Day after day,

it is clear that in the arena of animal welfare, we cannot simply just deal with the animals alone. No matter how much time and efforts and money you put in, day after day, month after month, years amd years of hardwork will vanish like a drop in the ocean once you depart this earth......

IF you have not successfully imparted your belief and conviction to another person. IF you have not touched the hearts of a few good people who step out to carry the torch and light the way for many more to come. IF you have not changed the minds of the 'bad', the 'ignorant', the 'proud', who don't give a hoot about an animal's life, who are plainly lacking wisdom or who think they know it all and refuse to change their erroneous ways.

We can go all out, one animal after the other. Rescuing, treating, rehabilitating .... time, efforts, money. How many can you save in your lifetime? What happens when you are gone? The number game in animal welfare, on the stray population scene will always outrun you. The truth is: you will NEVER save all the animals. Not even in a small area in Singapore. Forget about the world.

So what are we all to do?

We have to go back to our people.

We have to learn to get along. To make efforts, invest time to knowing the people around you. Do you really know the person closest to you? Every single member in your family? Your neighbours? Colleagues?

I don't. And quite many times, especially after a particular incident today, I find myself not making efforts to know some people better. Not wanting to in fact some times. Cos I cannot fathom what goes on in the minds of some people and it is draining to try to understand them...

But then, how than can I expect them to KNOW ME? And to know my beliefs. To understand my convictions. And even more so, how can I expect them to stand on my side??

If you do not care to know about another person's world, neither can we expect them to come into ours.

If we don't step into the shoes of that man in the streets who was hitting a dog, that lady who made that call to pest control to take away the strays, the man in the office who orders the culling, that security guard who refuses to sterilise his dog, the family who chains up their pet and ignores the basic needs of a social animal, the humans who drove their dogs to a remote place and dumped their pets .... if we refuse any attempt to understand why they do the things they do, we will just walk away with anger and injustice boiling in our hearts, and the resolve to cut off all ties and establish enmity.

And what good does that achieve? We have just effectively placed more people on the other side of the fence, against us.

I know it is not as easily done as said. Especially when we let our flesh take over and we feel the natural, carnal wrath drowning the goodness of our hearts and we give up easily the decision to get along with everyone. And we build walls. We keep secrets. Harbour misunderstandings. Fester old wounds.

If we want more people to understand what we do, what we stand for - JUST KINDNESS - we have to offer just that to each person we encounter. We have to treat each person with KINDNESS. People we do not like. Especially those people we do not like, for how easy it is to be kind to people you like. Anyone can love those who love them back. Anyone can smile to someone who first smiles at them. It takes a strong character and a heart resolved to kindness, to treat well especially those whom we think do not deserve to be treated well.

Then will they slowly understand that all we ask for our animals, is simply that little touch of KINDNESS - that little touch that does wonders beyond all argumental debates can achieve.

So let us try now to understand just a little bit more. And be kind just that little bit more. See if each day begins to look and feel just that little bit more beautiful.

I am pretty sure it will.