July/August
2001
From
the Heart: Hope is the Answer When Things are Grim
By Marc Bekoff
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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).
