"Suddenly I saw not horns, but the eyes of a bull.” Alvaro (Matador) We (human beings) have complicated relationships with animals. We love and treasure some animals and consider them family. At the same time, we disregard, use and even brutalize many animals.

I recall visiting a farm in Viet Nam and observing a dog being raised to be food. I walked over and looked in his eyes. He seemed gentle, but had a quizzical look. As he pondered me, he seemed to be thinking, "Who are you? I don’t understand your species. You have such power and intelligence, but why are you so cruel?”. At this moment the tour guide walked over to me and cautioned….” these dogs are fierce …don’t get too close!” I appreciated his caution, but felt ill at ease. My experience mirrored the story I've heard about Alvaro, the famous matador, as he faced the bull in the ring one day... “Suddenly I saw not horns, but the eyes of a bull. He had the same innocence that all animals have in their eyes, he was watching me, begging for help."

Throughout history animals have carried the burden of human survival and advancement. They built our civilizations, carrying the weight of enormous loads on their backs. They were our food, Laika, the stray dog, became the first space explorer (until she died in the overheated rocket). Other examples: the champions of the famed Iditarod are dogs and dogs also solve our crimes with abilities not found in humans. They are food, specimens for study in the development of science, and more and more, not to even mention those who give us love and acceptance when it can’t be found elsewhere.

People are very gifted with an intelligence that has allowed us to dominate other species, but we have mostly treated animals with disregard. It is curious that our crime and justice shows frequently focus on wrongs done to a person, yet the equivalent and worse happen to scores of animals every day, without our notice. Is their anguish and suffering any less poignant than what the human experiences? Albert Schweitzer concluded that “life of any living creature as worthless is in danger also of arriving at the of worthlessness of human ...” He had a prayer for animals "that are overworked, underfed, and cruelly treated, for all wistful creatures in captivity that beat their wings against bars, for any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened of hungry; for all those that must be put to death….”. “It doesn’t matter if an animal can reason. It matters only that it is capable of suffering…". Dr. Schweitzer gave us this counsel: “Our task must be to free ourselves, by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.” Mahatma Ghandi, another famous humanitarian, said ‘I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man,’

I hope that we will each ponder our relationship with animals and determine how our kindness can be increased.

Peggy Webbe, President

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