ABSTRACT
Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.
Albert Einstein
Imagine you are 13 years old and because of poor decisions you have made you find yourself in a residential juvenile detention facility. On this first day of your confinement, your own clothes have been replaced by a drab set of brown coveralls, your street shoes have been taken, and you have to wear thick, institutional orange socks and flimsy slippers. You are escorted everywhere by stern-looking adults in security uniforms composed of black T-shirts and camouflage pants with large, black army boots. The cinderblock walls are painted pale gray and form long, cold corridors interrupted only by an occasional heavy metal door and interior window of thick glass with wires running through it in a crisscross pattern. The loud sounds you hear are the clicks and clangs from the security locks on the doors opening and then closing behind as you travel deeper into the abyss of freedom lost. The order barked from the adult security escort to pass on through the door startles you, interrupting your concentrated yet futile thoughts to regain some sense of control over the situation. You are scared. No; it’s more like you are petrified. You are no longer sure of yourself as you thought you were a few days ago. Your mind is in a flurry. You ask yourself, “Should I run, but where would I run to and how would I get out? Should I act defiant, showing them how tough I am and that I am not going to give in to their attempts to dominate me? Or, should I just cry, because that is what I really want to do?” In desperation you resolve, “No, I must not show them how scared I am. I must not let them control me. I will … I will ….” Then, all of a sudden, your spiraling thoughts are interrupted. “Wait a minute. What is that jingling noise? Is that, is that, a dog? Yes, it is a dog! Wow, it’s a cocker spaniel, and he looks so happy!” Then you ask out loud, “Can I pet him? Is it a boy or a girl? What’s his name?” You speak to the dog. “Hi, Rusty! What are you doing here?” You say to the dog’s handler, “Oh, look, he likes it when I scratch his ears. I think he really likes me. You know, I have a dog at home. His name is Scooter. He’s just a mutt. But he is really smart. I have taught him some tricks. Can Rusty do tricks? Oh wow, that is so cool; he gave me a high five! You say Rusty is a counselor here? Wow, a dog counselor. So, can I have counseling with Rusty? Great! Thanks for letting me pet Rusty.” Now you are not so scared. Maybe this place is not where you want to be, but maybe, just maybe, you can make it through this dark period of your life all right, especially since the people here bring dogs for you to pet and play with.
