It is easy to allow our thoughts to take off like a runaway train, into a deep ravine of negativity. Whenever I dwell on the merciless suffering that has been inflicted on bears, coyotes, wolves, prairie dogs, not to mention domestic dogs, cats, and numerous birds through human ignorance and heartless behavior, I often think my heart will break in two. If I allow myself to contemplate the sick sport of trophy hunting, or the imbalance of power that allows policies concerning wildlife to be decided by large corporate interests, I want to cry. One does not have to look far to see the often demented and sadistic nature of our human activities. And, one cannot wonder if the recent pandemic is retribution for the centuries of suffering we humans have caused.
We must stand back where we can see the bigger picture. There once were torture chambers where the worst kind of hatred was acted out on our fellow man. “Witches” were burned at the stake. Thousands of species like the buffalo were slaughtered and hunted to extinction by those with no moral compass and without any sense of wrong doing. Indians were treated no better as they were forced onto reservations. Half a century ago, littering was common before states enacted fines for throwing out trash on public land. It has taken much too long, but most places at last have recycling programs in place. Women have the right to vote. Children are no longer expected “to be seen, but not heard”. We have freedom of religion and the freedom of having no religion. We not only have gay rights today; we have an emerging tolerance for all sexual orientations. Animal and bird shelters have appeared all over the planet as more and more people recognize the problems facing so many other species. Those who are awakening to the abhorrent wrongs being committed are becoming the voice for the wildlife that has no means of speaking for itself.
Humanity is waking up from what has been a narcissistic and selfish existence. Each day more people are learning compassion and empathy. They are realizing that we each have the power and the responsibility to make a difference and that we can and must, help bring balance back to a world that has tipped precariously away from equilibrium. Our planet sits upon an unstable and wavering edge. Will we succeed in restoring balance? Will we accomplish this before it is too late?