Friday, May 28, 2010

Why animals are better than people

I have not had much luck in my life with people. After 2 failed marriages, and living on the opposite side of the United States from my family by choice, it seems that my life is better suited to being single and living with animals. I don't mean that I will move to a wilderness somewhere and start eating roots. Maybe you'll understand better if you see reasons why I feel that animals are better than people.
In nature, as in the human race, everything has a language. If you know what to listen for and you know the behavior, then it becomes clear and easy to understand. When a dog wags his tail, it is not always a friendly gesture. You have to look at the position of his ears, his body language (does he seem tense?) and the tone of his bark. Snakes are not fond of sudden movements, as they perceive it to be a sign of aggression. This is especially true when they are molting their skins. Cats generally whip their tails back and forth when they are annoyed about something or if they are stalking.
I love animals because they are easy for me to understand. If you know the rules of encounter and if you understand the different behaviors, then it's easy to interact (or not). My dog will never act nasty to me because he's had a bad day. The neighbor's cat doesn't care that I have depression, or that my breath may smell bad. Animals don't need to climb the corporate ladder to feel accomplished, they don't understand the concept of lying to someone and they are not interested in creating crises for attention. Drama queens need not apply. Animals do not have addiction problems (unless you count the dog and cat cravings for cookies and treats).
I can make a whole afternoon out of listening to the wind in the trees and the crows calling back and forth to each other. I force myself to tolerate 5 minutes on the phone with a customer who doesn't know me but decides to tell me about myself anyway. The way a horse moves is poetry in action. The way most humans live is a destructive force to nature.
The law of nature is survival. As humans, we have taken that law and twisted it out of proportion to justify our actions motivated by greed, envy and spite. Animals take only what they need to survive. We continue to take what we need, what we want and some extra, just to be sure we have more than the next person. I wonder who will have the final legacy on Earth: animals or humans?
Godspeed to you, keep the lighthouse in sight.

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