For the week let's see what happens if as we go about our individual Santa Cruz lives, every time we encounter a non-human animal (alive or dead) we unname them––or take away the "generic appellations 'poodle,' 'parrot,' 'dog,' or 'bird,' and all the Linnaean qualifiers that…[have] trailed behind them for two hundred years like tin cans tied to a tail." Jot down when possible what language you replace the name with and maybe some quick thoughts about how/if this changes your experience or encounter. Feel free to post some of these as they transpire and toward the end of the weekend it would be wonderful if some of us posted some reflections/impressions/ideas/feelings about the process.
Here we go….."[We can] not chatter away as…[we] used to do, taking it all for granted. [Our] words must be as slow, as new, as single, as tentative as the steps…[we] took going down the path away from the house [of human exceptionalism], between the dark-branched, tall dancers motionless against the winter shining."
As I took the shortcut path to lecture this morning, I experienced an encounter with a fury tailed, nut stealing creature who greeted me with his tiny eyes. Leaving my back to back lectures, I was walking along the path back up to crown when suddenly I was greeted by a four-legged fury creature, with pointy ears and sharp fangs. At first, I was frightened because of it's reputation in our society, but it did not even notice me and went about it's day. I feel empowered to give these creatures the freedom to be nameless and to be called exactly what they are. By categorizing them, we do lose their individuality. Like in statistics, there is a term called ecological correlation, which states that when you work with averages, rates and percentages, you lose the individuality of a single point. You lose sight of it's variability and are forced to focus on a group of points, rather than dealing with one single point. Un-naming these creatures helps me appreciate the uniqueness of each one and truly distinguish them by their features, instead of categorizing them with labels of what we think they should be called.
ReplyDeleteYesterday evening I went out into the Great Meadow between the music center and the farm to watch the sunset. I noticed about a dozen long-legged creatures grazing all over the meadow, looking peaceful and tranquil. They glanced up as we walked by, perking up their ears and widening their eyes, locking in eye contact. They looked very innocent, which lead me to think about how these animals often have a negative connotation of being pests. I have never thought of them as anything other than beautiful and harmless creatures. Attaching a name to an animal is only helpful in identifying them, but beyond that is serves little purpose in appreciating the animal if there is a certain connotation that accompanies it's name. Most animals do have certain connotations that accompany their name, which limits our relationship with this animal as well as our ability to connect with them.
ReplyDeleteOur campus is full of living breathing creatures that create the environment that awed us the moment we saw it. Even in the most unexpected of times or places, these creatures peer out into the human world, rather bravely I might add. Just a time ago I was walking from the library in the dead of night, my phone had died so I had no headphones on. All I could hear was the night sound that consisted of chirping and the crackling of fallen leaves on the forest floor. As I turned a bend, a beautiful creature appeared from the forest, its magnificent antlers like a crown. As I paused, the creature paused, I examined its whole body, the muscular forms, its picturesque caramel color coat. In that moment I wish I was a forest dweller, lie Ekidu, one that could roam the forest with with this creature and live in complete coexistence. I move a few steps toward the creatures and all at once just as it had came, the creature sauntered back into the safety of the forest. When I think of the names and definitions we give out to these "animals", it breaks my heart that in our minds we limit their identity to severely. Their names tell us what and how we should feel about different creatures, but in the human realm, isn`t that ideology representative of unsubstantiated bias?
ReplyDeleteAs I was getting ready to dance in the Recreational Lounge for my dance team, I noticed an eight legged creature come down from the ceiling on a single piece of its web. I stared at it for a while before my fellow teammate shrieked in horror when it landed safely on the floor in front of her. She was going to stomp on it before I stopped her. I picked up the creature on a piece of paper carefully and starred at it some more. I analyzed the way it moved so quickly as if it was frightened. Then I carefully placed it away from where we were dancing so it would not get hurt. My friend then asked, "Why don't you set it outside where it belongs?" I then told her that you cannot just place a creature where we think it belongs. It was inside the Recreational Lounge for a reason. It is the same concept as me not being able tell my teammate to go home because that is where she belongs. A creature can roam free wherever it likes. The way society has set up our thinking towards these creatures is wrong. These creatures play a big role in our world, and people do not appreciate their value. By un-naming this creature I was no longer afraid of it as I have been in the past when I have encountered them. I was able to understand the creature at a different level and see beyond the adjectives society has used to describe this them.
ReplyDeleteI was running a bit late to my 8am class this morning and I came across a family of six. They were tall, graceful beauties grazing on the dew-covered vegetation right off my usual path to class. Two of them were young with white spots all over their backs As I got closer, they each stopped to observe me for a few seconds before getting back to their meal. The path took me right through the family and since I was already late to class I decided to stop and watch them for a minute. An older female about ten feet from me glanced up from her meal and we exchanged a glance. After we were finished studying one another I decided to head to class content with my morning encounter. When looking into the eyes of any creature I feel our souls meet almost as though we are one. I see myself in all beings because I know we are all the same when we look past names and unique physical appearances. We all eat, grow, reproduce and most importantly, feel. Without the restriction of names we can overcome the labels associated with words and look into the soul of any creature and simply see ourselves.
