I do hope this is yet another false alarm in the world. I have a terrible time witnessing human suffering, and it seems we have been witness to so much already. It may be that there is nothing more to be done but let such an event wash over the world, like an uncannily big wave that startles you one day while swimming in the surf. I think though that the same community and compassion that makes a fine day better, makes a tragic day a turning point. It may be that what saves us from the other is not ignorance and distance from it, but nearness and an understanding of it.
Some of you may remember that ten days ago I acquired my three little pigs for this season. Not two full days later, Jasmine, one of our Nubian dairy goats (we have two) threw three does. Some may also realize what a tremendous blessing that is, especially when considered with the fact that they are all in excellent health, as is their mother.
The birth was perfect. I opened the barn door to see Faith, the last to be born, peering at me through the amniotic fluid coating her face. The other two were already standing and being cleaned. When I realized they were three does I could not contain my elation. Soon they would be Mina (pronounced 'meana'), Marie and Faith.
The pigs are a sturdy three beings. Their legs are stout, tails curled up tight on their back at rest, or else whipping back and forth with vigor. Their eyes are perfectly clear, without the goo typical of a pig eye. They are ornery little poinks for sure, bullies even, all three. Although the female Sylvia is a very sweet lady indeed, but she runs with a tough crowd and does not reveal to them how lovely she really is.
I am well aware of the immense privilege it is for me to know and raise and care for these animals. By the time all of the does were nursing on their mother, I was coated in amniotic fluid, Jasmine licking it from my fingers, the does poking my nose thinking it a teat. They are all sure I am a member of their family. The pigs too. I often think that the pigs are wary because I do not take anything from them. The goats know what is going on, it is obvious to them that their milk is a most precious substance to me. The pigs however guess that their is something more going to be taken in the end, for all of the labor I commit to their well being.
What I thank them all for additionally is the health and vigor they offer me. This they provide not only with their milk and meat, but with their vector status in my life. My constant exposure to their manure, wet and dry, fresh and composted, ensures that my body is well accustomed to lots of little living things hitching a ride on and in my person. Certainly, this is no guarantee of immunity on any level, but it provides me with a battery of similar organisms that have tested the water of my body, and left an indelible signature that will encourage me to respond appropriately to a hostile relative.
In the past we were all exposed to the soil organisms that surrounded us. Sometimes they killed us. Sometimes we evolved to survive them. Today very few of us live that lifestyle, and we further sterilize every inch of our living environment in an effort to protect ourselves from the other. It may be that more of what we consider to be us, is in fact other masquerading as us. I have been thinking lately that post modern medicine will likely move beyond drugs to organisms, engineered or bred. Like swallowing a tape worm, some future patient will embody some new organism that acts to regulate a system or defend against some disease process.
The crows peck at the wasted feed in the pig's yard. The vectors are all in place for me to enjoy exposure to all sorts of bird and swine bred microorganisms. It may very well be that as a result, I am modestly or completely immune to the newcomer. Or it may deliver it to my unprepared body. Either way I am in no way afraid or even led to caution. This at least partly as a consequence of my deeply held belief that I need not fear the future if I am acting virtuously. I have moved beyond resignation to faith in these matters.
I do hope this is yet another false alarm in the world. I have a terrible time witnessing human suffering, and it seems we have been witness to so much already. It may be that there is nothing more to be done but let such an event wash over the world, like an uncannily big wave that startles you one day while swimming in the surf. I think though that the same community and compassion that makes a fine day better, makes a tragic day a turning point. It may be that what saves us from the other is not ignorance and distance from it, but nearness and an understanding of it.