I don’t think a system of honor and shame makes sense in relating to other species. And it’s not that I think that other animal species don’t have this same way of relating to each other. It seems that when dealing with another species we have two things to rely on to communicate: observation and intuition. We can observe when an animal is afraid, hungry, etc., and we can also intuit impossible things to know, such as loneliness and sadness. Because we must rely on our own perception in order to observe and assess what we’re seeing, I don’t think it’s helpful to involve what we articulate as humans to be honor and shame, but rather to use the unspeakable language of trying to figure eachother out. After all, it seems that’s what different species do whenever they are together…spend the time trying to figure eachother out.I absolutely think that grief is an appropriate feeling to have towards peach orchards. An orchard takes time and the right circumstances to grow; an orchard’s disappearance is the complete leveling of something that is alive. But even so, the amount of grief seems to be parallel with the amount of our investment in something; whether that investment be thought, appreciation, or love. Loss is universal, and felt constantly, whether in the smallest or largest instances. I think that people have the ability, whether conscious or not, to invest their love and feeling in anything on this earth, whether it be animate or inanimate, man-made or not. It is personal, and it often isn’t a choice; I believe that most humans are often surprised by the things in life that produce grief or other feelings that arrive out of a deep connection. Therefore, I don’t think grief is something that really involves a choice. One may choose to take the steps to end their grieving and move on, but can one choose to begin to grieve? I don’t know if I’ve seen theater involved in mediating literally between live plants and animals, but I would be interested in seeing how that could come about. I have however seen theater in which humans take on animals or plants through a transformation using their human body, whether it be using masks, or a technique like Lecoq, which could involve finding the life and spirit of things non-human and becoming that thing with your own body and voice. I think it’s fascinating to see the human body take on the energy and thought of something else, if nothing else than to reveal the way the human connects to that thing and imagines its life. Ultimately, its still art that is entirely human driven though, requiring our thought and feelings, so I wonder how far we could actually go in embodying, if that were to be the means of mediation. Also, could we ever be anything but subjective when seeing this, based on the way it would hit all of us differently? It’s not as tangible as human interaction. Sean Parker
