We were wandering around the Yves Saint Laurent Gardens in Morocco when we came upon a tiny kitten that was skin and bones, cold, dehydrated, and unmoving. Leaving this tiny creature, when we had the opportunity to do something for it, would have been unconscionable. I tucked the creature into a large purse, and then took him back to our hotel. After just a few days of care, he was energetic and had a full, round tummy. He was well enough to take to a comfortable, local animal shelter.
In looking at how we might ‘give back’, I see three levels of opportunity.
- We may influence change through laws, regulation, and policy. The impacts can be large and widespread.
- We may give contributions of money and time to groups dedicated to improving some piece of the world. The effect is often more 'regional'.
- Lastly, we may do something at an individual level, working to fix those things that are 'wrong' right in front of our eyes.
With such a huge population of us out there, I have to think that the third category could be as impactful and important as the first two -- that it's worth having each of us reach out and try to make some small impact as individuals, knowing that the collective impact of all our efforts would affect real change.
A picture of the kitten as we first found him is below.
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