Living in the moment

A little while ago I was reading an article in National Geographic about a tribe in Africa, that was one of the last known true hunter-gatherer tribes. They did not do any farming, or keep any livestock. They did not store food or plan for a rainy day. They were not nomadic. Rather they lived in an area that was able to provide for them as they needed; when they were hungry for fruit, they went and picked fruit. When they were hungry for meat, they set out hunting.

They also lacked any sort of daily routine or timetable. They simply ate when hungry, slept when tired, or danced when they felt like it!

What was further interesting was their lack of a need for spirituality. They had a vague concept of God, but to them, God was the sun. They did not morn their dead any more than they might miss someone who was moving to another tribe. Until recently, they did not even bother to bury their dead, but rather left them to the wild life.

They also had a poor (or perhaps just different) concept of time. They had no idea of weeks, months or years, and did not fear the passing of time. Time was just something that happened around them and was not to be controlled or catalogued.

This fascinated me as I think that this is what it is like for our pets and our horses. They live in the present, focusing on their present needs and wants, and not fixating on past issues, or potential future concerns. Yes, they learn from their mistakes, but they do not dwell on them. Nor do they feel pressured by the passage of time, or fear the passage of time.

I realize that I spend too much time concerned about an uncertain future. I ruminate about possible choices and their possible subsequent outcomes. I worry about what ifs and what thens..often regarding things that do not even come to pass.

And then there is the tendency to dwell on the past and to allow the past to control or hold back from the future. Yes, you want to learn from the past, but the past should not be allowed to control us or hold us back.

A horse, or dog, or cat forgives us for accidentally bopping them on the nose. They forgive us for being grouchy one day and do not take it personally. They do not seek revenge for betrayal and they do not sulk because their friend did not invite them to a party. A horse is happy to go for grass or receive a carrot, and does not care if its friend is getting better grass or fancy cookies.

A person on the other hand, that gets betrayed by someone, will tend to ruminate about it, and may lash out at others trying to hurt them back. They will stew about it, talk about, and mope about it. They will blame the cosmos and cry woe is me. And they will let that betrayal affect them and how they deal with life. They will let that an incident become magnified until it is bigger than it actually was in the first place. A person will see others with more and forget to be thankful for what they themselves have.

A horse will take things one day at a time, while people will focus on time lines, deadlines and compare themselves to those around them. Do you think Zander cares if Tommy has a nicer blanket than him or can jump a bigger jump...not likely. Horses just learn, accept and take it day by day.

By the same token though, the well being of a horse, and its quality of life, is held by its present condition. While a person may set their current pains aside in hope of a better future, or may suffer though a long standing condition so that they can watch their children grow, a horse has no such concern for the future and placed no such value on holding on until a certain event takes place. Their quality of life is based on the NOW...a now that is shaped by the past but not controlled by it.

Just something to think about.