Sorrow

"Death remains about the one certain fact in the lives of each one of us, and there will be suffering, sorrow, and sadness next week as there was last week."

-Basil C. Hume-

Sorrow. What is sorrow? Is it sadness beyond sadness? Is it gut-wrenching sadness? Is it despair? Is it anger? Is it fear?

Sorrow. Who feels sorrow? Do only humans feel it? Do animals feel it?

Sorrow. Why is there sorrow?

I ask myself this questions over and over again, and yet I have no answer. When someone we love dies our world os shattered. Even if it is only for a little bit, even if we can control it, we feel it. We feel the sorrow, the overwhelming sense of despair, the emptiness the removal of that presence leaves in our world. And then we have a funeral.

A funeral is closure. It is the last adieu from the living to the death. It is a salute to who they were, to the place they held in our lives. Funerals are a ceremony in which we can put our sorrow to rest. And so I wonder, if animals bury their loved ones too, if they mourn them, does that mean they feel sorrow too?

"A few years ago my friend Rod and I were riding our bicycles around Boulder, Colorado, when we witnessed a very interesting encounter among five magpies. Magpies are corvids, a very intelligent family of birds. One magpie had obviously beenhit by a car and was lying dead on the side of the road. The four other magpies were standing around him. One approached the corpse, gently pecked at it- just as an elephant noses the carcass of another elephant- and stepped back. Another magpie did the same thing. Next, one of the magpies flew off, brought back some grass, and laid it by the corpse. Another magpie did the same. Then, all four magpies stood vigil for a few seconds and one by one flew off." (Marc Bekoff Ph.D, "The Emotional Lives of Animals")

When I read this I can only think of one thing: animals feel sorrow, just like we do. They mourn the loss of their loved ones, and they feel the need to bury them, to say goodbye to them one last time. Knowing this, knowing animals feel sorrow just as we humans do, how can we hurt them? How can we think them lesser beings, beings of no consequence, of no importance? Are we such a selfish and self-centered race that we ignore the fact that we are not the only sentient beings?

Sorrow. Sorrow is a powerful emotion. Some of us, I'd dare say almost all of us, have felt it at some point. Why should we cause others such pain?

Senses

"I would rather have eyes that cannot see; ears that cannot hear; lips that cannot speak, than a heart that cannot love."

-Robert Tizon-

"Blake said that the body was the soul's prison unless the five sense are fully developed and open. He considered the senses the 'windows of the soul.'"

-Jim Morrison-

Yesterday I spent the entire school day without my sense of touch. I had to wear three pairs of thick gloves, which not only made me loose my sense of touch but also made me loose the ability to use my hands properly. I couldn't articulate my fingers, and therefore I couldn't do most of the stuff I normally do: I was unable to open my locker, I couldn't write, and I couldn't type on my computer.

This really affected my learning because I wasn't able to take notes or write the answers to the questions I was asked. Since writing with a pen was impossible I decided to use my computer, but I soon realized that I couldn't type with my gloves on and that the trackpad didn't recognize my gloved hand, so I had to resort to typing with my toes. It was a very interesting experience because I learnt that I depend too much on my hands and that I should learn to adapt more easily, and because I realized that I'm more dextrous with my feet than I ever thought I was.

Yesterday was very frustrating. I constantly wanted to take the gloves off my hands. History was the most frustrating lesson of the day, because Mr.Horsley made us read part of a chapter of our history books, while taking notes, and listening to very loud music which made the whole exercise even more difficult than it already was due to our "disabilities".

In my opinion senses don't give knowledge of the world as it really is. Everyone interprets what they perceive with their senses differently, making reality different for everyone. For example, everyone perceives colors a bit different: when two individuals look at a red curtain individual A might see a slightly different shade of red as individual B, or if one of them is daltonic they might see completely different colors. To a person who was born blind, the real world has no images, a person who has been blind all their life doesn't need to see in order to have knowledge of the world as it really is. Senses are just means by which we receive information, it is our mind that analyzes this information and turns it into knowledge. Since everyone's mind functions differently, all of our realities are different. Our minds are biased by beliefs and assumptions, therefore making us perceive things differently. For example, to a Christian white clothes might mean purity or peace, while to a hindi white clothes might mean loss and death since white is the color hindi people wear to funerals.

This exercise really made me appreciate how much I rely on my hands, and it made me realize how completely vulnerable and useless I would be if I were to loose them. I learnt that I need to become more adaptable, that I need to find ways to overcome obstacles without getting frustrated. It also made me appreciate how brave and resourceful people with disabilities are, and how unfair it is that society is indifferent to their needs.

"The moral test of the government is how it treats those who are in the dawn if life...the children; those who are in the twilight of life...the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life...the sick...the needy...and the disabled."

-Hubert H. Humphrey-

"Disability is a matter of perception. If you can do just one thing well, you're needed by someone."

-Martina Navratilova-

"The only disability in life is a bad attitude."

-Scott Hamilton-

Read more: http://www.disabled-world.com/disability/disability-quotes.php#ixzz1YGxDIUDA

Knowledge

"In a secluded corner of the vibrating universe spilled on innumerable solar systems, there once was a star on which clever animals invented knowledge. It was the most arrogant moment of universal history, but only for a minute. The star was frozen after a few palpitations of nature and the clever animals had to die."

- Friedrich Nietzsche-

The two main different opinions regarding knowledge during this lesson were:

1. Humans ARE the only species that posses knowledge. (When we separate knowledge from instincts).

2. Humans ARE'NT the only species that posses knowledge. (When we separate knowledge from instincts).

In my opinion, humans are definitely not the only species who posses knowledge. I think every species possesses knowledge to a certain degree, some of course, more than others. Knowledge and culture, which is derived from knowledge, are social: they are ment to be shared and transmitted. Most species, specially mammals, live in social groups. Their lives revolve around their "living group" and they create extremely strong bonds with the other members of the group.

A great example of this is a pack of wolves. Wolves have a defined social hierarchy,there are alpha, beta, mature subordinates, omega, and juvenile wolves. There is always a male alpha and a female alpha, these two wolves are the ones who usually reproduce. The male alpha is dominant because of his strength, speed, and intelligence. The female alpha must have all these qualities, plus she must be a good teacher and transmitter of knowledge. This quality enables her to teach her pups everything they need to learn. She teaches them not only the basics of survival, but also how to behave within the structures of their society. Wolf pups learn not only when they're taught by their mothers but also when they play together. Playing is the major way in which pups learn social behaviors. Studies have shown that wolf pups that don't play with others during their childhood are usually socially inept, and therefore, rejected from the pack. During play, rank, size and strength are not important. When a wolf does the "play-bow" (laying down and then lifting it's backside) it informs the other wolf that everything they do from that moment on is play. The play-bow is a promise not to hurt or take advantage of the other wolf, even if it is weaker or has a lower social status within the pack. This is why I believe that knowledge is not unique to the human race. Many species share and transmit knowledge between them, not necessarily by words like humans do, but in many different and wonderful ways.

For more information on the behavior of wolves and other animals read "The Emotional Lives of Animals" by Marc Bekoff PH.D and Jane Goodall

I really enjoyed this lesson because I think the topic was very interesting. Most of us had different opinions, and though not all of us shared them with the class, those who did kept the discussion going in a very fluid way.