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A. – Previews of my upcoming Essay or Book …

Decades ago, a few publishers asked me to write a book — using both my human-counseling-psychology and also my animal-cognition-emotion-behavior backgrounds. But my overly busy life at the time (see my ABOUT/HISTORY webpage) kept me from attempting that project back then. Now that I’m retired, maybe it’ll get done — probably just a long essay.

Here is the tentative title …….
Amazing Wild-Exotic-Domestic Animal Friends I’ve Been Privileged to Serve, Know, & Love:
Animals Who’ve Helped Heal 100’s of Hearts Through Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) – including my own!
** SEE FARTHER BELOW ON THIS PAGE FOR SAMPLE STORIES (SECTIONS OR CHAPTERS)
– of my friends the elephants, lions, tigers, bears, wolves, hyenas, … dogs, otters, raccoons, owls, ducks, etc ….
– each one a person-ality: Suzy, Scotty, Bratar, Akela, Rakshi, Banu, Byomi, Jean, Panya, Bartley, Scotty, Ollie, …..
– they were personal therapists to me from childhood & throughout adulthood, until now ….

“We have to move from the idea that animals are things, tools, machines, commodities, resources here for our use to the idea that as sentient beings they have their own inherent value and dignity”. Dr. Andrew Linzey PhD, DD, HonDD, Oxford University. Founder: Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics.

“Animals are not property or ‘things,’ but rather living organisms, subjects of a life, who are worthy of our compassion, respect, friendship, and support. There is absolutely no doubt that countless nonhuman animals are sentient beings who feel deeply and passionately.”
Dr. Marc Bekoff, Emeritus Professor of Animal Behavior, University of Colorado.

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B. – Sid’s Current Writings Now Online:
About science, philosophy, & theology ….

(3-pages) WHY I’M POLITICALLY & RELIGIOUSLY INDEPENDENT WITH NO LABELS:
Just belonging to people without belonging to ideological camps
(DOWNLOADABLE PDF)

(ESSAY 7-pages) IS HUMBLE COMPASSION (Agape-Love) OUR BEST CLUE  TO A DEEPER REALITY BEHIND THE UNIVERSE?:
My Personal Journey Through Consciousness, Suffering, Science, Philosophy, and Faith
(DOWNLOADABLE PDF)

These next six animal “story” articles are a preview of a larger LONG-ESSAY OR BOOK coming
with many personal animal stories – see more about it at the top of this page

(Article 2-pages) CURLY, MY LITTLE ORPHANED AND STARVING CALF
(DOWNLOADABLE PDF)

(ARTICLE 5 -pages) THE DAY COMPASSION FACED A 500-POUND LION:
My True Story of Overcoming Fear Through Love
(DOWNLOADABLE PDF) –

(ARTICLE 7-pages) MANDY, MY COMPASSIONATE LEOPARD FRIEND:
How One Soft as a Cloud Leopard Saved My Life and Even Helped Me Find My Wife
(DOWNLOADABLE PDF) –

(ARTICLE 4-pages) HOW RORY THE RACCOON GOT “SAVED”
(DOWNLOADABLE PDF) –

(ARTICLE 3-pages) ALI, MY FRIEND THE BITTER BLACK LEOPARD: Transformed From Violent PTSD To Trusting In Love.
(DOWNLOADABLE PDF) –

(ARTICLE 4-pages) BANU, MY FRIEND THE GENIUS COMEDIAN SUN BEAR
(DOWNLOADABLE PDF) –

*** MORE ANIMAL STORIES TO COME – CLICK HERE FOR A LONG PDF LIST

Each of these next articles/essays address different subjects,
yet all are related to aspects of self-giving, compassionate love.

(ESSAY 27-pages) THE JOY OF COMPASSIONATE PLANT-POWERED EATING/LIVING
(NO NOT RADICAL VEGAN)
(DOWNLOADABLE PDF) – Dr. Albert Schweitzer, World renowned humanitarian – “We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals. Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such sufferings on them. It is our duty to make the whole world recognize it. Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace.”
1 – ETHICS: Suffering of Humans & Sentient-Animals
2 – PLEASURE: Better than animal-flesh, when seasoned the same 
3-  HEALTH: Physical, Mental, Relational-Cultural
4 – ECONOMICS: Personal, Societal, Global 
5 – ECOLOGY: Water, Land, Air, Home
6 –THEOLOGY:  Compassion is the “Way” of our Mutual Creator

(ESSAY 2-pages) WHEN “RELIGION” Clouds-Over & Chokes-Out the Way of Compassionate-Love
(Downloadable PDF) – “….for, between the Christianity of this land, and the Christianity of Christ, I recognize the widest possible difference – so wide, that to receive the one as good, pure, and holy, is of necessity to reject the other as bad, corrupt, and wicked. To be the friend of the one, is of necessity to be the enemy of the other. I love the pure, peaceable, and impartial Christianity of Christ ….” – Frederick Douglass – former slave & friend of Abraham Lincoln

(ESSAY 2-pages) PLEASE, STOP FUELING THE FIRES WITH EXTREMISM: Politically, Religiously, Raclially, Sexually …
(Downloadable PDF) – “This tendency is called acrophily, or love of extremes. …leads people to rapidly self-select into more extreme camps. Ultimately, that pattern speeds up segregation and makes it harder to cooperate, compromise and find common ground—all essential features of a healthy society.”
Scientific American Journal – Dr. Amit Goldenberg. Extreme Views Are More Attractive Than Moderate Ones

(ESSAY 16 pages) QUESTIONING HELL: Jesus Did NOT Teach Eternal-Suffering
(Downloadable PDF) – …. the traditional view of unending conscious torture, … sprang from … [Greek] Platonic theories … [not from Jesus or the Bible] … nearly all of us have completely skirted the relevant material [evidence] on this subject …”  Edward Fudge. Part 2 Chapter 2, in the book RETHINKING HELL: Readings in Evangelical Conditionalism. Kindle 901-904. [brackets in the quote are my explanatory comments]

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YOU COULD SAY I IDENTIFY AS AN ANIMAL,
BECAUSE I’M BURDENED TO SPEAK FOR THEM.
THEY ARE THE MOST VULNERABLE AND ABUSED SENTIENT BEINGS ON EARTH.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves ….” Proverbs 31:8

“…. [The Creator] is testing [humankind]
that they may see that they themselves are animals.”
Ecclesiastes 3:18 ESV adapted

* A STATEMENT ON ZOOS & CAPTIVE ANIMALS —  The subject is understandably controversial, with many good people having different valuable perspectives. Have you had negative feelings about zoos and captive animals? I empathize with you! If you research carefully, you will find that good, bad, and very ugly exists across the wide range of facilities and activities. When it’s bad and ugly, it’s sadly easy to see — while the good and wonderful is often more subtle and behind the scenes. The best of facilities are motivated and designed around compassion, conservation, and education. Their animals are loved and protected by their caregiver keepers, and enjoy far better lives than those in the “wild” who must struggle and suffer violent competitive survival of the fittest, coolest, and cruelest, against predators, disease, drought, floods, fires, etc. Without captive animals, many species would otherwise go extinct. And the educational impact of new generations seeing, hearing, and caring about their local captive animal “friends” motivates actions to preserve and protect the world’s natural habitats and inhabitants.