STARTING FROM SCRATCH (BECOMING AWARE OF MY THINKING/PERCEPTION VERSUS THAT OF THE CREATURES THAT I AM SHARING OUR PLANET WITH)...
ONE - So... I am here, in this moment, so: I can choose to make the most of it. How would I like to make the most of it?
TWO - I am not 100% sure (and never can be) that all I feel, see, smell, touch and hear is real. Is it all a matter of perception, of conditioning? Would I experience it differently with different conditioning)?
THREE - I am what I have acknowledged is labelled a ‘human being’ therefore I have only an anthropocentric view. I also only have my ‘anthropocentric Alana’ world view (how do I know what other humans really see, smell & feel compared to me)?
Not only do I not know what other humans experience (compared to me) but I 100% don’t know how any other species experiences the world either.
I cannot know what any other species needs/wants.
My only guidebook is how I would like to be treated.
So.... (With these truths in mind) the only conscious [*definition of ‘conscious’ - (of an action or feeling) deliberate & intentional] way to exist is to live and act from a place of glorious, acknowledged ignorance (a blank canvas) and to never assume that we know anything.
As my only guidebook (to interact with other beings/species) is how I would like to live and be treated, I must not assume that I know how any other creature would like to live or be treated.
This means that I must start every interaction with another human (and every other species) with what we humans have termed an 'open heart and mind', being 100% present and genuinely curious, to allow all creatures to show me what they want from our shared space and our interaction. (In a lot of cases that may be leaving them be and up to their own devices).
The next stage of ‘living from a blank canvas’ and ’never assuming’ (ie. never projecting what we would want, onto another being) is to not fall into the trap of thinking that because one human wants this/that, so ALL other humans must probably want ‘this/that’ (and the same with all other species).
EG. One human likes a large, seaside house and another human wants a small urban flat.
EG. One Cat loves lying in the sun and another Cat loves to hide under the shade of trees.
EG. One Squirrel likes to run up and take some food from your hands and another is terrified to come near you.
EG. One Swan sees you as a threat and another Swan sees you as a source of sustenance.
Start from scratch, over and over and over again.... My rulebook for any new encounter is...
- I am starting from a blank canvas. - I know nothing. - Who are you? - How am I allowed to interact with you?
- I an aware of and regard every being equally (this happens automatically when starting from a blank canvas as no prejudice occurs). - I treat others how I would like to be treated. - I start from a space of wonder & curiosity. - EG. If you are meeting a human in a public space, act within mutual agreement within that space. - EG. If you’re meeting a different species, remember that NO space is your/their space - find a wild hearted way to share/co-exist.
