Lesson 14: What Animals Can Teach Us

These workbook questions were curated by Martha Beck. The goal is to continue the conversation and go deeper into the lesson. Your answers are private, no one else can see them.

Note: When you're done adding your entry, click 'Save' below. You will be able to edit your workbook at any point.

Edit

Imagine your favorite animal (whether alive or passed on) is with you now, and can speak. What advice would he or she give you about your life? Write it down.

How would you feel walking through a public space if every person there were actually a friendly dog, or cat, or horse? Try holding that energy, just to observe how you and others react.

Notice how you can read the mood of an animal from its energy, even though it can't speak. Pay that kind of attention to the people in your life, focusing less on words. What new information can you pick up?

If you could shape-shift into an animal, what kind of animal would you choose? Why?

Have you ever had an encounter with a wild animal that changed you in some way? Describe it.

If you've ever loved a pet, that love was based on who the animal was, not anything it did. Can you love other people as if they were animals? Can you love yourself that way?

If you had to choose an animal protector, what would it be?

Published on October 27, 2011

Fatherless Sons

It's the epidemic that affects 24 million children in the United States. Get advice for fatherless sons, resources for fathers and find out how to make a difference.