The Depth of Animal Emotions

Posted on January 30, 2012 by zoeweil
Image copyright Zoe Weil.

For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for Care2.com, an online community for people passionate about creating a better world. Here’s an excerpt from “The Depth of Animal Emotions”:

“On January 14, we adopted a new dog. He was found tied to a tree a week earlier and brought to the veterinary clinic where my husband works. There he waited for his family to retrieve him. No one came, which meant, at week’s end, he needed a new home. About a year old, dirty, thin and matted, Henry Hershel (as we’re calling him) joined our crew of two dogs and a cat. He wasted no time in endearing himself to us and seemed very happy to join our family.

A week after we adopted him, we went out for a couple of hours, leaving all the dogs at home, and my husband set up his computer to videotape our living room in our absence. …Nothing would indicate that Henry Hershel had been at all upset by our absence. But then we watched the video. Henry Hershel cried plaintively when we were gone, settling down for a while only to howl after 30 minutes, 45 minutes, 60 minutes, and so on.

…It’s amazing to me that there are people who believe that animals don’t feel. Henry Hershel shows every sign of feeling as deeply, if not more deeply, than humans. Whether what he was feeling during our absence was sorrow, fear, loneliness, yearning, anxiety, longing, worry, loss, or some combination of these or other emotions, I cannot be sure, but he is certainly feeling something. His utter delight upon our return offers a glimpse into his other, more positive feelings. Like us, his spectrum of emotions is wide.”

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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The Power of Humane Education

Posted on January 27, 2012 by zoeweil
Image courtesy of soot+chalk via Creative Commons.

For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for Care2.com, an online community for people passionate about creating a better world. Here’s an excerpt from “The Power of Humane Education”:

“It really doesn’t take much to ignite a passion for good among youth and adults alike. A week of [teaching humane education] classes turned an eighth grade that, on Monday, did not feel particularly moved to action or responsible for helping to create a more just and humane world, into a deeply caring group that eagerly embraced a project to make a difference by Friday. I witnessed this transformation as each day brought out even more of the compassion and kindness they had identified on day one as qualities that were most important to them.

“What is harder than sparking concern, care, and commitment is sustaining and nurturing this energy; providing the breadth and depth of accurate information about entrenched and pervasive challenges; and teaching them critical and creative thinking skills so that they remain the bedrock of each individual’s approach to healthy, positive, wise changemaking for all.

“The issues that humane education addresses are complex, covering human rights, animal protection and environmental preservation. The solutions to the interconnected – and sometimes conflicting – problems in the world aren’t easy to determine or implement. A week-long humane education course may seem life-changing, but for many that change may fade unless it is fostered and nourished.”

Read the complete post.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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A Prison Without Bars Reminds Us We Can Change Entrenched Systems

Posted on January 25, 2012 by zoeweil
Image courtesy of randy OHC via Creative Commons.

For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for Care2.com, an online community for people passionate about creating a better world. Here’s an excerpt from “A Prison Without Bars Reminds Us We Can Change Entrenched Systems”:

“I recently learned about the Bastoy prison in Norway, where 115 prisoners, some of whom are murderers and rapists, live without bars or barbed wire. Set on a one square mile island, the inmates live relatively free lives. While they are not permitted to leave the island and must appear for a head count four times a day, little could stop them if they chose to walk across the frozen ice in the winter, or swim in the summer, to the mainland just two miles away. But in the 20 years this “alternative” prison has existed, they haven’t had anyone leave. Prisoners must apply to Bastoy to live a different sort of prison life, one in which they work (and are paid), are part of a community, grow food, compost, build, cook, do their laundry and live a relatively normal village life. In the evenings, only five guards remain on the island….

“As someone who promotes solutions to complex challenges and solutionary education, I find Norway’s approach intriguing and compelling. If the goal is to provide the most effective, practical, efficient and fiscally wise approach to tackle the thorny problem of criminals and imprisonment, Norway seems to have come up with a positive solution that is cost-effective, positive, successful and humane.“

Read the complete essay.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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3 Tips for Helping Raise Kids to Serve

Posted on January 23, 2012 by zoeweil
Image courtesy of Alameda County Community Food Bank
via Creative Commons.

For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for One Green Planet, a website dedicated to ethical choices. Here’s an excerpt from “3 Tips for Helping Raise Kids to Serve”:

“It is always unnerving to me when I meet middle and upper middle class teenagers who don’t feel a sense of responsibility or a desire to improve the world, help the poor, protect the vulnerable (whether human or nonhuman), make humane choices, or be of service to others. Our culture today seems to foster a sense of entitlement that I find damaging not only to our world, but to our children whose lives are diminished by a focus too intent upon the self.

