. . . RON HEVENER
Over the years, I’ve been lucky enough to know lots of interesting
animals. Horses, Dogs, Cats, Wildlife . . . If they liked people, I
had a knack of getting to know them pretty well. When I started my
career as an artist, animals were a natural subject for me to explore,
and, growing up in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County farm country,
animals—and people who love them—were all around me.
It would be great if we could grow up with a crystal ball and see what
life holds for us. It would be fun if we had a friend who could tell
us the future. That being said, as I look back on it, even an animal
lover like me would shake his head in amusement and dismay if anybody
told him there would be not one or two, but many special animals in
his life—and he would hear stories of many more from other people
who raise, care for and are inspired by animals, too. It’s enough to
make us believe that animals and people have a lot more going on than
scientists and scholars ever thought . . . or would like to admit.
I like passion and I like creativity. I certainly like to feel my
emotions (good or bad) and I like to explore every natural sense with
which we’re born (or which we are able to develop). Watching animals,
touching them, playing with them, feeding them, listening to them,
looking into their eyes, I feel . . . truly feel . . . that their
hearts are “in tune” with the rest of themselves. And that’s healthy!
Animals don’t speak a language of words, but, for those who observe
and listen, they do very well showing us what they mean. Why would
scholars and scientists want us to believe animals aren’t intelligent?
I don’t know the answer to that. I do know there are different kinds
of intelligence and I know from experience that a “paper degree” we
pay for and frame to hang on a wall isn’t the measure of them. It is a
measure of our ability to gather and organize information, yes, I
would agree with that, and it’s also a measure of our ability to pay
for the privilege of getting a diploma in the first place. But, isn’t
gathering information and knowing how to apply it the basis of
intelligence for even the smallest living cell?
The debate over intelligence seems to be more important to those
trying to prove they’ve got it, rather than from those who are secure
in themselves. Animals don’t doubt who they are, why they’re here, or
where they are going, like we do. Animals just “are” . . . they’re
born mastering the principle of “Be here now” that students of yoga
and psychology are struggling to figure out.
When it comes to emotion, animals are honest. When they mate, it’s
with all the passion and fire in them. When they mourn, it’s with the
sadness of all the heavens and all the earth. When they fear or fight,
they give it their all. Animals don’t complicate their lives with
politically correct terminology that confuses or denies honest,
powerful drives and feelings. They don’t pretend or deceive.
It is often said that we resemble the animals to which we are
attracted. Most of us have seen pictures of people and their pets,
showing remarkable resemblances of expression, or hair color, or
shape. Even though I get around to many public events like horse
shows, dog shows, pet expos and things of that nature, I don’t often
see much evidence of that. What I do see, however (and I see it often)
is a similarity of personality, or spirit, between animals and the
people who love them. Every species of animal, and every specialized
breed within it, can be described by certain traits or
characteristics. If you study the breed standards, you’ll find that
different breeds are known for their nobility, or their tenacity, or
for their herding, retrieving, or their hunting instincts for example.
People who love them are quite often the same. If this is true, then
does “something familiar about” the animal attract people who already
possess this quality in themselves—or is the characteristic
acquired by taking such an animal into their lives?
Many readers know that I raise Collies and the kennel was founded in
the early 1940’s. No, I’m not a hundred years old. I inherited the
kennel from a wonderful friend who took me under her wing and taught
me about animal husbandry. One of the things she insisted upon was
that I join as many dog organizations and associations as possible. As
I was filling out an application for the Collie Club in our region of
Pennsylvania, there was a question: “Why Collies?” I remember my
answer very well: “Because they are always happy. They have a positive
outlook on life.” It’s pretty tough to be down in the dumps when
you’ve got a dog wanting to romp and play with you.
Should we take a tip from the animals we love? Maybe that’s not a bad idea.
If we aspire to better ourselves, to become true of heart and true to
our deepest emotions, animals are the most genuine and unaffected
examples for us to follow. Few people can show us the way to our own
hearts because so few of us are permitted to discover our real selves
in today’s society. We live in a social system designed to get us
through school and into the tax-paying work force for dead-end jobs as
soon as possible. Increasingly (and in spite of the principles of
freedom pioneered by Baby Boomers), we don’t live in a system that
generally encourages freedom of thought and expression any more. In
the past twenty years or so, creative leaders and innovators have been
lost to us from bizarre and sinister diseases that no one ever thought
possible or disgraced and trampled in the media. As they fall—like
trees being cut down in a forest—their places are filled by others
less brilliant. The result is mediocrity in literature, the arts,
music and movies . . . in laws, politics, and education.
When leaders are lost, their secrets and inner light are taken with
them. Never again do we hear their voices or bask in their example of
life being lived to the fullest. What remains is our search for
something greater . . . a nameless yearning for something emotionally
and intellectually real . . . A need for something to keep our
emotions rolling, our souls laughing and our hearts alive. Something
that we matter to—anywhere, anyone—in a world becoming more and
more difficult for reasonable people to understand.
What remains unchanged—for those who let them speak—is the love
of animals.
Mr. Hevener is currently working on a documentary film of his novel,
“Fate of the Stallion.” For more about the Author and his animals,
please visit his website, www.RonHevener.com