By Bernie Bell
I’ve noticed that animals don’t make such a fuss about being hurt or un-well as humans do. A human, will have, for example, a hurt arm. Even when the arm is better, they still think about the hurt arm, mention that they had a hurt arm, they hold on to the hurt (emotional as well as physical!). Animals, well, once it’s stopped hurting and they feel better, they tend to forget about it and get on with what they’re doing, particularly if what they’re doing, is fun!
We were discussing this, because Ben-The-Dog isn’t here any more. After he’d ‘died’, I was aware of his presence, momentarily, literally, for moments, then he was gone. When we’ve been on walks, since, especially his favourite ones, we’ve felt as though we could see him, scootling about as he did, but, actually, he isn’t there, and he’s definitely not in the house. We were discussing this, and I said to Mike, that animals do ‘stick around’, sometimes, as people do, but not as often, and not for as long. I came to the conclusion, that it’s because they don’t make such a fuss about being on the earth-plane, or not, as we do, same as not making such a fuss about being hurt or ill.
Ben at Cuween June 2000 ( B Bell)
Ben died, and, much as he loves us, there is no need for him to stay here, we’re o.k., we don’t need his presence to carry on, not even for a short time, as is sometimes the case with dead folk. So, he left his body, and that was that. He’s gone on to …..whatever is next for Ben. Who knows what that is? as, who knows what’s next for any one, as I very much feel, that what’s ‘next’ is different for us all, as our lives are different.
They live, they feel, they love, they get hurt, it gets better, they LIVE, going onto the next thing, without dwelling on the past. Sometimes, it’s stunning how a mis-treated animal can trust humans again, but they do. Some humans can do this too. We can learn an awful lot from our fellow animals. They don’t let the ‘drama’ interfere with the reality of a situation. They don’t hold onto the bad stuff, but have the ability to hold onto the good stuff!!! If only we could learnt to do that!
Sometimes I feel that there’s only so much a person can take, but that’s not so, it’s just life, and what life gives us, to deal with, either ‘good’ or ‘bad’. I don’t even know if the animals put those value-judgements on it all. It looks like they just either think, “Hey, this is good!!!!” or ” Don’t like this, get away from it!”. that certainly seems to be the case with dogs!
Maybe our lives are too complex to be dealt with in such a simple way, but maybe it is possible, maybe it’s just us, making it complex.
Don’t mix the drama with the reality, that’s a very good policy.
Maybe that is why other animals don’t tend to ‘hang about’ as much as humans, and maybe why it’s usually the un-happy humans, who hang about. Sometimes people stay somewhere, because they’ve been very happy there, but usually, that’s not for long. The ones who really hang around, are often those who have un-finished business, a negative connection with a place, or an un-healthy attachment to the material world, non of which are things which an animal would even contemplate getting involved in.
Life goes on. The hurt and the healing, all part of one thing. Maybe that’s what animals understand, and we don’t really get a grip on.
Indeed, all one energy. To quote ‘Stairway To Heaven’, again……….”When all are one and one is all”.
Bernie Bell is a regular contributor to The Orkney News. If you would like to send us a photo or share your stories/poems then use the contact page or
email: fiona@theorkneynews.scot
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Our Bandit has proved these points over and over again. Totally blind and with his leg in plaster, he still wanted out to play football as soon as we arrived home from the vets.
Well, humans are animals is the first point. We react to situations just as we should – as animals. Then our big brain enables us to make more of things. But not necessarily, only if we wish to – and that’s the important point. We have the same simple instincts as all our fellow animals, for food, shelter and the opportunity to pass on our genes. There really is nothing else before or after, except what our big brains dream up to make it more complicated.
Have you read ‘Galapagos’ by Kurt Vonnegut? it’ about where our big brains, can take us…………
I’d sent this to ‘The Orkney News’, before the recent ‘edict’ from the Westminster Parliament, that animals are not sentient beings – they don’t feel. So, this now gives me an opportunity to have a minor rant………
At the same time that Westminster voted that animals are not sentient beings – cannot feel pain – Holyrood voted to restrict the use of electronic ‘training ‘collars on dogs.
Which of these parliaments, would you prefer to align yourself with?
Personally, I look forward to a total ban on these ‘training’ devices. People have been training dogs for thousands of years, without needing to ‘zap’ them with an electric shock. It’s true, that some did train by the use of pain, even before electricity was discovered, but that wasn’t needed – training a dog is to do with the connection between the human and the dog. It’s in the voice, and the look – the eye contact. My Dad taught me to train dogs, and he never needed to hit a dog, or a child – it was all done with voice and inherent authority. Inflicting pain is the lazy way to do it, when the ‘trainer’ isn’t prepared to put in the time and thought to do it properly.
The use of those ‘training’ devices, produces a neurotic animal. Well, wouldn’t you be a bit nervy if you were wearing a collar which zapped you every time you did something that someone in a position of power didn’t like?
The trouble is, I can see some of our present world leaders, thinking that this would be a very good idea.
1984, and ‘Animal Farm’, here we come.