The way that people
look at the world around them depends on their background. To some
people, a fox is a reddish-coloured animal which hunters chase on
horseback. To animal lovers, the fox is a lively, rather rascally
creature who has managed to live not just in the countryside, but
also in the town. To the farmer, the fox is a pest which kills
chickens. To someone who is against hunting, the fox is an innocent
victim of human cruelty. To many storytellers in many lands, the
fox is a clever and cunning character, as in the French story of
Reynard the fox. To Hindus or Buddhists, the fox has a soul like
their own, and may even be someone they knew before who has died
and been reborn as a fox. To many Japanese people, the fox is a
frightening sight, because they believe that evil spirits live in
the bodies of foxes waiting to take over human beings.
So, What is a
fox? It is clear that the answers people give depends on what
they believe. This is true of everything around us. We understand
things because of what we believe. If you believe that hunting is
wrong, then you will see animals like the fox, rabbit or tiger in
one way. If you are a hunter, then you will see them in a very
different way. If you like sausages, then you will see the pig as a
source of food. If you are a vegetarian, then you will not. If you
believe that the world is there to use as you want and when you
want, then you are not going to care very much for it. If you
believe that everything in the world is the same sort of being or
soul as you, then you will be very careful how you treat all living
things.
The same is true of
religious beliefs, Because of what we believe about our
origins, and life's meaning, we see different worlds.
However we now have
a common scientific understanding of the interdependence of all
things. This is a common belief of all religions, but you do
not have to be religious or a scientist to realise the preciousness
of life and the right of even the tiniest insect to
exist.
In a letter to young
people of the world, introducing a book of creation stories
published by the World Wide Fund for Nature, the Dalai Lama of
Tibet put it this way.
.... as we look around, we witness needless
cruelty to animals, defenceless as they are. Through
the newspapers and television we come to know about the extinction
of many forms of life, the degradation of the soil and plant life
that have sustained us for so long.
No government or organization no matter how well
its intention may be, can tackle the root of the problem without
the awareness and participation of everyone in society.
That is why the efforts of the World Wildlife Fund are so important
and should be supported whole-heartedly by all of us.
The stories you will read in the following pages
try to explain the way all forms of life are regarded by different
people all over the world. Some of them may not sound
factual but that is not the point. It is what we learn
from the ideas behind them that matters.
Next time, when we are about to trample a plant,
destroy a flower or kill, a harmless insect, can we remember the
message of some of these stories and in return for the gift and
beauty nature has enriched our lives with, treat it with more
gentleness and appreciation?