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Outdoors: Gratitude

Amahl and the Night Visitors

"Amahl and the Night Visitors” was the first opera I ever heard.

My family watched this tale of generosity and gratitude every December on the Hallmark Hall of Fame.

It is the story of a poor woman and her son Amahl, a young shepherd who has a disability serious enough that he had to hobble on crutches.

He first sees an amazing star, then he and his mother are astounded when three kings arrive at their humble cottage and wish to spend the night.

The mother sends Amahl to fetch the neighbors, also poor shepherds, to help feed and entertain the visitors.

And the neighbors, dancing and singing, bring gifts to the kings - all the food they can spare.

“This is all we shepherds can offer you,” they say, and the kings humbly respond “Thank you. Thank you, thank you kindly,”  - generosity and gratitude.

Do animals demonstrate generosity? Do they show gratitude?  

This is an open debate.

Most creatures bring food to their offspring;  pack animals and even some birds share food.  

Birds warn each other of danger and social insects sacrifice themselves for the good of the hive. 

But is this generosity . . . selfless altruism?  

Gratitude is even harder to observe.

Pet owners are convinced that their animals show gratitude, and there is anecdotal evidence that some primates and intelligent mammals - elephants, dolphins - demonstrate gratitude, or what appears to be gratitude. 

But over my years at the arts camp, I’ve rescued countless creatures: raccoons from dumpsters, skunks from window wells, bats and birds from cabins.

I personally have not seen much evidence of gratitude.

Most behaviorists believe that generosity and gratitude are almost exclusively human emotions.

So I would like to express my gratitude. To the staff of Interlochen Public Radio, paraphrasing the words of the three kings, “Thank you good friends, for your music and your stories.”

Thank you for keeping me and many others connected to the magical place between the lakes and beneath the stately pines.

Thank you volunteers, and thank you donors for your generous gifts to support Interlochen Public Radio through what I sincerely hope will be a very “long journey ahead.”

"Outdoors with Coggin Heeringa" can be heard every Wednesday on Classical IPR.