Not An Elephant Seal, But...

A strange thing happened to me after watching that great video of the woman and the elephant seal snuggling on the beach. I was tidying up around my chair and lifted up my garden shoe. There, lying on his back, all eight legs and antennae waving frantically, was a tiny earwig. My first instinct was the same as most folks first reaction would be. "Eeeuuuu! An earwig!" But that video had a profound impact on my sensibilities. I took a post-it note and lifted him up to see if he was hurt. He didn't seem to be. I actually felt sorry for him! He was struggling with all his might to turn himself over. A wave of love swept through my whole body. It shocked me. I couldn't believe that I actually felt compassion for an earwig! I carried him outside and set him down in some smooth river rocks. I then had to ask myself__do I have that same compassion for my fellow human beings? The truth is that, no, I don't. That revelation is a shock, too, but I know why. More on that subject later.