It may be that sheep lack imagination. I rather doubt that they dream of fields of orange grass, or of a retirement when their grazing days are behind them. To be honest, I can't really begin to imagine what being a sheep is like. I can imagine being outdoors in all weathers, in a fleecy coat. I can imagine waking up to a field full of breakfast, lunch and dinner. I can imagine sniffing out a balanced combination of vegetation, not really being aware of what my taste aspirations are, and being wholly unaware of the concept of nutritional requirements. But all this is no more than a projection of my self into sheepdom. I suspect that sheep have very little imagination; and it is entirely lacking the linguistic conceptual structure that my imaginings seem to have.
There are times, however, when I feel that I have the imagination of a sheep. I imagine myself standing before a moderately well-stocked fridge. Maybe a little cheese or a slice of ham? Orange juice, perhaps? Or yogurt? I am not aware of the idea of hunger, or appetite; but I hear the fridge calling me. Now it may be that I answer the call, and as I enter the kitchen, perhaps the kettle intrudes on my consciousness, or some form of awareness, and magnetises my hand. There is a pattern of force-fields: my empty hand is attracted to the kettle; empty kettle and I are attracted to tap; full kettle and I are attracted to stove; kettle on stove repels me towards teapot; teapot and I are attracted to tea; teapot, tea and I are attracted to stove; teapot on stove repels me towards mugs; mug and I are attracted to fridge.
So I am standing before a moderately well-stocked fridge. The idea of milk is perhaps uppermost in my mind. But what other ideas linger there? The idea of a little cheese or a slice of ham? Orange juice, perhaps? Or yogurt? I remember a younger, slimmer body that I used to call my own. I remember the taste of tea with skimmed milk. And my hand is resting on the semi-skimmed. Is there a growing sense of definitive decision in my mind, linked to the sound of the kettle? Do I imagine the cold air flowing out of the fridge, pulling in electricity behind it, to which is attached a little cash and a dollop of carbon dioxide? What, really, is the function of mayonnaise?
None of this is real. The sun is shining and I have seeds to sow. Now where would those seeds be, do you imagine? Somewhere cool and dark and safe from vermin. That's right: on the top shelf of the door of the fridge...
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3 comments:
Alan,
I am convinced my dog dreams. She barks and moves her legs. Very interesting post... you remind me of a lecturer I had once who never explained what he meant but left it open for students to ponder. This is missing from my workplace. You could make a comment and now students who lack 'imagination' fail to see or think about it. I am extremely interested in what you have written so far.
You are a real philosopher. I have no doubt about that. Let me say this however, are we overly harsh on sheep. They look docile but I am sure there is more to them than meets the eye. When I was working at Logan (a community 35 km south of Brisbane in Queensland) we had cows on the campus. I would often stop and look at them wondering if they were overly impressed by me or regarded me with deep levels of suspicion. There are times, I kid you not, when I would look at the cow and know that it regarded me as it's enemy. Other times, you could see the mischief in it's eyes, like it structuring a plan to destroy the Logan campus... and eventually the lecturer who kept staring on the way to the office. Simpler times.
I suspect that creativity is like the flu... it rises out of us at times when we least expect it. I should write about this. Good post Alan!
Thanks, Luke! It's good to know that someone is interested on what I have to say...
I'm pretty sure that your dog does dream, although I doubt that she dreams in a similar way to you, any more than her thinking is similar. I imagine that her thoughts and dreams are more similar to those of a sheep than to yours, and more similar to yours than are a sheep's. But I imagine that yours and mine are much more similar. Political correctness has not gone so far, I hope, as to make such specist remarks unacceptable!
Frankly, I don't believe that I have been harsh on sheep in particular or grazers in general. It is true that I consider most animal intelligences free from anxieties about the future, except the short term, but this is an assumption. Birds building a nest, for example, may be driven by an image of themselves sitting on their eggs; I just happen to doubt it.
Clearly "cow" is Autralian slang for "undergraduate" lol.
hahaha... no these are actual cows. No 'cow' undergraduates... :D
I see sheep(eople) all the time here... and I wonder what people think when they can't conceive of a future beyond short term assumptions. I can live that way and I won't!
Anyhow...
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