Andrea discusses the impact that animals have on the lives of humans in this chapter. For example, in many countries, humans live in peace and harmony with animals and are interacting with them on a regular basis such as in Kenya. Additionally what animals eat also contributes to the larger food web and how humans get their nutrition (page 137). Over time, there has been an evolution of how humans and animals interact “from being coinhabitants on a landscape to husbandry and dominance” (page 138). She also continues to talk about the impact that pets play in our lives because for many people, pets are the main point of a human’s contact with nature. It was interesting to think about all the different ways that my life has been impacted by animals. At my high school, dogs were used to help train students in the special education department on how to care for someone and how to show affection towards another creature. I also used to volunteer at a retirement center, and cats that roamed the halls often helped to excite residents and provided a companion.
Strong imagery and sensation were employed in the Lateral line (page 140) exercise that required me to draw lines down my body and also picture myself as a fish with both a head and a tail. Feeling the sensation of not having any arms or separate legs was very powerful and allowed me to really think about how a fish moves and swims through the water. In trying to answers questions I would ask an animal at my place through the Reading the signs: Ten questions to ask an animal (page 141) exercise, I realized how different the experience would be if my place were in a more rural area. Because I am in the middle of a city, I feel that the predators, home, social interactions and sounds would all be related to humans whereas in a more natural locations, interactions with other animals would be more common. After watching a bird for the Place visit: Observe an animal (page 142) exercise, I was able to see how they interact with their surroundings by flying from a tree to a fence and also interacting with other birds that were flying as well.
Below are several haikus I created after reading this chapter.
Animal Fusion
We are connected
With our distant ancestry
Through evolution
Impact
Living in one world
Daily our interactions
Affect each other
Around the Globe
Differing cultures
Mean unique relationships
Among all creatures
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