Recently I had dinner with a wonderful group of people, one of them being a Biologist with strong views against any form of domesticated animal. His belief was simply ‘no pets’. This view hit me hard as I tried to understand where and why he had it from. He alike many other people, believe all animals should be wild and have no human interaction at all. That the world would be a better place if it was completely separated between animal and human.

But  to him that didn’t mean that all the technology, housing, transport and creations of man needed to be gone to allow the space for animals and humans to co-exist again respectfully. This was all explained while he happily chewed away at his big plate of ribs hehehe.

This was a lovely man who was also making a very clear point about my fears of moving and was spot on with his intuition. For me I only wanted to understand why he and many others believed this and how it would even be possible with the amount of humans we have on this planet and the very limited areas for nature or freedom for any of us at all – human, forest or animal.

I too am someone that has very often been caught in the web of wanting things to be ‘back the way they were’. But to reverse thousands of years of growth, experience and evolution would be to delete the purpose of this human existence and all the lessons we have learned. It will be from those lessons – horrible ones and more – that we will eventually create a world on this planet that is worthy of living in, for us all.

You see once we start to separate something – a group of people, a belief or type of living without understanding it first, we become an enemy with no connection to being able to make change or involve it if it is of power to make a shift towards bringing light into what we are working towards.

Before you sign the next petition, which I have and will continue to support, inform yourself as much as you can about the subject they are petitioning about. Many petitions are solely focused upon ending certain interactions with animals instead of helping them become more focused on the ones that are honoring, respecting and caring for the animals while in human care. For example one petition is asking for a ban in certain forms of painful training with horses and another is wanting all riding of horses to be banned. One petition is asking for better environments, living conditions and space areas for certain animals in zoos, while another petition is asking for all zoos to be non-existent.

Unfortunalty the reality is that right now our world is not able to home all of its people and animals in the balanced free natural world because most of it no longer exists. Many people and animals are both living a caged life without freedom and both deserve to have possibilities and a life ahead of them, until we are able to face the truth of the worlds state right now we will not be informed in making the best possible actions towards its healing and change.

When I closed my training stables I was riddled with quilt and self punishment for a very long time, I wished I hadn’t made the mistakes I had done but mainly wished that I had never started the business in the first place. I would not have the knowledge I have today and the awareness of what works and what doesn’t work, if I had not gone through those painful years of fighting for a dream, making mistakes, loving an animal and desiring change. One day those experiences and lessons I had with that business will be the foundation and support of something that will be of benefit to my life and the world, in my future.

Acceptance means finding peace with what is and then using that reality to learn, grow, understand and build a better future using the experiences we have had.

It would be lovely for all animals to be in their wild homes – but where? It would be lovely for all children to go to school in nature and learn from their wise elders – but who will assist this?

The current action many of us are taking towards animals now is a necessary step in human evolution. It is about showing empathy, compassion and a chance to practice the actions of equality for all of life in this world – something that we have as human beings, over centuries have become detached from. It is this form of learning from, integration and moving forward with all of our past that enables us to create a better future for us all – planet included. Having a connection to an animal, as the form of a pet today, is a necessary connection for humans and animals right now. To erase this is the same as saying we all should not have house plants until we can live freely again in the jungle.

We can’t change the past, it is what it is and we have done what we have done, but we can let it’s existence play its role of teaching us and use it to grow as a species and adapt to a better future.

The inner conflict of fighting against our past will never allow us to understand it and use it to move us forward into creating a better future. Whether you are in prison, have lost your home to bankruptcy or natural disaster, made the wrong decision that hurt the world around you or had someone do something to you, accepting that past and learning from it is a task we ALL have to face at some point in our lives and to keep judging others for what they have done or are doing only holds you in the inner conflict of your own unawareness. Take action towards peace, harmony, equality, freedom and love – not judgment. Mother Theresa took action without judgment, Mahatma Ghandi took action without judgment and countless humans and animals are everyday taking actions towards love, forgiveness, connection, awareness and growth without holding judgment.

Sign the petitions, say what others won’t say, help the person on the street, free the caged animal but mostly above all, understand WHY one is doing what they are doing and you will be able to understand the cause of all the pain – theirs and yours.

As with everything we are fighting about in this world, a balance, connection and understanding is required in order for us all not to sink this ship.