peaceful ponderings
Can Compassion for Animals Lead to World Peace ?
BY HEATHER CHASE
What does compassion for animals have to do with world peace ? To most of us , not much . But , as my husband and coauthor Ken Beller and I realized when we were doing research for our book , Great Peacemakers , they actually go hand-in-hand .
Studying the lives of leaders like Mahatma Gandhi , Desmond Tutu , and others was incredibly inspiring ; but , it was also somewhat depressing , as we learned about the harsh injustices and violence they experienced . Sometimes we felt overwhelmed and started to ask ourselves , “ How can people be so cruel ?” And that caused us to ask the bigger question , “ What starts violence ?”
Like caring people throughout the ages , perhaps you too have asked yourself this question . As we considered many possible answers , the one that seemed to resonate most was that violence begins with disconnection .
How so ? As infants and toddlers , almost everything we encounter is cause for wonder . From the family dog to a caterpillar on the ground , we generally approach them with fascination and connection . In time , though , the actions of people around us can weaken that connection .
Often , those messages start with the treatment of animals and insects . Perhaps we see a parent catching mice in deadly traps , stepping on cockroaches , swatting flies , etc . The lesson is : “ They ’ re just things , not beings . They ’ re not like us . We matter more .” These actions subtly teach us to see a divide between “ us ” and “ them ,” in other words , to “ other-ize ” them .
This might seem harmless . But this disconnection , repeatedly reinforced by the culture around us , can be a foundation for further abuse of power . For some people , after harming animals , the leap is not so large to later harming humans — children , women , people of other ethnicities , etc . As humanitarian Dr . Paul Farmer said , “ The idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that is wrong with the world .”
In fact , animal cruelty is often a gateway crime to human cruelty , as many studies show that a high percentage of criminals who commit violence against people began by abusing animals . For example , of seven U . S . school shootings over five years , all involved boys with a history of animal cruelty . Recognizing this dangerous link , the FBI now tracks animal cruelty crimes alongside other violent crimes .
So , how much human suffering and death could be prevented if we could stop this process by helping children connect with , and not abuse , animals ? As author Bradley Miller said , “ Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar .” It is also as valuable to the society .
A Solution to Violence
Continuing our search , we found this point emphasized by several peacemakers , especially Dr . Albert Schweitzer . The German humanitarian and Nobel Peace Prize recipient is famous for his medical service in the jungles of Africa . However , he
18 IMAGINE l FALL 2016