Animal Awareness

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Hidden Life of Trees

“It all starts with the wolves. Wolves disappeared from Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, in the 1920s. When they left, the entire ecosystem changed. Elk herds in the park increased their numbers and began to make quite a meal of the aspens, willows, and cottonwoods that lined the streams. Vegetation declined and animals that depended on the trees left. The wolves were absent for seventy years. When they returned, the elks’ languorous browsing days were over. As the wolf packs kept the herds on the move, browsing diminished, and the trees sprang back. The roots of cottonwoods and willows once again stabilized stream banks and slowed the flow of water. This, in turn, created space for animals such as beavers to return. These industrious builders could now find the materials they needed to construct their lodges and raise their families. The animals that depended on the riparian meadows came back, as well. The wolves turned out to be better stewards of the land than people, creating conditions that allowed the trees to grow and exert their influence on the landscape.”

~~Peter Wohlleben, The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate.

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Buddy …

All these years later, the antics of Buddy still makes us laugh. Buddy was one of the smartest dogs I’ve met.  Sort of freaky smart. And very very kind.

buddy

 

He was so smart that he trained us to toss the ball back to him when he would make it bounce down the stairs.  He was extremely accurate and fast about catching the tosses.

P7130025

 

He also trained us to find him in the game of hide & seek. He would set the ball for us to find, then dash behind a tree and watch.

BuddyHiding1299

 

He introduced himself to the neighbors cow and they became friends.

buddyandsassy

He loved to swim. And he LOVED to jump off the diving board to fetch his frisbee.

buddy dive

In the shallow end, he would stand on his hind legs, and sometimes push the frisbee down under the water so he could make bubbles.

… more to follow :)

<3

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More on Animals …

I have had catastrophic dreams where the death of an animal was my only way to live. In these dreams, I chose death. When I awoke, I felt such relief and peacefulness. Even in my subconscious, my belief that my life is no more valuable than any animal prevailed.

And now I find this quote:

My situation is a solemn one: life is offered to me on the condition of eating beefsteaks. But death is better than cannibalism. My will contains directions for my funeral, which will be followed, not by mourning coaches, but by oxen, sheep, flocks of poultry, and a small traveling aquarium of live fish, all wearing white scarves in honor of the man who perished rather than eat his fellow creatures. It will be, without the exception of Noah’s Ark, the most remarkable thing of its kind ever seen.

[George Bernard Shaw, Anglo-Irish author and playwright, 1925 Nobel Prize Recipient, (1856-1950)]

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More to consider ….

If man is not to stifle his human feelings, he must practice kindness towards animals, for he who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.

[Immanuel Kant]

Atrocities are not less atrocities when they occur in laboratories and are called medical research.

[George Bernard Shaw]

If we pursue our habit of eating animals, and if our neighbour follows a similar path, will we need to go to war against our neighbour to secure greater pasturage, because ours will not be enough to sustain us, and our neighbour will have a similar need to wage war on us for the same reason.

[Socrates 470-399 BC]

Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.

[Thomas Edison]

The greatness of a nation and it’s moral progress, can be judged by the way it treats it’s animals.

[Ghandi]

To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body. I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.

[Mahatma Gandhi. An Autobiography, the Story of My Experiments]

‘And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over the earth, and over everything that creepeth upon the earth’.

“Dominion is an interesting word, and when I delved into its origin I found it does not mean, as some people believe, ‘dominance over’, but something quite different and very beautiful. It comes from the Hebrew verb ‘yorade’ which means ‘to come down to: to have communion with and compassion for’ which is what we are instructed to do with all living things in that passage in Genesis”.

[Excerpt from Bob Kerridge Auckland SPCA Newsletter 15.12.09]

Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals, and the answer is: “Because the animals are like us.”
Ask the experimenters why it is morally OK to experiment on animals, and the answer is: “Because the animals are not like us.”
Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction.

[Professor Charles R.Magel]

A human being is a part of the whole that we call the universe, a part limited in time and space. And yet we experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical illusion of our consciousness. This illusion is a prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for only the few people nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living beings and all of nature.

[Albert Einstein]

Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.

[Albert Einstein, physicist, 1921 Nobel Prize recipient]

It is my view that a vegetarian manner of living, by its purely physical effect on the human temperament, would most beneficially influence the lot of mankind.

[Albert Einstein, physicist, 1921 Nobel Prize recipient]

All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?

[The Buddha, Indian avatar, (circa 563-483 B.C.)]

There’s a schizoid quality to our relationship with animals, in which sentiment and brutality exist side by side. Half the dogs in America will receive Christmas presents this year, yet few of us pause to consider the miserable life of the pig—an animal easily as intelligent as a dog—that becomes the Christmas ham.

