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01 November 2008

Human-animal Communication

Yesterday during my walk along the outer ring road (ORR) I was amused by the goatherd and the shepherd tending it. Once in a way he would grunt or bleat just like the sheep and goat! At times it seemed that he was responding to their voice and at other times the animals seem to respond to his 'blabber'. I was reminded of Santiagu (The Alchemist) who boasted of understanding his flock of sheep. Having to spend the whole day with the sheep, these shepherds ultimately have only them to talk to. So it is quite natural that they 'speak' to one another and become familiar to each others ways of going about. I am sure this bond only gets strengthened day after day.

How about our religious life and life in communities? Why is it that the longer I live with someone, harder it becomes to face him, talk to him, work in collaboration with him? While it should become simpler and easier to do so day after day, the rapport only deteriorates as time passes. Perhaps our sophisticated human communication does not foster that!

If communication is truly the foundation of all relationship and communion, is our human communication really 'better' than the human-animal communication?

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