Equus Asinus

Morris.  A lovely healthy animal with a glossy coat, living on the field on which he was born four years ago.  The donkeys and I have worked together to achieve a life of quality.

Quality.

Those who just venture into the countryside to blast the wildlife with guns, rip the wildlife apart with dogs – out of control and dangerous – these people who do not PLANT, NURTURE, HARVEST, nor properly engage with the countryside; these are not people who follow a traditional country life.

They are impostors.  Weekend terrorists.

In 1976 I read Robert Pirsig’s book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (read here in PDF: zen-motorcycle)  It is not actually about Zen nor motorcycles, but it is about Quality.

Arête as the Greeks called it.  A philosophical concept.  The book encouraged me to read Aristotle, Plato, Plotinus, Aquinas, and eventually become a Catholic…  which for some mad reason I still am.

I have never really paid much attention to animal rights movements, but this week I joined one.  I begin to see that the mess we humans create must not be dumped on the  most innocent.  Animal rights issues are not about emotion or sentimentality: this is about who we are are humans.  It is about quality.  Their quality of life. Heroism.  Our heroism in defending them. Their heroism in the will to survive against all our terrorism of them.

The defence of the innocent.  There are many issues of human cruelty we must address, and surely human to human cruelty is worst.  Yes.  But as long as we mistreat animals, will we ever treat each other with respect?  I don’t think so.

This donkey blog is now affiliated to the Spanish Animal Rights Party, PACMA http://pacma.es/  Thanks for having me as your new member.  The work starts here.

Click to access zen-motorcycle.pdf

Click to access zen-motorcycle.pdf