Thursday, January 6, 2011

Mass suicide?


In June 2008, 26 dolphins were found dead on a beach in Cornwall. One expert compared their deaths to "mass suicide".
Vic Simpson, a pathologist who examined some of the 26 dead mammals, said today: "On the face of it, it looks like some sort of mass suicide - but the question is why? The dolphins had swallowed and inhaled big chunks of mud from the estuary. Their lungs and stomachs were full of it. That is very bizarre indeed."
According to the UK Daily Mail, "Experts say dolphins have been known to take their own lives whilst living in captivity after becoming distressed and confused at their conditions."

A friend, who I consider a mekubal, heard the news of about the massive bird deaths earlier this week. His first reaction was "they committed suicide".

In Chasidic thought, knowing the language of the animals and birds is considered a high level of spiritual attunement. While human beings are unique in their intellectual and analytic abilities, according to Jewish tradition, animals are in some senses 'closer' to nature, and thereby to their creator. In this way behavior of the animals worldwide is a kind of crying out of the spiritual sensitive of the world.

4 comments:

  1. It seems that the lovely birds are getting confused from the unpredictable weather patterns.They just don't know where to fly anymore.(just like our situation that most individuals find themselves in today.

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  2. I agree. It's like the birds are expressing the anguish of having no where to go. It says that the troubles of the last generation will lead Mashiach (and the dimension of Mashiach that exists in every person) to the point where there is nowhere to turn other than to Hashem.

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  3. I think the animals are disgusted with the ways of the world and they're telling us right at our face. That they don't want to be dominated by mankind anymore. Could it be?

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  4. God created humans to serve a paradoxical role of coexisiting as part of nature and ruling over nature. I don't think animals have a problem with rule of humans per se. Obviously humans have capabilities that animals do not, such as analytic thought, imagination, creativity, productivity, and animals deep inside their nature long to be in relation to us in a way that benefits them and brings us all towards our collective purpose (and vice versa). So in a sense, yes, I think the animals are displeased with the way in which humans dominate nature today, out of subjugation to greed, lust and appetite - our own animal nature, rather than in the interests of their highest potential, which is chelek eloha mima'al mamash - a slice of God Himself!

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