LL-L "Interspecies communication" 2005.08.16 (03) [E]

Tue Aug 16 14:22:44 UTC 2005

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From: Mark Williamson <node.ue at gmail.com>
Subject: LL-L "Interspecies communication" 2005.08.15 (10) [E]

The Lowlands twist is that his dog speaks Lowlands Dogish. ;)

Mark

> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Interspecies communication
>
> Dear Jonny,
>
> Perhaps I'm no one to consult in this regard, because I may be pretty darn
> abnormal in this anthopocentric world of ours -- but I see that I'm not
> totally alone in not dividing living creatures up as "humans" vs 
> "animals."
> I see humans as a subgroup next to other such subgroups, and I love our
> other relatives with much the same passion and compassion, though 
> admittedly
> erring on the side of "human" as a human myself.
>
> "Animal communication" is very interesting to me, and that's where the
> really "abnormal" part comes in: I have to confess that I'm a bit of a Dr.
> Doolittle.  ;-)  Let's just say that some people say I "have the gift," 
> like
> horse whisperers do, for instance.  Other folks probably think I'm a bit 
> (or
> more than a bit) cuckoo and will end up as a weird old man that talks to
> rats behind trash cans.
>
> I do nothing weird or magical, merely watch and observe how members of a
> given species communicate with each other.  It is easy to tell what a 
> given
> call, gesture or demeanor means by observing the reaction to it.  Anyone 
> can
> do it, but it requires that you dispense with your attitude of 
> separateness
> and superiority as a human, that you respect and honor the species you
> observe, that you put yourself into its mental world with no judgment and
> with a minimum of anthropomorphizing.  Oh, and you ought not be all that
> prissy and self-conscious about your appearance, because some of this
> requires seemingly comical sounds and gestures.
>
> For example, I learned that to make wild waterfowl trust you you need to 
> bob
> your head when you approach.  This is what happens in their world, and 
> when
> I do it I can walk among otherwise very skiddish feathered friends.  As 
> soon
> as I start bobbing (which means "I mean no harm" = "Hello there, 
> friends!")
> they resume feeding.  When I was a kid I interacted with our canary as if 
> he
> was a budgerigar (parakeet).  He'd sit on my shoulder or head while I did 
> my
> homework.  I didn't think it was anything special, until people told me 
> that
> it was highly unusual.
>
> In Victoria, British Columbia, I once communed very quietly and gently 
> with
> Charley, the massive tourist cab horse, while my human companions were 
> doing
> human things involving money.  I got Charley into a spot of trouble: he 
> was
> so taken by me that he followed me and dragged the entire cab along the
> sidewalk with him ...
>
> I learned to avoid looking directly at cats, dogs, horses, etc., at least
> when I first meet them.  Our looking at them even affectionately is the 
> same
> as staring in their perception, and that feels threatening to them.  In 
> the
> case of cats I slowly blink my eyes a few times, and immediately they
> welcome me.  (Try it if you haven't already, and watch them do it.)  In
> Santa Barbara, our neighbor had two cats that were scared of everyone, 
> even
> of her, and people called them "totally paranoid." I didn't know about 
> their
> reputation and had long made friends with them by the time I heard about 
> it.
> People laughed in disbelieve when I said I thought they were friendly all
> right, until one day there was some scratching at our door, and when I
> opened, my two new friends were sitting on the doormat asking me to come 
> out
> to play ... and everyone's jaw dropped.
>
> It's nothing special, as I said, just a matter of attitude and 
> observation.
> I am sure that this was also the "secret" of St. Francis of Assisi (whose
> name is my middle name), many a Sadhu and Bodhisattva and others of their
> ilk.  Not that I would think of myself anywhere near their levels, mind 
> you.
> I simply love people, which is why I am fascinated by them and their
> communication, and I don't stop there.
>
> On the other hand, I don't attribute magical abilities to non-human 
> species.
> In the case of your dog, Jonny, I go with what has been said before.  I am
> convinced that your dog picked up on certain clues, perhaps simply on the
> clue of someone delivering something to you and
> on the way you react to it.
>
> In my view, it is no different from watching and listening when I 
> encounter
> people of different cultures and languages.  Dealing with people is just
> easier, because my human form and experience facilitate imitation.  It's
> merely a matter of attitude and willingness, no matter which species you 
> are
> dealing with.
>
> All right, so the language connection is clear here.  But where's the
> Lowlands twist?
>
> Regards,
> Reinhard/Ron

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