Giraffe (2024)

Donkeys eat thistle plants, giraffes eat prickly pears.
Some time ago I approached Non-Violent Communication, a communication approach based on attention to one’s inner experience, on empathic and emotional connection with others and ourselves. In this method, the giraffe, a herbivorous and peaceful animal, usually without natural predators, represents empathy, connection, as opposed to the jackal, which represents judgement, criticism, an attitude of attack/defence.
I am struck by the giraffe’s ability to eat prickly pears with their sharp thorns, without injuring itself, rather gracefully and naturally.