These words were said by a dear friend, Paul Killington, to his wife, Maria Daines. Anyone who is even remotely involved with animal advocacy knows about the music of Maria Daines. She and Paul have written some of the most amazing songs, which focus on the horrors of animal cruelty, BSL, factory farming, animals in laboratories, wild horses, etc. Their music reaches into the hearts of the listeners, and speaks to those hearts in ways that only music can.
Whether they live here in Jacksonville or halfway around the world in Australia, each individual involved in animal advocacy brings with them their own weapons for the war against cruelty. Joined together, these weapons are the arsenal used in the fight for animals everywhere.
To all those who are entrenched in this war, who get up every day and use whatever tools they can find to try to help, this is a heartfelt salute of gratitude. There are no petitions linked to this article, no requests for help for a specific case, but rather just a reflection on what it takes to effect changes that benefit animals who are suffering every day around the world.
For those who have the courage to do it, there are the rescuers. They go every day and walk the halls of "death row" in shelters, taking pictures to post on web sites, hoping to save as many as they can by networking via the internet. Those are a very special kind of person, because every day they have to face the heartache of those they couldn't save, and only take small comfort in the ones they could.
There are others who write petitions to call attention to the atrocities, bringing together the voices from around the globe. Others work through social networking, forming links across the world to save those sentenced to death for no crime, other than a lack of homes for them in our throw-away society. Others are on the front lines of lawmaking, filing suits and battling in court for the rights of those who have no voice of their own. Others set up rescue facilities where the animals can find a temporary home until their forever home can be found.
Others, like me, use their words to shine the light on the awful truths. And still others, like Maria and Paul, use their gift of music. While there are numerous multinational formal organizations that exist to fight for animal welfare, it's the dedicated individuals who make the real difference. A line from Maria and Paul's song, Unite, says
"When we are all as one, good things will get done."
This is a war fought on so many fronts by so many people. Every day we see the massive numbers of stories and pleas for help for the innocent victims who have suffered at the hands of humans. There are days when the heartache is so overwhelming, the task so daunting that it feels as if the end of endurance has been reached. But then a small victory comes along and each person breathes in deeply to take in every ounce of strength they can from it, and then use it to fuel the courage to do battle yet again.
Change is painstakingly slow to come about and sometimes feels as though it never will be recognized. But as long as there are people with compassionate hearts that believe that every single life matters, those unified voices really can make positive changes for the animals. Every single voice counts. Every weapon brought to the war against cruelty is important.
So the next time you're asked to sign a petition or help animals in some small way, won't you open your heart and add your voice for them?
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