ReplyDeleteI walk through winding vines on the upper edge of Anderson valley with my two four legged companions. They sniff the air in interest -- they can see what I cannot from hundreds of yards upwind -- and freeze simultaneously in their tracks. The look at me inquisitively, as if asking "Well, are you gonna shoot it or what?" Soon I realize the reason of their questioning behavior. On a fence post, bold and demanding, sits a feathered figure, clad with a bold white collar and black helmet, adorned with a plume like that of Roman Centurion. He stares at me with dot like eyes. He seems offended at my bipedaled intrusion, and quickly jumps and beats a hasty retreat, his squad in pursuit, for he is a wise strategist, and knows this battle is lost. My companions chase him, howling at the thrill of the chase. The little soldiers escape, of course, and I grin at the futility of the attempt.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Anderson Valley, outside Booneville
It was a quail.
Alex Verdoia
While rushing to an early class on a bitingly cold morning, it is easy to focus on yourself, on your exhaustion and your discomfort. Your preoccupied mind neglects to absorb the sounds and sights around you. This morning, I felt that exact sense of urgency begin rise within me, I felt myself becoming absorbed in my own feelings, my surroundings becoming negligible. I was able to catch myself, however, when I heard the skitter of an unassuming bushy tailed being hopping through the leaves, crunching them beneath tiny hands and feet as it searched for a meal. I stopped to consider it. Such a small, prevalent creature existing in the way they always do surely would seem like an odd thing to have caused me to reevaluate my state of mind, but these creatures are life. I am no more alive than they are. My sentience is no more superior to theirs regardless of their size. I am a creature as are they. Taking a moment to remove this creature from their human-given name, I was able to feel a closeness to them, in the sense that we are both life and we are both existing and continuously aiming to maintain survival. Without a box to put this creature in, I could no longer push their importance under the rug. How can they be less important than I when we are both capable of carrying out lives which contain purpose?
ReplyDeleteIt was late afternoon when I had gone downtown with my roommate to celebrate her birthday. Reflecting back on that day, I had encountered many furry friends on the street who were lounging around with their guardians by their side. How similar they are to one another amazes me. Often we seek comfort and security from those around us, but for these companions, they offer us little to no words, and yet we devote ourselves to them as if they were our own children. Even the name we give our four legged friends are personal because it creates a bond between the giver and receiver of the name. When I started to unname the creatures I've walked by, I started to see them as I would a stranger and become interested in what goes on in their mind. Specifically, a hairless brown friend, who was tied to a pole by the collar, was following me with its eyes. I couldn't help but to wonder if it had felt abandoned and what their reaction would be when their guardian returns. I imagine it would be like that of a child who had helplessly lost his/her mother but rejoices when she embraces them in her arms.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was at the gym, I stared outside for a while. Suddenly something caught my attention. I saw two small creatures. They seemed to be having an argument. They began chasing each other. Eventually, they began pushing and pecking one another. All that was visible was a small, gray, circular blur. Then, two more of the same creatures came in between the two that were fighting. One of the interveners pushed back one of the fighters, and the other did the same. What is incredible is that this could easily be describing a human. If we payed enough attention and didn't instantly judge a creature by their name, we would see how similar humans and non-humans really are.
ReplyDeleteI see animals everywhere I go walking around UCSC. There are the small ones with big fluffy tails, the big skinny ones with long legs and pretty eyes, and the smallest ones of all that hop around on stick feet and can float in the air. My least favorite are the fuzzy masked ones that look cute at first but can attack you and really harm you. I've never actually seen that happen here, but I've heard about it and seen it in movies. That's the problem with naming animals: by putting each animal of an entire species into one general group it becomes possible to create stereotypes. The raccoons here have tended to be peaceful, even when people go up to them and pet them, but because some raccoons have attacked people before I freak out whenever I see one. If animals weren't grouped into such large categories each animal would be able to make its own impression based on what they themselves are like rather than be considered only as what their reputation is, and going off of what others have posted before me animals’ reputations are what make humans believe they are superior to them. If we stopped and thought about each animal individually and compared them to every human individually, we would find a lot more similarities than we think. However, I’ll admit that having names for animals helps me a lot. I’m from a city, so I don’t interact with very many animals that often and if we were to only describe them as they looked but without their actual names I would get confused.
ReplyDeleteOne pounced and the other scurried. My friend and I screamed. His tiny paws, so furry and cute, enclosed a slithering, four legged creature. Its tail squirmed under the grip of the fuzzy paws. The furry pet, so innocent and adorable, left the still, green body dead on the ground. There was blood and it was gruesome. However, the ball of fur sat there looking pleased, his eyes big and round. He looked up and proudly licked his paw as if polishing his gun.
ReplyDeleteAs I was driving my friend back from home during the evening I witnessed in my headlights a cluster of bright eyed, shadowy figured beauties. One was particularly daring, as my car approached, It stood still several feet away. As I stared at the creature I imagined myself somewhat daring when standing near a speeding train with complete calm trusting others around me.
ReplyDeleteI pressed publish too soon, I cant edit it. But added to the end is this:
ReplyDeleteDuring the evening drives I usually focus on the stars, Monterey Bay, and other bright incoming traffic, but this evening was particularly different.