And as I watch, I wonder what they think about.
Do they think about life the way we do? I don’t think so. I imagine they act mostly on instinct, and don’t ponder their existence; don’t question why they do the things they do; don’t wonder what the purpose of it all is.
They carry out their responsibilities without questioning them. They do whatever needs to be done without complaining. They go about their day without analyzing their past or worrying about their future.
They live for the moment from one day to the next. And when it’s time to move on, they simply accept it. There are no regrets. There is no anger.
As I watch them and think about all this, I wonder what it would be like to be a part of their world instead of ours.
To have to struggle to find food each day. To worry about your babies being preyed on. To worry that you’ll be preyed on. To live in the cold. Rain. Heat. Snow. To compete with others for shelter, including humans.
I realize that every living creature on earth has its own struggles. And that we’re all doing the best we can.
Including this sweet chipmunk, Mr. Inski...
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| “I eat, therefore I am” |
I know what you mean - but at least all the ones in your garden know where the food is!
ReplyDeleteThey sure do! They don't need my help as much this time of year, but I enjoy having them visit.
DeleteWhat a wonderful post Martha! Each creature has it's own intelligence level and some are more aware than others. They don't really worry about things in the same way that you and I do and that is a blessing. They don't worry that someone will bulldoze their woods to put in a big box store,or dump chemicals into the stream they drink from....that's why we have to worry for them.
ReplyDelete'...we have to worry for them." That's such a profound comment! And so true. We have to worry for them, and take care of them as well. Every living creature has the right to be here.
DeleteGreat shots, Martha :) I sometimes think animals have it made. They live in the moment, without fear for the future. On the other hand our self-awareness and intelligence means we get to ponder (and brace ourselves) for our eventual demise over the course of a lifetime...
ReplyDeleteI do like that they live in the moment, but they have their own struggles. I don't think there's a 'better place to be'. I think we need to make the best of it wherever we are.
DeleteMartha, the pictures are beautiful. I used to think that our incapability to understand what animals think should not be used to discount their ability to think beyond instinct. I used to think that animals like dolphins, elephants, whales and dogs look at us and wonder if we think and if we do, why we behave like animals a lot of the time. I always thought that if we look very carefully we behave a lot of times on instinct. We engage in wars for territory and resources, we fight with other women because of "our man", we speed up in traffic just so someone does not get in front of us so we can stay ahead... I think we just do things in a bigger scale. I read this quote today and it just seemed to apply perfectly to your post: “Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it’ll spend its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein
ReplyDeleteI love that quote! I ran across it a few months ago and thought it was brilliant. You are probably right. We do behave very badly at times. We are often driven by greed and the need for power. It's quite sad.
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