By Marc Bekoff
http://www.satyamag.com/jul01/bekoff.html
I am a patient and compassionate activist who believes
that �getting my hands dirty,� getting out there and showing people
about the horrible things we do to far too many animals, is the best way
to make long-lasting changes in their hearts and heads (for a wonderful
discussion of the trials and tribulations of activism and also of its
innumerable fruits, see Julia Butterfly Hill�s book The Legacy of Luna).
Indifference is deadly. My activism centers on getting people to think
and to tell me why they think, feel, and act the ways they do. I also am
careful not to get too involved debating opponents over and over again,
for this diversionary tactic takes time and energy away from being
procreatively active. We only have a finite amount of energy that can go
into different activities.
As an unwavering dreamer and optimist, I often feel
victimized by hope. Nonetheless, it is my passionate dream that changes
in attitude and heart will ultimately bring forth harmony in the
relationships between animals and humans, for nonhuman animals will
forever be competing with humans, their dominant, big-brained, mammalian
kin. Without a doubt, the animals are likely to lose most of these
encounters as humans continue to try to redecorate (manage, control)
nature for their own selfish ends.
Activism for animals has also helped me tap into my own
spirituality for there are numerous costs to activism�harassment,
intimidation, humiliation, and frustration�that often become personal. I
have felt the effects of attempts to silence my asking questions about
the reintroduction of Canadian lynx into Colorado as well as my
questioning why dogs had to be killed in physiology courses in medical
school for students to learn about life. (I left a graduate medical
program because I did not want to kill cats or dogs as part of my
education �in the name of science.� I did not want to kill animals to
learn about life and gave up a life-long dream.) Such assaults made me
dig deeply into my heart in my efforts to understand and to explain to
others why I was doing what I was doing, whether it was organizing
protests to save animals or partaking in candlelight vigils and prayer
services for animals who had been killed. Suffice it to say,
compassionate people who push the envelope can easily engender the wrath
of small minds. (I was once called a �flake� by some of my colleagues
for my position on animal rights. I was flattered and wondered why they
were taking the time to engage a flake�surely they have better things to
do with their valuable time!)
One worldview that drives me is that I believe that
every individual counts and that every individual makes a difference. As
Margaret Mead noted: �Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing
that ever has.� Creative proactive solutions drenched in deep humility,
compassion, caring, respect, and love need to be developed to deal with
the broad range of problems with which we are currently confronted.
Activism often underlies their formulation and implementation.
My own spirituality and hope are based on a deep drive
for a seamless unity� wholeness, holism, oneness�motivated by
compassion, respect, and love. During my brief tenure on earth as a
visitor to this wondrous planet, I am more than happy to open the door
of my heart to all beings. I am a dreamer and envision a unified
peaceable kingdom�a peaceful kinship�based on respect, compassion,
forgiveness, and love.
It is essential to maintain hope when things are grim. A
firm commitment to make this world a better place for all living beings
and a deep belief that a collection of individuals working together can
make a difference is what keeps me going, forever.
Marc Bekoff teaches biology at the University of
Colorado, Boulder, and is author of Strolling with Our Kin: Speaking For
and Respecting Voiceless Animals (Lantern Books, 2000). He is the editor
of The Smile of a Dolphin: Remarkable Accounts of Animal Emotions
(Discovery Books/Crown, 2000) and Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and
Animal Welfare (Greenwood, 1998). He is co-founder with Jane Goodall of
Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (www.ethologicalethics.org).
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