I have sat down to write today, having not planned what to write; but I have one image that keeps playing through my mind this morning, and it is that of a cow.
Not too long ago I was on a coach travelling back home to South England from visiting Northumberland, when I experienced something which changed how I view animals completely.
I had grown up with a mother that had taught me the beauty in nature and to care for animals always, so I’d had a love for animals for a long time; and equally been aware of the love and connection that they bring to us.
Once a year we would travel to Northumberland to see my mum’s friend Ali and her family. A beautiful place with rolling hills, streams, and many farms in the surrounding areas.
Being there with those friends taught me endless appreciation for the natural world. After my mum died when I was a teenager I continued to travel up to Northumberland once a year, sometimes more; always continuing to learn and grow from the animals, the people and the land.
On my most recent journey home from Northumberland, I was travelling by coach when the coach passed by a vehicle carrying cattle. It is hard to put into words what happened next, because I don’t believe it is something that comes from thought, and is easily transferable into words. But as I watched this vehicle pass I could see many cows being carried, who knows where to. There were gaps in the vehicle for me to see the cows through, and as I leaned my forehead onto the glass, feeling bewildered by what I saw passing before me, I locked eyes with one cow that didn’t look away.
In that moment, I felt as though I saw the cow fully. I could see that we were no different. It wasn’t scared to look into my eyes, and I was too encapsulated in the moment to look away. I could feel that it didn’t know where it was going, and that it was being taken somewhere without it’s own choosing.
As the vehicle moved on, I lost its gaze, and a deep sadness stayed with me after that. I longed to save this cow from the system which was trapping it. I knew that at moments throughout my life this image would come up again and tell me to try to help other animals.
‘Every being is the spark of the divine… look into the eyes of a dog and sense that innermost core’
Eckhart Tolle
Eckhart Tolle, the well renowned spiritual teacher, often reminds people of the connection of animals and human beings in his teachings. I have heard him say, that we get so much joy from being around dogs or pets, partially because we recognise our own consciousness in them. If you want to be reminded of being alive, look into the eyes of an animal or your pet, just as I looked into the eyes of that cow.
I hope that one day we will treat animals with more kindness, as we ourselves would like to be treated. We can all work towards changing that, but for now I start here by sharing this story.
Agate Amara 