other. This reciprocity between humans and animals connects
us with all of nature, giving us hope for the future of the earth.
--Turtle GG
submitted 9/6/18
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