Saturday, June 2, 2012

Beginnings that Continue

I’m not very certain how The Underground Tailroad began. All I know is that I live and breathe it every day, just as it challenges me every day to be a better human being. It isn’t just an animal rescue effort; it is a state of mind. You see, I believe we have the power as individuals and organizations to work together to make life better for all living things on this planet. Too often we cut ourselves off from one another, and gaps arise. Gaps are insidious and open the door to the creation of bigger problems down the road. We become entrenched in our own visions and miss the blind spots. We strive to reach goals while ignoring the goals of others. We look to the now or live in the past and forget there is a future, especially in this time of instant gratification with technology at our fingertips. With so much information available to us, it can be overwhelming, and we can easily fall into the trap of circling the wagons instead of exploring new horizons.

The Underground Tailroad loves new horizons, the creation of new solutions to old problems, seeing problems as opportunities, the building of relationships across cultures and organizations. It asks only that one keeps an open mind and a love for others at hand. It offers a welcome mat for those standing out in the cold and rainy moments of life, and, I hope, offers them sunshine and optimism. It will continue to be a constant work of progress, just as a human’s journey is. We strive, we triumph, we fail, and we have to continue striving nonetheless. We also need to remember that there are neighbors all around us, and they come in all shapes and sizes and forms. We need each other in order to thrive.

Now, I AM an animal welfare advocate. It is as natural to me to fight for the feathered, furry, and purry, as it is to breathe. It spills out of my pores and has throughout the entirety of my life. But I see our relationships with animals as being integral to having a prosperous society. Humans can be cruel, and it has been demonstrated that humans who are cruel to animals lean toward being cruel to other humans, as well. So, on the one hand, we have animals as an indicator as to how humans may treat each other. But we can flip this relationship, too, as I choose to do, and see animals as a driver for change.

For example, the number of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is on the rise in the United States and beyond. So much is still being discovered about ASD, but it is recognized that animals, particularly our canine companions, can truly help children on the spectrum with their sensory integration issues. A dog can connect a child with his or her family and world in a unique way. If we can truly recognize this tie that binds, how a furry friend can open doors, then we become better human beings. This relationship is not limited to children with ASD. We see such relationships, this building of connections and empathy, across many levels, from therapy dogs for veterans with PTSD, to children becoming confident readers with dogs as reading buddies. With bullying becoming a mainstream issue in our public school system, it would seem to me that we’d do well to look to the opportunities of the human-animal bond to create confident, caring children who can grow into resilient, compassionate adults.

I’d also like to take a moment and focus upon our relationship with animals through the lens of what we eat. We stuff our faces with whatever is presented to us, most of the time. So often we are hustling and bustling through life that it is just easier to grab something to eat without a moment of conscience, but if we are going to create a strong global society, we are going to have to slow down and consider the ramifications of our choices and actions. We allow animals to suffer through farming practices that are degrading. They aren’t just degrading at a level of quality of care and lack of scruples for the animals. These practices are degrading in reflection of being human. We tolerate cruelty at an epidemic level because it isn’t staring us in the face. By the time a chicken is on our plate, it has no voice, and our cravings take over our conscience and commitment for compassion. We take very little ownership as individuals for the suffering of others, but the truth is that, as individuals, we are responsible for the suffering of others every day.

Every day of my life I wake up with a to-do list a mile long. The list is not just one of action but one of thought, and it is constantly evolving with much room to grow…so much room to grow. It isn’t without frustrations. There are plenty of those, most of them my own making. It takes an extra second to reflect upon one’s self-made frustrations, and when we live busy lives, taking that second requires an effort than can definitely be a personal challenge. Pause and reflect is easier said than done. Yet, as I work with various organizations and with community members, I find the personal growth to be remarkable. The Underground Tailroad thrives upon these relationships because they go to show how easily we build walls instead of bridges, but bridges are so much better. I choose to build bridges, and I hope you make that choice too.

No comments:

Post a Comment