Publish at February 14 2023 Updated February 14 2023
Animals are my friends and I don't eat my friends
George Bernard Shaw
In one of his letters Descartes describes a machine animal devoid of mind, simply driven by its instincts. He adopts and transposes the knowledge of the physical sciences of the time to the animal world. The mechanistic vision denying any intelligence, any inner world or any emotion to animals gradually gave way to a less anthropocentric vision. Observations or experiments with animals reveal rich language or problem-solving abilities; the mirror test reveals self-awareness for an increasingly wide variety of living beings. Marked with a spot on their bodies and placed in front of a reflective surface, animals perceive their uniqueness, turn to see the spot from another angle, and sometimes seek to erase it.
Animals have an inner world. Scans show intense brain activity while they rest: they dream. Not only do animals dream, but they also have emotions and these even participate in their development as a species and as individuals. Emotion preceded humanity probably with the first animals of the Cambrian 400 to 550 million years ago, more certainly with the vertebrates of the Triassic with more complex nervous systems about 250 million years ago. It is for animals an essential means of communication, adaptation, reproduction and survival. Morizot's (2020) particularly thorough study of wolves on their social interactions and howling shows evidence of a complex, multi-functional communication far beyond the presupposition of only instinctive reactions.
According to the succession of species from "chrysalis to chrysalis", living beings took on human form, one option among others in the groping path on the tree of life. Humans have inherited the benefit of this groping and have in turn emotional faculty, an inner world and dreams. Long before humans were the first mammals on the planet, There is an animal wisdom and it can teach us, if we take the time to listen. Each animal is a singular form of the living. Animist peoples summon the specific teachings of each species, each of which, in its own way, has something to teach us.
How does the donkey reveal itself to us? The donkey is often seen in a utilitarian light and reduced to being a beast of burden. Since it has its own will, it is said to be resistant to our constraints. It is qualified as stupid and stubborn. But, the donkey is much more than a stupid taskmaster. Everyone remembers the mythical trip of Stephenson to the Cevennes. Crossing the hills with a donkey resonates as an initiatory experience.
Some have mapped out routes and placed markers to recapture the writer's sensations. Regularly the journey alongside the particularly gentle and empathetic ungulate reminds us how animals make us more human. There is something therapeutic in the conversation with a donkey that Seraphina discovers in search of herself in the film Seraphina and Her Donkey". She clings to an unfaithful lover but under the benevolent gaze of a donkey, she ends up finding herself. Like Fernandel / Ali Baba once did, here we are, slipping words into the long ears of a trusting donkey.
The donkey has a long history. Originally, it would have become accustomed to life in the desert. The food being rare, the donkeys would have learned to survive in small solidary bands rather at night. From this adaptation the donkey would have kept a good sight, would be satisfied with little water and would have a great resistance. It would also have become particularly attentive, avoiding making a wrong step that could have been fatal.
While the dangers in these inhospitable territories are particularly numerous, the donkey has a life expectancy of nearly 45 to 50 years, proof if any of an incredible capacity for adaptation. It would also have an excellent memory. He is said to be less stubborn than cautious, though very curious and attached to humans, perhaps because like him, humans seek company.
A donkey on its own shows signs of sadness, but with fellow donkeys or other animals it would reveal all its playfulness. In a herd, the donkey reveals dominance behaviors. The oldest female will soon express her dominance. Unless a donkey expresses dominance to satisfy its sexual needs.
Nature has that regenerating quality that it does not judge us. Likewise walking next to a donkey is a soothing experience in which it is possible to relax and recharge, to clarify one's thoughts, to refocus on oneself, to free oneself from one's emotions, to promote creativity, to improve one's physical health, to promote learning: walking can be an opportunity to learn new things, for example by observing the fauna and flora, to strengthen ties with others, to promote self-expression in a nutshell to promote mental well-being.
Talking in one's inner fort is also a learning from oneself to oneself that can free us from our emotions, because once put into words it is easier to get rid of them, we can better understand ourselves and our motivations, clarify our ideas by expressing them out loud, talking about our concerns can help put them into perspective and relativize them, which can help reduce stress. It is also possible to talk about one's skills and successes, which will boost one's self-confidence. And why not set goals and find ways to achieve them.
The presence of an animal can have a calming effect and promote relaxation, which helps improve well-being. The donkey is a stress reducer. Animals can be good companions and promote socialization, especially for people who live alone or are isolated. Talking about emotions with the donkey helps to express oneself and be heard.
Donkey behaviors are possibly inspirational and promote creativity, as donkeys are cat-like and can be independent and unpredictable.
By observing their behavior and interacting with them, donkeys are a source of discovery and when cared for, empathy and compassion can be developed. But it is still an opportunity to take responsibility, to accept the animal as it is, and also to learn to accept one's own imperfections.
What if, like the donkey, depending on the environment that has left its mark, each animal had something to teach us about living things?
Sources
Animal Wisdom Norin shai https://youtu.be/xlDYk1UCLH4 a
In the Skin of Animals - How to Decode Their Language and Emotions - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBw_0syfZkM
1000 idcg. Descartes' animal machine https://1000idcg.com/animal-machine-descartes/
Morizot, B. (2020). Ways of being alive: investigations of life through us. Éditions Actes Sud.
Nairaquest The Mirror Test https://nairaquest.com/fr/topics/7468-the-self-awareness-mirror-test-what-is-it-and-how-is-it-use
Le Figaro A quoi rêvent les animaux https://www.lefigaro.fr/sciences/2006/10/11/01008-20061011ARTFIG90058-a_quoi_revent_les_animaux.php
Traveling with a Donkey in the Cevennes
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyage_avec_un_%C3%A2ne_dans_les_C%C3%A9vennes
Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Baba_et_les_Quarante_Voleurs_(film,_1954)
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