The Art of Preservation Folks requested “Thelma & Louise take a powder” for their annual show. Always liked these two. We walked a couple of miles, then Thelma looked at me and I led them home. Safely. Saw them walking by as I pulled in the drive returning from IBM’s memory Chip plant in Burlington. Knew I was home. ( became the poster/invitation image).
Perhaps what I liked best about country life in Pennsylvania’s Bucks County was the animals. Mostly they show good sense and are valuable role models. James Salter, (in a European memoir read on a return fight from San Francisco) compared his Army friend to a good horse: “He would be ridden not broken …” . Or as Jean Giono said about his character Elzuard Bouffier … in a description of the man’s character : “his dog was obedient not servile.”
These are observations not human comparisons. For much of my life I enjoyed people. (with more than a few notable exceptions). Despite what I’ve seen, still looked at humanity with a certain hope. But worthy animal’s like Salter’s “good horse”, have their own empathy and conscience. Like these two, on can see joy at no expense to anyone else. Walked with them, as I could provide a degree of safety from technologies having acquired human slaves. In this case cars sold to them as television props. Or text messagers who pay interest. Addictions prevent attention & do damage.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm was effective as political metaphor … now its time to learn from the animals as “beings” rather than metaphors for a crew run amok. Was thinking this in the cool of the morning, sitting with the cats and on of the vultures from the barns. Unnecessary servility and remaining unbroken.
PS reminded me of a comment, ever forgotten, made by a friend of mine to a school psychologist: “We are teaching children not breaking horses.”
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