30/7/07 Is compassion an instinct?

Connie's story seems to strike a chord with many people who are following her progress. I have been touched at the feedback about this blog. One friend summed up the impact it had on her as follows: -

"..Tears - because I was thinking of how you felt, how brave Connie was still bouncing about in spite of it, and the relief of things apparently working against all odds, and the mixed feelings of courage and excitement in being the first to go ahead with this..."

It made me think about compassion, and as I was driving to the station early one morning - there was a perfect demonstration. In the middle of the country lane was a cluster of pigeons. They scattered as the car approached, leaving one, floundering in the middle of the road. I stopped, picked it up. The wings were fine, it seemed winded, as if hit on the breast bone by a car had temporarily affected its ability to fly. The others had come back to be with it... I moved it to a thick verge, a chance to recover (perhaps..)

But what I could not get out of my mind was the sight of the other pigeons there, the sense of community, caring, whatever words I use from the human experience, the reality could not be dismissed. They were there with, and for, their injured fellow pigeon... It was simply behaviour hardwired into their instinct rather then because they consciously 'should' be concerned for it. Do we care enough for others? Such questions and lessons from 'other-than-human beings' are all around us.

By synchronicity, I then found the following quote from dear Albert Einstein:

A human being is part of the whole, called by us 'universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

Horses seem to offer us many life lessons, with Connie they seem to have been packed into one intense series of emotional experiences! As her situation becomes less critical, I will develop this blog to acknowledge some of these wider learnings. Thanks for reading on..