Thursday, May 31, 2012

A Very Empty & Sad World Without Animals

Animals are the only other ‘known’ living creatures we share the planet with and while we could survive on a planet without animals, I can tell you with great conviction what an empty and sad world that would be.


Animals are a part of this world and as the famous slogans or catchphrases go in an effort to bring awareness to the plight of animals and help their cause ‘it’s their world too’


Animals are woven into our sub consciousness closer then our own breathing and even the most of ignorant and apathetic of people perhaps unbeknowns to them are impacted by the existence of animals.


Animals are embedded into the collective consciousness of every single human being on this planet and while there has been debate amongst philosophers and academics as to what the true definition of this word is, in it’s simplest form, it simply means a ‘state of being aware’ and every single human being on the planet is aware of animals through their five human senses that being touch, taste, sight, hearing, and smell.


When you walk outside your front door and your on your way to work, you may see someone walking their pet dog, you can ‘see’ animals. If you decide one day to go out and play golf, you may hear the birds chirping in the background, you can ‘hear’ animals. To elevate the class of this article down somewhat, if your dog needs a wash and smells really bad, you can ‘smell’ animals. If you take a trip with your family to the royal show and see all the domestic animals on display, you may be able to pet them, you can ‘touch’ animals, and if you decide to go on a fishing trip, and you catch a fish, you may cook it over the campfire and eat it for dinner, hence you can ‘taste’ animals.


Whether people love animals greatly such as myself, or whether people dislike them or have no immense appreciation for them. I believe everybody likes or appreciates animals even in the smallest form.


People have just become so accustomed to animals just being there, regardless of what the animals are doing regardless or whether you love them or hate them, they still remain there, just like a great statue (which is the ultimate form of stability).


To give you an example of what I mean when I say everybody likes or appreciates animals even in the smallest form :)


There may be a person who loves their dogs and as they're the worlds most highly revered animal, it’s not hard to see why?


But while that person may love their dogs and treat them with the respect and care that you should extend to all animals, perhaps this person is unwilling or simply not wanting to extend the same courtesy to other animals in the animal kingdom. Why? maybe it’s because they can't connect on the same emotional level as they can a dog, or maybe they just don’t care, have their favourite animals and can't appreciate any others just as much, through misconceptions, ignorance and just a plain human like / dislike, but none the less everybody appreciates animals on every level no matter how small.


Animals have, do an will continue to impact the world until the world is no more, when you stop and think about it, it’s actually quite astonishing the sheer impact they have had, the inspiration drawn from animals can be found anywhere and everywhere from government departments to sporting teams, movies, television, advertisements, cars, toys and so much more.


If you pause a moment from reading this article and look around the room your sitting in, in your home, office, or an internet cafe, the chances are quite high that you may see something that has been inspired by an animal, an attractive girl may have a butterfly tattoo, there maybe a collection of mugs and plates with animals on them, there, might even be a poster on the wall, of the muscle car the Shelby Cobra (drawing it’s name from the snake of the same name).


We need animals, just as much for our emotional health as we do a physical one, animals are very inspiring and many organizations, teams, companies etc, name themselves after an animal in an effort to reflect themselves and project themselves to the world vicariously through that animal and based on that animals individual characteristics.


A tiger for example is one of the worlds greatest animals and is the ultimate symbol of no fear, courage and heart. If a sporting team decides to name themselves the something tigers?


They’ve done so to project themselves as a force to be reckoned with, why? because the tiger is a force to be reckoned with, strong, powerful, courageous, unafraid but as the same time strikingly beautiful. This team has named themselves the tigers because they want to embody in their sporting team all the characteristics a tiger does so effortlessly. No fear, power and courage; and they want all the opposing teams to know about it. Were the tigers! you compete against us and your in for a handful!


Another example could be said of government agencies or departments such as the C.I.A (Central Intelligence Agency) there symbol is that of the American bald eagle.


The eagle just like the tiger is a worldwide symbol of courage, heart, pride and honour, and just as a sporting team names themselves after an animal because they want to embody that animals individual characteristics in spirit and physicality, so does the C.I.A, they are sending a message to everyone based on the eagles individual characteristics. Saying we are strong, we are courageous, we have pride, heart and determination.


Although their reasoning for having the symbol could also take on a hidden meaning, that being the left wing government and the right wing government controlled by one government body, this is just speculation on my part, but there’s a reason why they have this animal as their symbol, and the reasons written above are the most likely.


