Monday, March 22, 2010

The Animals' Turn to Ask Amber Donkey

Amber Donkey: I have noticed that, when we opened up the blog for questions, people always ask about animal behavior. Mostly they wanted to know how or why animals could be forgiving. I think we should do this differently. Let’s try asking some of our animal residents if they want to ask questions about human behavior. I will pick a few of my friends on the farm here and ask if they would like to pose a question or two.

Onyx (female pygmy goat): I have wondered why people seem so confused about things. They don’t seem to be able to be clear with what they are feeling and sometimes just don’t make any sense at all. They don’t seem to listen well to each other I think. Is there anything we can do?

Amber: My little friend, you are very astute. Its really not that they cannot hear, because they for sure can. But they fail to really listen to each other. They seem to get lost in their seeming intelligence. They have great intellect but very little experience at expressing their true emotions. They think it amazing that we can be forgiving, because they fail to forgive one another. They find it hard to believe that we can live without judgment, because they can’t find that peace for themselves.

Jeremy (Arabian horse gelding): Yes, Amber, and they seem so burdened with anger and misgivings at times. They always seem to be looking for who is out to get them or to get someone else first. And when they get angry, why do they stay angry for so long? I have never understood that.

Amber: Humans are complex creatures. They have only been on the planet for a short time, yet have had such a major impact. But don’t think that is all negative now. There are very many positive things that humans have brought with them. The problem is that they try to conquer everything around them instead of participating with all around them. They started to see themselves as separate and unequal. They don’t really know how to deal with that, even now, after all these millennia. We donkeys have been with humans for a very long time. We have carried their burdens and I mean that in many different ways. But they do not see us as brethren. They see us as subordinates. In their confusion about who they are and how they fit in with the rest of nature, they deny themselves their understanding of their own emotions. They focus on their brains but very little on their hearts. Humans have great capacity for love and peace. They are brilliant in their emotions. Yet when they don’t use it or focus on their heart connections, they then get off balance. They even start killing one another, not to mention us. They become seemingly disconnected from Life.

Shawnee (Quarter Horse paint gelding): How can we help them? I love humans. To see them this way is painful.

Amber: The answer is very simple. If we just keep being who we are and keep loving them for who they are, then maybe, just maybe, they will get it. They are intelligent creatures. And they have tremendous capacity to love. It is why animals befriended them so many eons ago. We saw in them the potential to be one with us. In fact, they used to enjoy such relationships with us. There was a time that they understood their connection to the trees and grass. They felt deep affinity to the animals. And they listened to the moon and stars and the sun and earth. But then they thought about it too much and questioned who they were. They set out to find themselves, only to lose themselves in the process. We can help them most by just loving them.

Onyx: But when we do that, they don’t seem to hear us or trust us.

Amber: I know. It is why they keep asking me over and over again how animals can be forgiving. It is because they haven’t learned to yet forgive themselves and move on.

Jeremy: Do you think they will now ask us more questions?

Amber:
We shall see. They’ve been very quiet lately.