Paying attention

For the second time, I am listening to Peter Heller's The Whale Warriors. It's about Sea Shepherd - Heller spent two months on board the Farley Mowat. He talks about the research suggesting that cetaceans can effectively, say, "Hey, Peter, it's Issy and I'm looking for Clare." Meaning that not only do they use their own name and that of the person to whom they are talking, but can also refer to another specific individual. He writes about how they have these spindle neurons, as we do, which are believed to be related to social connection. But they have proportionally more (and just more as their brains are bigger anyway). All of which seems to imply that they are more adept socially - and may have stronger affiliative emotions than do we. And, they evolved in their current forms some millions of years before us. He says that they love each other and the sea - which they have not polluted or plundered, if love, as he puts it, describes a profound attentiveness that does no harm.

That, to me, is almost better than Murdoch's "loving attention."

And so, those to whom I attended in the garden.

The squirrel was in freeze. He had not noticed me til he reached this point. After the photo, he turned tail and scampered away.

This is a baby dunnock. I spotted him because I wondered why the parents were calling as they usually hop around me quite happily.