[The New York Times Magazine, “An Animal’s Place” by Michael Pollan]

I do not see any reason why animals should be slaughtered to serve as human diet when there are so many substitutes. After all, man can live without meat. It is only some carnivorous animals that have to subsist on flesh. Killing animals for sport, for pleasure, for adventures, and for hides and furs is a phenomenon which is at once disgusting and distressing. There is no justification in indulging in such acts of brutality.

[His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama of Tibet]

The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for white, or women created for men.

[Alice Walker – American Author “The Colour Purple”]

If a man earnestly seeks a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from animal food.

[Count Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist & philosopher, (1829-1910)]

The time will come when men such as I will look upon the murder of animals as they now look upon the murder of men.

[Leonardo Da Vinci, Italian sculptor, artist, inventor, (1425-1519)]

The obligations of law and equity reach only to mankind; but kindness and beneficence should be extended to the creatures of every species and these will flow from the breast of a true man, as streams that issue from the living fountain.

[Plutarch, Greek philosopher, (46-120 A.D.)]

We cannot have peace among men whose hearts delight in killing any living creature. By every act that glorifies or even tolerates such delight in killing, we set back the progress of humanity.

[Rachel Carson, American author, Silent Spring (1907-1964)]

The Christian argument for vegetarianism is simple: since animals belong to God, have value to God and live for God, then their needless destruction is sinful.

[Reverend Dr. Andrew Linzey, Anglican priest, professor and author, Oxford University Chaplain]

In fact, if one person is unkind to an animal it is considered to be cruelty, but where a lot of people are unkind to animals, especially in the name of commerce, the cruelty is condoned and, once large sums of money are at stake, will be defended to the last by otherwise intelligent people.

[Ruth Harrison, Animal Machines]

When I was old enough to realize that all meat was killed, I saw it as an irrational power, to take a weaker thing and mutilate it. It was like bullies would take control of younger kids in the school yard.

[River Phoenix]

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Be the Change.
Be Love <3

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Animals are Sentient

Cosmetics. Household chemical products. Pharmaceuticals. Factory Farming (most of the meat in the grocery store). Trophy hunting. Entertainment (ie: racing, rodeos, zoos). The list of ways to deliberately inflict pain on a sentient being are endless.

Universal Declaration On Animal Sentience

Scientists Conclude Nonhuman Animals Are Sentient Beings

New Zealand Law – Animals are Sentient  (This includes the ban on using animals for cosmetic testing)

From The Voiceless

What is sentience?

Sentience is the ability to perceive and feel things.

An animal is sentient if “it is capable of being aware of its surroundings, its relationships with other animals and humans, and of sensations in its own body, including pain, hunger, heat or cold.”

In 2012, an international group of eminent neuroscientists signed The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness, which confirmed that many animals, including all mammals and birds, possess the “neurological substrates that generate consciousness.”3

Why sentience matters

A sentient animal is “a being who has interests; that is, a being who prefers, desires, or wants.” These animals avoid suffering and seek positive experiences just as humans do.

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We are all connected. Everything we say and do matters.  Our thoughts and actions have energy.

Everyone has the power to change the world.
Just … Be Love.
BE Love <3

 

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Save the Earth From Us

“This Planet is dying. The Human race is killing it.”
“So you’ve come here to help us?”
“No. I didn’t.”
“You said you came to save us .. ?”
“I said I came to save the Earth.”
“You came to save the Earth … from us. You .. came to save the Earth from us!”
“We can’t risk the survival of this planet for one species.”
“What are you saying??”
“If the Earth dies, you die. If you die, the Earth survives. There is only a handful of planets in the cosmos capable of supporting complex life .. ”
“You can’t do this!”
“… this one can’t be allowed to perish.”
“We can change! We can still turn things around!”
“We’ve hoped and waited you would change.”
“Please …..”
“It’s reached the tipping point. We have to act.”
“Please … please … ”
“We’ll undo the damage you’ve done and give the Earth a chance to begin again.”
“Please .. please don’t do this …please .. we can change … we can change …”
“The decision is made. The process has begun.”

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It has begun. From Nature herself.  We are killing her, and she is slowly, methodically, relentlessly fighting back, on all levels.

Diseases become more resistant and super diseases emerge. Temperatures change, altering the lands. The poisoned waters and land become part of our bodies. We are sickening from self-abuse of poisoned food and the catastrophic effects of the abuse to Nature.

In a time when our technology should bring us into harmony with the Earth, too many people continue to wage their callous and indifferent war, strewing garbage and devastation behind us.

Every single person can make a difference. There are a million little things that would add up. While many companies ARE exploring and developing better technologies for the Earth, it is the people and communities that must take the fundamental actions.

Start in your home. Look around. The chemical junk in your cabinets.  Aerosols (canned spray for non-stick food, hair spray) can be easily replaced by home-made hair spray (many recipes online, usually involved sugar and water, which is great for the hair) and using a spatula to spread softened coconut oil or any oil in the pan.

