The World of Reality, The World of Judgment (WAS: Veganism and the Enjoyment of Life ... Help! Our school is planning pony rides!)

October 27, 2009

Hi Wayne,

Yes, I agree, from the outside looking in, it seems these animals are being treated in ways that we might not prefer.

I invite you to notice my choice of language in the preceding sentence. I have not said that the animals are being mistreated. That is a judgment, and a rather harsh one at that. I cannot see how I benefit from filling my own mind and spirit with such a judgment ... I succeed only in upsetting myself, and I disconnect myself from certain possibilities. For example, it is possible that the owner of those ponies had a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital during the time you walked away. Likely ... of course not ... but possible. And there are other possibilities. Perhaps that owner is one step from bankruptcy, or whatever, and the treatment you saw was not at all representative of his/her typical standard of care. We simply do not know.

What I am suggesting is that if we remain present to what is actually happening, and refrain from stepping into many judgments, we remain open to receive more information. We remain emotionally present, perhaps able to ask questions, offer suggestions, or the like, all without seeming to attack the other person.

So I accept your observations at face value, knowing full well that they are incomplete, and at the same time I separate out your judgments and set those aside.

Make sense?Elchanan

Wayne Packard [wpackard]Monday, October 26, 2009 10:55 PMElchananCc: Subject: Re: Help! Our school is planning pony rides!While I agree with you that all use of animals is not exploitation (and vegans are way more prone to absurd overreaction than average people are), in my experience "pony rides" often do constitute inhumane treatment of the animals involved.

As a case in point, my wife and I recently happened upon some kind of open air food event in Redwood City (I think it was a "salsa festival" or something like that). A couple of streets downtown were blocked off and there were tents set up with stuff for sale and a lot of unhealthy food. In one little dead-end street near a parking garage they had a "petting zoo" and pony rides. On the street they had set up a couple of fences. In one they had spread some hay and had a few goats and other similar animals.

Inside the other fence, they had four or five small horses strapped to long metal poles arranged around a center spindle. It was a very sunny day and quite hot. The ponies were standing in the sun on the asphalt until someone paid the fee and then they walked around in a small circle (being forced along by the poles) while being ridden by a child.

We first passed by on our way to lunch. After lunch at a nearby restaurant we walked around the festival and checked out some local shops. When we walked back by, it had been at least three hours and they were still standing there on the asphalt in the sun. I guess they were out there all day with no rest and no shade being forced to walk in a circle on asphalt and I assume they were at least given water, but I didn't see it.

In my opinion, those horses were being mistreated. It would be silly to argue that the ponies volunteered for such a fate in the same way one volunteers to give a piggy-back ride to a child.

wp

On Oct 26, 2009, at 9:14 PM, Elchanan wrote:

Hi Sarah,I sympathize with your situation, and I'd like to offer another perspective.Simply put, not everything we do with an animal constitutes exploitation ofthat animal.Do you have any children? Ever give them a piggyback ride, put them up onyour shoulders and carry them around, lift them up over your head andpretend you couldn't find them, only to say "Boo!" or whatever a momentlater? Does this make you an exploited human? I think not. If a man, woman, or child approaches a wild horse, in the wild, in theproper manner, after awhile that horse will approach the person, it willallow contact, it will allow itself to be ridden. This is not exploitation,this is a profound reflection of our own species' capacity to connect withall life. And the fact that people are willing to pay for the honor of soconnecting does not make it exploitation.Now, if we mistreat the animals, if we ride them into the ground, feed themimproperly, or the like, then it's not just exploitation but also torture.But you've given no reason to suppose this is the case here. Is the point of view I express here "right"? How should I know, it's just apoint of view. So is the point of view you seem to express. My point is simply this: it's possible for us to get so wrapped up in anabsolutist mentality that we disconnect ourselves from the world, from life,from other people and other creatures. I surely hope that is not anyone'sintent.Best regards,Elchanan On Behalf Ofsarah_rwcMonday, October 26, 2009 8:54 PM Subject: Help! Our school is planning pony rides!Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone can help me argue against pony rides. Our elementaryschool has a Halloween Carnival fundraiser planned, and one of the teacher'sjust emailed stating that she's looked into having pony rides! I've alreadyexpressed my heartache about this matter, concern for the animals, notbelieving in the exploitation of them, etc. but it's being posed as a 'bigmoney maker' - which I'm sad to say, likely will be. As part of the schoolboard, I know how much we need the money. And lots of people on the Board(who will be voting on this) think it's 'such a cute idea'! I've also beenreassured that these ponies are well cared for (I don't know the vendor, buthave my doubts of course). Any ideas for how to dissuade the group would beMUCH appreciated! Thank you so much,Sarah