I Am An Activist!

I am an activist. Am I an animal defense activist? Yes. Am I an environmental
activist? Definitely. Am I a human rights activist? Most assuredly. Am I a
peace activist? Indeed. I am in complete opposition to all social injustice;
I abhor all suffering. I disdain the anti-ethic that has created a society that
lives upon the daily exploitation and slaughter of our animal brethren; a
society that is rapidly choking off the only life support system we have;
destroying our habitat, the earth; a society that embraces a philosophy
of "might makes right" and chooses to ignore the plight of our "weaker"
brothers and sisters--the homeless, the hungry, the elderly, the children;
a society whose economy and "strength" rely on the production and
dissemination of tools of destruction. I am an activist. My actions are
directed at eradicating the root causes of ALL injustice: humankind's
disregard for our connection with our earth, and our loss of respect for life.

Listen! I am the voice we heard so clearly as children until the din of
society's indoctrination deafened our ears. I am the clutching the throat
and intense sorrow of all those who visit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
I am the pain and sadness within each one of us who holds the threadlike
bodies and swollen stomachs of Africa's starving children. I am the peace
and serenity that befalls us when our eyes, for a fleeting moment, meet
those of a grazing deer. And I am the sentiment that makes us mouth
the words, "Set them free," whenever we encounter animals imprisoned
in cages.

I am these and more, and I am omnipresent within each one of us. I draw
no political lines; I erect no artificial barriers between races, sexes, or
species; I do not recognize boundaries between issues of injustice. I am
above politics, devoid of our societal bigotries, and I embody all matters
of justice. I am THE answer.

I am our physical and spiritual connection to our earth and all life.

I cry out for each one of us to recognize the inseparable biological and
ecological bonds that link all life together as earth's family. I implore us
to acknowledge that human and nonhuman needs are complementary,
not competitive, as all living beings are indispensable threads of a
living tapestry, interconnected to each other and all of the earth's
natural processes that sustain life. And I demand action. I demand that
individuals act in accordance with the reverence they so richly deserve.
I am the answer. I am the voice within your soul.

We must act. And we must ensure that our actions are guided by our
inner voice that affirms our connection with the earth and all of her
inhabitants. We cannot continue to alleviate the injustices imposed on
an individual or segment of our society through an injustice to another.
We cannot attain a true peace through the domination or killing of those
who are perceived to be lesser or evil. We cannot "enrich" the lives of the
poor people of Central America by boosting their economy through the
destruction of their rain forests to raise and slaughter animals for a
cheaper hamburger. We must strive to consider all life as brethren and
act in accordance with our connection to the earth we share--to do
otherwise is to betray not only our fellow beings but ourselves as well.

I want your thoughts in affirmation of our connection to the earth. I want
your decisions to be made with an ethic of reverence for life as your guide.
And, I need your actions to create a world of wonder, a world of justice,
a world of peace bounded only by the limits of life. I am part of a living,
caring world. I embrace a boundless ethic.

It is a life-affirming ethic in which I share a journey with the flowers of
the field, the children of the streets, and the deer of the forest, in search
of our home -- a world of peace. I am your soul.

I am an activist.
Anonymous.

Animals In Print
http://www.all-creatures.org/aip/

Posted on SHARE Yahoo group - Aug. 19, 2007