Cleaners can easily be replaced with vinegar & water, baking soda (not to be used with vinegar), and liquid castile soaps. EASY!

Grocery shopping: buy bulk, and consider the packaging. Can it be reused? Can you bring your own container to buy from the bulk containers. The junk food is garbage into your body and to the Earth.  Walking into a store is not just about purchasing items …. it is about what you are going to put in the landfills.

Fast foods: Massive amounts of garbage going straight into the land. Massive.  Damaging the human body as well as the Earth.

Food to go: Bring your own containers. Note: Subway has a plastic container for salads … this is soooooo re-usable for so many things, yet it gets thrown away!!!  Why??

Bring your own shopping bags everywhere.

Every time you buy something …. consider this:

What if all your garbage could not leave your property?

And then there is the sheer volume of cruelty to animals involved with just about every aspect of purchasing anything cosmetic or cleaners. Even perfume.

Every single person makes choices.
Start small. Look around. Consider.
Make one change.  Then another.
Our choices DO have outcomes, whether you can see them or not.

Be the Change.
Be Love <3

 

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Wasps

Wasps are NOT the enemy. Like any creature, they seek shelter and food. They are curious, and they will fight back when they perceive they are threatened. Just because they can more than adequately defend themselves, people hate them. Just as Spiders and Snakes are hated.

Fear. It is all about fear. And that the creatures are so … different … than we are. And then there is the conditioning. And yes, some people are deathly allergic.

But it is OUR behavior that provokes the attacks.

I first learned that Wasps could be save to be around when I witnessed my husband rescuing them from the pool (when we lived in California). They would sit on his finger and he was very calm about it.

Our property is a No-Kill zone (exceptions being mosquitoes, ticks, and a certain beetle that devours crops). This means living with all variety of Wasps (including the ground Wasp). We also have a Bee Colony that lives in a tree base.

The Wasps are very responsive to intentions. And they DO listen when you speak to them (I think it is the vibration of sound).

They are allowed in most areas except the porch overhang. To discourage their interest in such prime real estate, a little vinegar and water spayed along the beams works well.

The other day while driving into town, I realized I had an unwitting passenger. She was crawling on the driver side window. It took some time to find a place to pull over, and I talked to her the entire time. She was calm and I was calm. I lowered the window in small increments so not to startle her. When it was half way down, I gave her a chance to discover the way to freedom. The whole thing took about five minutes, and she peacefully went on her way.

When we are afraid, our bodies put out a chemical. Animals know our state of being by our scent. Just as they know when we are offering and feeling unconditional Love.

People bemoan how Nature is being decimated. But there seems to only be care about the cute or attractive or cuddly parts of nature, or the parts that benefit us (Bees!). What people don’t realize is that Wasps are very much a vital part of Nature.

Here is an article that might give some pause to the prejudices against these ‘bad’ bees …

“Believe it or not wasps do have their uses, and to lose them would be a tragedy in the food chain. Wasps help to control a host of insect pests in their hunt for food to nourish their hungry grubs back at the nest. If it wasn’t for wasps we would be over-run with other less appealing insects that would otherwise destroy crops etc.

Hornets are another victim of bad press. Looking much like a huge ( up to 2 inch) wasp, they are victimised by people even more so, yet are not aggressive unless provoked, in which case they can both sting and bite.

Another common, (and sad) misconception, is the misidentification of hoverflies for wasps. These harmless insects look like a much smaller version of a wasp, but have developed the black and yellow stripes as a form of protection to deter predators. Hoverflies have no sting, do not ‘buzz’ like a wasp or hornet, and are actually very good for the garden in terms of pollinating plants. There are over 270 varieties of hoverflies in Britain, many of which are migrants from the continent. It is incredible that a creature so small can travel so far, and a tragedy if they are killed by humans who are fooled by their colours, and ignorant of their true nature.”

~~~ It is important to examine prejudices and our own behavior, and take responsibility for our own actions.

The Earth is a living entity, and it is WE, the People who are causing her damage.

BE Love … or BEE Love

https://owlcation.com/stem/Why-do-Wasps-always-bother-people

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“We have doomed the wolf not for what it is, but for what we deliberately and mistakenly perceive it to be –the mythologized epitome of a savage ruthless killer – which is, in reality, no more than a reflected image of ourself.”
― Farley Mowat, Never Cry Wolf“

“If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.”
― Francis of Assisi

Compassion for animals is intimately associated with goodness of character, and it may be confidently asserted that he who is cruel to animals cannot be a good man.”
― Arthur Schopenhauer, The Basis of Morality

“Auschwitz begins wherever someone looks at a slaughterhouse and thinks: they’re only animals.”
― Theodor W. Adorno

“We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such sufferings on them. It is our duty to make the whole world recognize it. Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace.”
― Albert Schweitzer
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HJR 69 … we sink deeper into the malignant darkness :(

Sending Love and Compassion to ALL living creatures <3 <3 <3