So how does one foster a service ethic and sense of responsibility toward others among children? Waiting until the teen years is often too late. Service should begin very early on.”

Read the complete post.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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An Eighth-Grader’s Letter to Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook

Posted on January 20, 2012 by zoeweil
Image courtesy of ralphunden via Creative Commons.

For my blog post today, I’m sharing a recent post I wrote for Care2.com, an online community for people passionate about creating a better world. Here’s an excerpt from “An Eighth-Grader’s Letter to Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook”:

This past week, I taught a humane education course to an eighth grade class in Blue Hill, Maine. The course focused on changemakers, people who work to transform unjust and inhumane systems into ones that are healthy, peaceful and compassionate.

On the first day of class, I had the students listen to an episode of This American Life, which aired an excerpt from Mike Daisey’s one-man show about the production of Apple products. Then I gave them a homework assignment to write to Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, to share their thoughts, feelings and ideas. I wanted these students to have the opportunity to use their voice to help change this unjust and inhumane system, since they couldn’t use the power of their wallets to simply choose more humane electronics.

Below is just one of their letters. I hope it will inspire you to also use your voice to create change.

Read the complete post.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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Filed under: changemakers, humane education, systemic change, youth activism | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

From Complaint to Compassion to Kindness

Posted on January 16, 2012 by zoeweil

One of my favorite quotations is this: “Be kind for everyone is fighting a great battle.”

It’s often a hard one to remember when we’re late and the driver ahead is poking along, or when we’re treated rudely or worse, or when someone seems truly mean-spirited or cruel. Yet kindness always matters, and often our lack of kindness and empathy stems simply from our own impatience and self-involvement. Watch this beautiful video to be reminded of the power and joy that comes when we awaken to others’ pain and choose to be of service.

For a kind world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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Why Are We Eating Less Meat?

Posted on January 13, 2012 by zoeweil
Mark Bittman, opinion columnist at the New York Times who writes about food, begins 2012 with a piece titled, “We’re Eating Less Meat. Why?” According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, meat consumption is declining and is predicted to continue its decline. While the livestock industry blames, among other things, the federal government’s supposed “war on meat protein consumption,” which is truly bizarre given that the federal government subsidizes animal agriculture with our tax dollars and buys massive quantities of meat for the school lunch program, Bittman posits that the primary decline in meat consumption is due to a growing population of educated consumers who are choosing to reduce and often eliminate animal products from their diet for three primary reasons: their health, the environment, and concerns about animals. Read his essay here.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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Filed under: consumerism, food and diet | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

iSweatshop? Listen to “Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory”

Posted on January 11, 2012 by zoeweil
Last weekend, I listened to Mike Daisey’s riveting monologue on the radio show This American Life about his trip to Shenzhen, China, to visit the factories where his electronics — specifically his Apple products — are made. I urge readers of this blog to listen to this episode, which includes not only Mike Daisey’s account, but the fact-checking efforts of the reporters at This American Life.

This was a profound example of humane education: providing information, fostering our curiosity and demanding our critical thinking, eliciting our reverence, respect, and sense of responsibility, and leaving us with a serious question: whether we’re willing to work to change systems so that our electronics are produced humanely and justly. Please listen.

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

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Filed under: consumerism, critical thinking, human rights, humane education | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Redemption & Reunion: Elephants Never Forget

Posted on January 9, 2012 by zoeweil

I could write a blog post today about circuses; about captive elephants and their plight. There is much to say about our treatment of animals for entertainment, but I’ll write that post another day. For today, please enjoy this short, beautiful video, and then consider — before participating in forms of entertainment that use and exploit animals — whether you want your entertainment dollars spent in such a way.


Video from KarmaTube

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

Like my blog? Please share it with others, comment, and/or subscribe to the RSS feed.  

Filed under: animal protection, compassion, MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

My Lightbulb Moment: What We Do Matters

Posted on January 5, 2012 by zoeweil

For my blog post today, I wanted to share my Slant Series “lightbulb moment” story. Enjoy!

 

For a humane world,

Zoe Weil, President, Institute for Humane Education
Author of Most Good, Least Harm, Above All, Be Kind, and The Power and Promise of Humane Education
My TEDx talk: “The World Becomes What You Teach“

Like my blog? Please share it with others, comment, and/or subscribe to the RSS feed.  

Filed under: humane education, MOGO (Most Good) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

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