A big reason why so may people like animals, appreciate them and find solace in them, is because animals embody all the qualities humans beings strive to achieve but ultimately cannot fulfill. Such as living in perfect harmony with their natural environment, not taking more then what they need and living for the moment.


Also in addition to that, animals are physically superior to human beings, there’s no way we can out-swim a dolphin, outrun a cheetah, out-power an elephant, or out-grace an eagle, we wish we could, but because we can't we have to live vicariously through animals, vicariously meaning to live indirectly through something or someone. And we do this by calling a sporting team, the tigers, calling a car, a cobra, viper, mustang.


We are trying to tell the world something about ourselves or something and how we want to be, based on that animals individual characteristics and that’s why animals are the inspiration for a seemingly never-ending amount of things.


If I was to write all the things animals have been an inspiration for I would be here forever, but as a short rundown I will name all that I can. Animals are on lunchboxes, stamps, children's pictures books, guitars, album covers, music accessories, they are cartoon and comic book characters, cars are named after them, they are mascots for paints and car spare parts are named after them. Airplanes, government agencies, companies are also named after them, they are in movies television, they are in art, paintings, drawings and so much more, jigsaw puzzles and children's soft toys for example.


Animals are embedded into the human psyche and consciousness so much, we say and do things sub consciously that have been drawn from animals, the sayings or common speech :)


“I live with a bunch of animals” - a somewhat derogatory term unfairly referring to animals as living creatures that cant live without any sense of moral decency. It's said by people to reiterate or force the point that certain individuals are behaving without any moral decency themselves, behaving like animals, because animals do what they want when they want, a justified rational statement as animals are not on the same intellectual level as human beings, but a morally unfair one.


“Unleash the beast within” - is a positive affirmation referring to, as whats’ been extensively mentioned in this article, (to draw strength based on an animals individual characteristics) to unleash the best inside you, to draw power, inspiration, hope, determination, strength and drive from inside your soul; to be like a beast, (an animal) a strong courageous, fearful one, a tiger or bear for example.


Another inspiration from animals is movies, quite possibly every animal in existence has been depicted in the movies, whales, orcas, dolphins, dogs cats, ants, tigers lions and many more.

One of my favourite movies is 1994’s the crow starring the late Brandon Lee, son of the famed martial artist Bruce Lee.


In the movie, Brandon Lee’s character’s wife is murdered and so in the name of revenge he adopts a new persona and sets about avenging his wife’s death, in the process he reinvents himself and the crow is born. Because the bird the crow is black, dark, mysterious in nature and has a haunting cry, it was a perfect reflection of Brandon Lee’s character, who, because of losing his wife, felt dark, black, empty and tortured; and adopted a new persona in the name of revenge based on that animals individual characteristics. Yet another example of how we revere animals so much and can relate to them on an emotional level.


Animals are so great, awesome and inspiring, because it’s ultimately because they can do everything so effortlessly humans being wish they could but can’t. It’s also because of their different shapes, sizes, sounds, colours and ability to do things we just find awe inspiring.


We find inspiration from them because we sub consciously want to be like them in a lot of ways. We want to achieve success in life, (we want to fly like an eagle) we want to be strong and courageous and take life head on ( like a tiger) we want to behave gracefully and live with honour and pride (we want to be like an eagle) who embodies these qualities.


Animals are embedded into us, they are woven into our souls, we draw inspiration from them, and if we are deep thinkers we see them more than just in black and white, we can understand them, their world, we relate to it, find solace in it and want to embrace it.


Animals are here, they share our world and it would be a very empty and sad word without them, just as everything in life you truly don’t appreciate what you have until it’s gone. I’ve experienced this and no doubt many other people have as well.


If all the animals were gone tomorrow man would die from great loneliness of spirit, because sometimes and understandably and justifiably so if you cant put your faith in human beings anymore you can always put it in animals, because as previously mentioned they embody all the qualities we wish we could, but can’t, and one of the biggest things humans beings are indefinitely capable of doing, is living for the moment, a trait the humble cat, dog and so many otter animals know how to do so easily, which is why we find in tremendous solace in them.


Animals are a part of us all, and they have to be, because they are part of our home, I'm not talking about your residential block that contains all your material possessions you like to call home. I'm talking about your ultimate home, the earth, because when you think about it, the animals are just like your next door neighbour, you may not know them, you my not ever want to know them, but there there and you know they’re there; you sub consciously find it comforting they’re there, but just like everything else in life, you may not realize how much it meant to have them there until they’re gone.


Thank You