Well, I didn’t outgrow it
Remember when you were growing up or maybe even when your own kids were growing up, there was a phrase, “They’ll outgrow it”. Meaning if a kid had some quirky way or habit or belief or attitude, it would go away as the kid grew up.
Okay, most of us or our kids did outgrow those childhood quirks. There’s one that I didn’t outgrow and can’t seem to even now. I cry about things that maybe adults aren’t supposed to cry about. I cry about animals. For example if I go to Sea World and watch the whale or dolphin show, I cry. I cannot help it, I just do. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I subconsciously feel sorry for the animals being used that way for entertainment rather than living free in the ocean to enjoy their natural life. I’m sort of guessing here because I honestly don’t know why the tears begin to flow.
Then there’s the other time I cry and can’t help it. It’s the time when animals suffer or die. When I heard Monday that they had to euthanize Barbaro, man the tears started and wouldn’t stop. Every time someone spoke of him, it started all over again.
Crying about animals is something I just can’t outgrow. If it hasn’t happened by now, I don’t think it’s gonna.
Okay, most of us or our kids did outgrow those childhood quirks. There’s one that I didn’t outgrow and can’t seem to even now. I cry about things that maybe adults aren’t supposed to cry about. I cry about animals. For example if I go to Sea World and watch the whale or dolphin show, I cry. I cannot help it, I just do. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because I subconsciously feel sorry for the animals being used that way for entertainment rather than living free in the ocean to enjoy their natural life. I’m sort of guessing here because I honestly don’t know why the tears begin to flow.
Then there’s the other time I cry and can’t help it. It’s the time when animals suffer or die. When I heard Monday that they had to euthanize Barbaro, man the tears started and wouldn’t stop. Every time someone spoke of him, it started all over again.
Crying about animals is something I just can’t outgrow. If it hasn’t happened by now, I don’t think it’s gonna.
posted by pissed off patricia at 1:55 AM
24 Comments:
It's because animals are innocent. When I see animals hurt by humans, whther it be through cruelty, or in a sporting event, it makes my blood boil.
I'm with ya, POP...my life story. Thankful someone else has the "affliction" too.
It just proves that you are aware of the link between us humans and the rest of the animal world. You know that losing a courageous soul like his lessens us all. I felt the same way. I didn't break down and cry but the old lump in the throat was there.
I'm with you, I really don't cry that often, but I can't hold it back when the story is about an animal getting hurt. I had to change the channel when the Barbaro story came on... =(
The other thing I always have to cry about is little kids, especially if I see the little tears running down their faces.
I cry about animals, too. James Herriot's books tear me up. But if you really want to see my waterworks come on, play the theme song from the 1960s "Lassie" TV show, you know, the one that has that beautiful but sad whistling? For me, Lassie always embodied everything beautiful and noble about animals.
My best friend in high school prided herself on being nonsentimental and weepy. But the only time I ever saw her cry was when we were watching a movie about the first seeing-eye dog. Toward the end of the movie, the dog has cancer and struggles to complete an obstacle course in a courtroom to prove the value of seeing-eye dogs. My friend cried buckets (I did, too).
Another thing I still do since childhood is, when eating a bowl of Lucky Charms, I eat the oat cereal first and save the marshmallows for last.
Oh, I'm so sorry you have the severest case of empathy. I saw a beautiful tree being cut down today, cut down to make room for a housing development. I came home and cried for the tree. So, there are afflictions of the heart that we carry and I'm glad we have them or we wouldn't be who we are.
I cry when animals die but not for people. I've never understood that in myself. I felt tears coming when I heard about Barbaro.
I never felt anything when close friends have died, even unexpectedly. Nothing when my Dad died, in fact I was a little relieved that he wasn't suffering anymore.
But even mentioned that an animal I knew has passed on and I feel overwhelming sadness.
I'm with Peacechick - it's the most advanced level of empathy. The people who don't or can't empathise with animals and plants are the ones who think it's just fine to go about raping the natural world. They're so busy killing Gaia, they don't realise they'll die with Her.
Yes, I think it is empathy. All living things want to persist, to have autonomy, to have food and shelter, to be protected from the ravages of humans. We understand their plight. We weep for them.
I find that I am "moved to tears" by many things, and it is always strongly emotional, not necessarily sad or upset.
When I watch the videos of my daughter dancing, I cry with happiness and pride.
