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
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