Lately, I’ve been reflecting on our connections with other creatures; the lessons they offer, how our actions influence their lives, and how their actions, in turn, influence ours. While talking to friends about how non-mundane folk relate to animals, a memory bubbled up about a conversation with a woman at a bus stop. The brief interaction made an impression on me. I noted it down straight after and have sharpened it up a little, to share with you here. It’s short. I would love to hear your thoughts on which qualities or intelligences from other-than-human life we might embrace to make the world a better place.

Last night, a storm swept through, the third in a row, with the heavens pouring down only to clear up neatly by dawn. This morning, standing at a bus stop, I breathed in the fresh, earthy scent left behind and watched a group of crows going about their business. One in particular caught my eye, it was drawn to a puddle between the tram lines. Despite the traffic spraying water, the crow was undeterred, and skillfully dodged cars as it took sips from the puddle. In those ten minutes, it drank its fill while managing to watch me, the traffic, and its Corvid comrades. My thoughts wandered; How adaptable these city birds are to our polluted environment, and how they manage to survive amidst the chaos of urban life. I wondered if city rain washes away some of the grime or simply adds to it, marveled at the intelligence of these birds, and admired their resilience and grace despite everything.

Another woman was waiting for bus 37 and she noticed me watching the birds. We exchanged smiles, and I made a casual comment about how clever they are. She agreed but added that it shouldn’t be surprising, it’s just that we often see animals as lesser beings. She pointed out that if we recognized their intelligence and equality with humans, it would be harder to justify how we treat them, including eating them. She likened it to the way slavery arose, with one group of people seeing another as inferior to justify their dominance. We discussed how people often misjudge animals, seeing their simple nests and scavenging habits as signs of primitiveness rather than evidence of their adaptability and resourcefulness. It was clear that after three storms, the crow nests remained intact, and the birds were making use of fresh puddles and fallen twigs with remarkable efficiency. Animals aren’t inferior; they’re masters of survival, simplicity, and countless traits we hardly understand. To underestimate their intelligence is to underestimate ourselves, and as our conversation suggested, perhaps it also reveals an underlying need to dominate so that we can conquer and consume.

The bus arrived, and I hopped on, reflecting on how our interactions with other-than-human beings and fleeting encounters at bus stops can reveal something deeper. By acknowledging the intelligence and resilience of the creatures we share this world with, we might gain a better understanding of our own place within it and the responsibilities that come with that awareness.