When I see babies, my eyes get weepy - they are so beautiful and precious and wonderful.
You're not strange for having strong emotional responses to animals. Just different. Different is ok.
Maybe not so wuirky - my only real "adult" crying has been over pets. Barbaro deserved to be cried for - a long struggle that had to be more painful for him than we were led to believe.
I haven't darkened the doorways of any sort of animal entertainment facilities in ions because I just can't. I also feel, that the trust heaped upon us due to our "top ranking" in the animal kingdom saddles us with the responsibility of taking care of all the living "below" us. We haven't done too good job, have we?
PoP, i'm a pretty classic product of the "men don't cry" (hell, it's even worse when you're part apache) school. i tend to be pretty taciturn. i do, however, like most animals far more than i like most people. i never insist on "top ranking" when it comes to nature. i've spent far too much time out there to know how little i matter to the grand scheme of things. a lot of my time out in the wilderness of desert and woods is spent trying to minimize my impact. not being noticed can be a large part of survival. i learned that from nature.
i'm still musing over horse songs about barbaro. as a warm up to my practice session this morning i played "zebra dun."
I, too, cry over all things animal, mostly dogs. Rescue dogs, abandoned dogs, rescued dogs. My dogs taught me about selfless love. Years ago, for a nano second, it was considered that Imay have a brain tumor. And all I could do was cry, because I hadn't had enough time with my dogs.
(all is fine, no tumor.)
Ginnie
(previously, CrabbyLou)
Do we truely out grow things or do we just hide them. ;-)
I think it's natural to cry about animals as has been stated -- they are innocent. More people have been screwed over by other people far more often than by animals. I don't think it's something you should outgrow. No other habits, such as many exhibited by Dubya, those are things that should be outgrown and endanger us all when they aren't.
“They’ll outgrow it”.
For me, it was the smartass comeback. To everything, everybody, everywhere!
My brothers and sisters had a 50th birthday party for me, which was unusual in that we normally didn't throw parties for each other. So I asked why. Everybody hemmed and hawed, and finally one said: "Frankly, Dan, none of us gave you a chance in hell of making it this far!!" I doubted it myself on more than one occasion:)
Animals.....consciously, I know our cats are "animals." Just don't ever say that to our face, for they are family members, each with their own distinct personality, their own likes and dislikes, their own traits. In short, they're people!! We talk to them like they were people. We worry about them as though they were people.
When a family member dies, or even "somebody" that isn't a family member, but could have been, things get really emotional around here.
Rather than view that as something to be outgrown, I view it as an positive sign about myself. My emotions still work. I still have the capacity to care. I can still love.
I've never heard of any law that said that capacity had to be limited to humans, and if they ever make it, I'm going to break it anyway!:)
PoP,
Crying for animals is something I've never shaken, and I cried off and on all day Monday even though I expected the decision following weekend events. Animals have an innocence to which we respond. The wild ones are only living by nature's rules and the domesticated ones are so dependent on us for their welfare.
I wrote a tribute to Barbaro on my blog. There was a sort of Princess Di bathos for the several months since he was injured, but I can't really fault those fans. He was such a magnificent animal, unusually intelligent and brave for a horse, that his death, necessary as it was just tears, at your heart.
Well, you're probably no fun at zoos, but I still think this is a good trait.
It is the innocence I think.
I tried to come up with something comforting and pleasant to share, but then I started crying, so, here goes...
I think you're just allergic to whales and dolphins. You might want to have that looked at.
I, too, cried when I heard that Barbero had to be euthanized. Poor little horse just couldn't heal properly.
I don't follow horse racing, so I hadn't even heard of Barbaro until NPR was talking about some procedures they were doing to heal him up, and I felt hopeful for him, glad they didn't just kill him after he lost his usefulness. Then later in the day, I heard that he had been euthanized and I was very sad about him! It is also very sad that they only tried really hard to save him because of his usefulness.
I have cried more about losing pets than I have cried about losing my grandparents and my father. That probably IS a bit odd. Oh well. I am what I am. you are what you are, and if you cry over losing animals, you are a friend of mine.
As for crying for them at shows like at Seaworld I haven't really thought too much about that. I know I intensely dislike most zoos I have been to... it just about kills me to see big cats pacing nervously, gorillas engaged in repetitive neurotic behaviors, bears just sitting around staring or sleeping because they have nothing etter to do, etc.
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edit: wrong post
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