A Modern Day Fable

Once upon a time, not so many moons and suns ago, there existed a vast, far away kingdom. In this far away kingdom, the sun shone and, along with the rain, kept the beauty of nature that enveloped the flourishing kingdom. This kingdom was located in a land called Roswell, Ga. Within this kingdom lived deer and squirrels and geese (oh my!).

The kingdom was filled with many interesting and beautiful creatures. In this far off land there also lived many varieties of beautiful birds. The songs of the birds could be heard throughout the entire kingdom. All the inhabitants of the kingdom loved melodies. In this pristine land of Roswell, every living creature lived in harmony. Every living creature treated each other with respect for their diversity, because differences were the norm. They all lived in peace and harmony. They all shared the food available to them.

One day, they awoke from a delightfully restful sleep to a sound so loud and unfamiliar it caused a panic within their land. Songs of the birds suddenly took on what sounded like “help us, our trees are wobbling.” All the other creatures were terribly confused by these foreign sounds. They looked at each other with stunned and frightened eyes. They walked around in circles being sure not to lose sight of each other. All their ears were on high alert, listening intently to the cries of the birds, trying to make sense of what made no sense to them.

Slowly, the sounds increased. These sounds became much louder and more consistent. Slowly, day by day, something unrecognizable to them began to emerge. They had no language to describe this new growth. Quickly they learned whatever was popping up was not edible. The creatures causing these sounds were foreign and unrecognizable to them. Indeed, the proliferation of whomever or whatever they were caused much of their food to disappear.

Fast forward to today, the year 2024. The life of all these deer and squirrels and geese (oh my!), including the high-flying life of the birds, became very challenging, almost impossible. The number of animals and living creatures, and many of their friends and family were forced to find other kingdoms. The ones remaining learned to be grateful for the little they did have.

And what and who were all these invaders who took little notice of them? Invaders who were actually quite displeased by these other living “things.” These invaders referred to themselves as humans. They called themselves residents and homeowners. Each home was referred to as the homeowner’s castle. They replaced the beautiful centuries-old growth with manicured lawns. These homeowners planted what appeared to be odd-looking flowers and bushes. The homeowners did everything they could conjure up to keep the original inhabitants away from their property and away from their castles. These humans created sprays and pellets which could keep deer away, preventing them from the very foods needed to survive.

The animals and their friends found ways to survive in this new world. They became accustomed to sharing the road with humans and their pets, to sharing the only sustenance available to them, grass and flowers. They learned to eat foods that were foreign to them.

One day, just a week ago, my dog, Ari, encountered a teenage deer munching on our grass. (Yes, I admit, I am a homeowner, and I do see my home as my castle). They were a mere four or five feet from each other. They looked in each other’s eyes. I am not sure, but I think Ari recognized that the deer was hungry; he could see the deer’s rib cage. As Ari drew closer to the deer, I believe I heard Ari tell the deer he was welcome to eat until he no longer felt hungry. Of course, I wasn’t as happy when Ari suggested the deer bring his hungry friends for a feast whenever they felt hungry. I was so proud of Ari’s compassion I did not wince at the invitation. The grass, bushes and flowers would eventually grow again.

Why is it that animals can be kind to each other? The animals in the Roswell kingdom were able to share what was left of their bounty. Why is it they chose to adjust, as well as they could, to this new normal? Why is it they didn’t resort to calling each other horrible names? Why is it they found ways to coexist? Why is it our human species cannot?

We all have the capacity for love, for compassion and understanding — let’s make the commitment to dig deep down and access it all.