Kindness

This was what I wrote a month after my "Impotence" post.  It was how I started to emerge from the fog I was in.

"Be Kind". A friend of mine said this during one of our long discussions regarding morals and ethics and how to "be" in the world. He had said very little throughout but these were the two words that escaped. And, at first, it seemed too simplistic, leaving itself open for minute dissection. But, at second, it seemed simply perfect. "Be kind". What better way is there to live? If those two words resounded in the back of everyone's head when they contemplated their actions in the world, I think great change and shifts of perception would occur. Because if you genuinely filter this ethic through your heart, there is little chance of steering wrong. Being kind would leave the rainforests standing, the foxes in the forests, the hungry of the world with food, the despairing with hope and humanity would regain the heart that it lost somewhere along the way...or is it possible we are still looking for it?

I think reopening wounds, remembering, honouring, crying is not unhealthy. I think suffering should not be ignored or passed over for our own comfort. But, I am also returning to myself, to the energies that flow through my veins and recognizing my own power. There need not be impotence because with every small deed I perform or every shallow breath I put out into the world, I have the opportunity to nourish and to be kind.

I rewatched "The Witness" over the holidays. Each time I view it, something different resonates with me and this time it was Eddie Lamas' words about the suffering of farm animals. He spoke about the lack of space, the fetid air, the torture, the suffering but after all this he said, "but not because of me...you see, and that's the difference, it will not be because of me..." And as I sat at my desk thinking about this I grabbed a scrap piece of paper and scrawled NOT BECAUSE OF ME on it and tacked it above my computer so that when I feel overwhelmed, when I feel hopeless I can look up and be reminded that I have tried to make kind choices.  And that IS the difference...when each of us chooses to withdraw our support from that which tortures us as surely as it tortures the intended victims. It may seem trite, it may seem "hippie", it may seem simplistic but...I choose kindness. And within that word lies the power to move mountains or (and here is where the greater potency lies)...the courage to leave them right where they are.

Comments

[Julie Harrison-Polivka]

Last night I watched the documentary with Eddie Lamas about the suffering and cruelty of the farm and fur industries. I knew of the atrocities before but this really saddened me. I cried myself to sleep. How can it be that humans, who have the ability to make moral and kind choices, choose to participate in torture and cruelty, whether passively or aggressively. It seems hopeless and I feel small in my abilities to make a difference. This morning I woke up and did a search for Eddie Lamas online and your site came up. I read your quote about it not being because of you and that each of us making kind choices IS the difference. Thank you, your words helped me very much.

[Marisa]

Julie,

I, too, felt just like you after watching "The Witness" and, more recently, "Peaceable Kingdom". It seems unfathomable to me that humans can inflict the levels of suffering which they do with no twinge of guilt or thought for the other being at the receiving end. So, I'm glad this post helped you because it's so easy to become mired in despair and this doesn't help us or the animals. What you feel, what you personally put out in the world is so important. Your choices have incredible power...I'm so glad you were able to take something positive away from this post.

[Julie Harrison-Polivka]

Thank you Marisa. I did not know what the documentary was called, as I was just flipping channels. I would like to watch it again and I will also check out "Peaceable Kingdom". It all seems heartbreaking but I admire your ability to see the positive side of it and how it can help us grow as humans. Thanks again.

[Mila]

After the initial shock of "Witness" subsided, I researched Eddie Lamas and decided to reach out to him. I wanted to help...I needed to help. Eddie and I spoke for a brief while and finally met. What a genuinely great soul with a bright orange yellow aura that surrounded him that day. Maybe it was the heat of the day and brightness of the sun...
I look forward to assisting him and the Oasis Santuary. Anyone else care to join me???