did you ever feel like you were able to tune in and hear the cry of every wounded animal?

[beatrix haxby]

i remember when i got to secondary school finding it odd how people would call animals 'odd' or 'cute'. for me it was like animals had certain powers that could only be understood or activated in certain contexts, and everyone had to respect that. before i announced that anything was my favourite colour or animal there were a million different things and people i knew i had to implicate before i made that announcement. films like indiana jones & the temple of doom and ace ventura were really big eyeopeners for me, because it showed me what length people would go to to access that realm. i've been locked out of it for 4 years but i kinda remember how id have to access it, has anyone else been there, and if so what did you find out?

 

[Tom]

Partially. But I think of it differently. To me animals, or even bugs can feel way more then most people realize. But I think its the same kind of feelings we experience, such as pain, satisfaction, sadness, etc. The ammount that they feel I would think is dependent on the sophistication of their brains, or whatever they use as brains. So I believe a frog for example can feel all the things I mentioned, but to a much lesser degree than humans. But it still feels them and should be respected as much a person is and has as much right to live. As you move lower down the orders of living things those feelings become less and less, and at some point not a consideration. For instance you don't have to worry about hurting an ameoba's feelings. But some very small creatures still, I believe, have a kind of feeling. Many bugs for example, feel pain, perhaps fright, maybe a sort of contentment when things are good (like finding a good food source). So even with them, I want to be considerate and only do what is necessary and with as little cruelty as possible.

 

[watersprite]

If I understand you correctly yes, have had this since a kid as long as I can remember. It feels as though am aware of too much for me to handle sometimes.
Anyway it is nothing short of bizarre to me, to be one of the billions of humans. And yet, I am a meat eater and would hunt if necessary, only for our food use though.

I scoop up bugs, spiders, and even flying critters that get inside the house and put them back out.

 

[tree]

When we had goats I had cramps when the does were near kidding.
Not like 'oh this is exciting & I feel sympathetic.'
Just----HEY I feel like I'm in labor.

I kept track of their due dates, but the cramps were useful at night,
to get an idea of how quickly I needed to go out. (Usually cold and
the kids needed to get dry so they didn't get frost bit.)

 

[Beverly]

I am very empathetic with animals, unfortunately that makes my chosen lifestyle of raising my own meat animals to avoid hormones and chemicals in my food more difficult. For me, as difficult as it is, the health benefits are worth more and so, I temper my empathy and do what I must to put meat on my table.

Experience has shown me that animals definitely feel more than most humans think. They may not be self aware but, they know what pain, hunger, thirst, hot, cold and, a missing companion are. They also do not seem to remember such things for long once an event that caused a feeling is over but, simply observing them, you can see that they do feel such things. Some animals have a very good sense of family, other do not. Some recognize me as their caregiver and, trust me, some do not but they all know when they have what the require to survive, grow and be safe.

 

[hiraeth]

I haven't had this experience as much with animals, but I take on the consciousness of trees and other plants a lot. Seeing trees get cut down and things like that, is really painful.