My last column for 2012, hope you will continue following me 2013. Enjoy!
Whichever ones, whom live in
dignity or not, can no outsiders judge. Mia Mattsson-Mercer believes in the
inner power of all living beings.
PHOTO:
SHUTTERSTOCK
To live a life that is worthy,
what does that mean? When is a life no longer worthy? In my work, it is not
difficult to save the animals, but the most difficult is to explain to the people
that the dog can be saved even though it might look really bad.
Volunteer workers who come
from "rich" countries have often not seen sick stray dogs or dying
dogs. In the richer countries stray dogs are captured and in most cases they
are euthanized (killed) within a short time.
During several years of
research and practical experience, I have found that even dogs who have spent
up to 16 years in cages can still be very mentally stable and they can
acclimate quickly to life in a family as an adopted pet.
But many of us are not used
to travel to undeveloped countries or in countries where street dogs live. I remember
my first years after the war in Bosnia, it was the toughest time of my life
with a lot of pain involved to see everything “wounded” and destroyed. Never
had I seen such suffering animals walking around me.
Many of us have never
practiced at a veterinary clinic or in the tough shelters. In richer countries,
fewer dogs will be brought in that have been hit and run over by cars. It is also more rare that dogs come in with
tumors the size of oranges hanging under the belly, limbs that have self-healed
at odd angles or with other serious illnesses.
We become aghast when we see
this in countries where there are many street dogs. Dogs are reading into our
eyes and they will be just as unhappy in their eyes as us when they see the
persons sadness, wondering why this creature in front of them is so unhappy -
just as children do.
The dogs look miserable and
we humans interpret it as suffering. "Oh look, such a sad dog, he
suffers." But in many cases, the dog does not suffer; the dog is just trying
to survive.
Or when we're talking baby
talk to the dogs. Animals listen and interpret the energies and the tones. We and
they react the same way to the tone of pity.
When I am sad my daughter
asks me with the same sad eyes, she looks just as miserable as I am, "is
it happy or sad tears, Mommy?"
We in the "richer"
countries euthanize dogs in shelters on the grounds that there is no dignity
for dogs to live in a shelter. But it does not help to solve the problem of
stray dogs or puppy mill breeding. Most important is to remember that they are
living and emotional souls that we euthanize due to our own beliefs and for our
own convenience.
Today, anyone can save
animals in war zones or shelters, but how many of us can handle, for example,
to go along with Doctors Without Borders? I wonder how many sick and starving
people we would see that we would consider having no quality of life?
The eyes reflect the pain! I
remember when I worked in Sarajevo, Bosnia and often experienced other people's
pain through their eyes. Without words, I could feel their pain through my own
eyes.
When I recently was in the
hospital for treatment, I met people from different countries with the same
disease, symptoms and pain as me. Most of us agreed that this disease does not
give a decent life to live, but we are fighting for our lives. None of us want
to throw in the towel.
Mr. Estonia was one of the
strongest patients and he had the right attitude. I shared with him my opinion
that he was very admirable, headstrong person. Mr. Estonia laughed and told me
it was his upbringing that had been tough. His upbringing had taught him to
view life's challenges from a different perspective than perhaps many others
would.
He did not see his childhood
as something tragic, but as a great survival tool. His parents' home was seven
kilometers from the school, and every day he went back and forth, fourteen
kilometers, in sunshine, rain, hail and what was the worst he thought were the snowstorms.
"When I was half way home, there was no choice but to fight on through the
cold and feeling cold, with wet mittens.
No one can have a straight
answer for whose life is worthy or not. We all have our own paths to walk and
our own crosses to carry. But it is important that we take good care of each
other along the way, and to share our own reflections of what dignity is with
humbleness. Keep a warm glowing eye when you met others.
We all want to see love
through the eyes of others, which channeling from the heart. Our eyes never
lie!
I can look through the eyes
of the four-legged souls (sometimes three) with silence and it allows our communication
to flow via our hearts.
With this I would like to
send a warm hug to our four-legged friends, the people who love and cherish
them, and a big hug to all of you who so
faithfully follow my columns every week
Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year.
I look forward to the Earth
2012-12-21 enters the new feminine energies where we will think more with the
heart that channel to our eyes.
That's Amore!
Mia Mattsson-Mercer
