For this 2017 New Year my wish and hope is to see real positive changes for the animals of our planet. There is so much to be done and in so many areas in all the countries in our world. Fortunately, more and more associations and more extraordinary people are devoting their lives to animal causes: to save animals, educate their owners and denounce mistreatment. Things are better but we are still far from our goals. The worst thing is ignorance. Even if it is difficult, we can no longer close our eyes on how animals are treated, otherwise we would not be able to strive for change.
Recognizing the fact that all animals are conscious beings is the fundamental “Rights of Animals”.
Every animal has an awareness of self, of his physical body, of his emotions and thoughts, of his surroundings and environment.
When an animal lives close to a human being, whether a cat, a dog, or a horse, communication with it is easier because of the experiences we have with domestic animals. We believe that domestic animals have more awareness than wild animals, because we feel that we understand them better. These domestic animals reflect our human reactions. For example, a horse that lives with me will respond with human sensations that a wild horse would not have. The same is true of domestic cats and dogs that share their lives with humans.
An animal, however, that is bred has exactly the same emotions as a dog, a cat or a horse and the same kind of consciousness. There really is no difference between them; we do not realize this, so it is up to us to try and understand their language and spirit. Our role on this planet is to recognize the diversity of the animals that cohabit with us, to understand them, to respect their intelligence and their needs and work for their good.
This is the gift given to us by the Divine and that we have rejected.
An animal suffering extremes of pain and barely surviving may seem different from us, just “a simple beast” with no thoughts, emotions, or intelligence.
ALL CONSCIOUS BEINGS WITHOUT EXCEPTION HAVE THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS, FEEL PAIN AND HAVE A CONSCIOUSNESS
If we transform the conditions of an animal suffering pain and struggling to survive, if we give him what he needs and respect his “being”, if we consider him to be a conscious being, then everything changes! I have witnessed this transformation numerous times with farm animals found and placed in shelters: a pig, a calf, a hen, a goat, a sheep. They become affectionate, playful, intelligent just like our small dog or our cat. They were like that before but had no opportunity to express their “being”.
A wild animal has this same consciousness but he is more concerned with survival and lives physically in the present. I was able to observe this when I communicated with a lynx whose odors, visions and sounds are very intense. All his senses are developed in order to allow him to survive and to interrelate with the group.
SO ALL ANIMALS HAVE CONSCIOUSNESS EVEN IF NOT ALL ARE CLOSE TO US IN THE SAME WAY, AND THIS IS TRUE WHETHER WE APPRECIATE THEM OR KNOW THEM OR NOT
Our role as human beings is to help the animals and our planet, to discover who they are, how they think and feel, to see the world through their eyes and discover the essence of their consciousness. To succeed, this discovery must be done in silence, in putting aside our habits, our beliefs, our expectations, our words and our thoughts.
“The silent language of heart to heart is worth more than all other languages. Every conversation must end in silence.”
Ramana Maharshi