I just recently got unfriended on FB by someone named Erin Green Hicks, I asked her why she unfreinded me as I enjoyed her posts, I was dumbfounded by her reply:

“the dolphin crying did it. i made myself a promise a while back that i will help any animal i come across tha tneeds me-but that pictures depicting their abuse I will unfriend anyone whom posts them” – Hicks

This really upset me. I believe as human beings we need to be stronger than this. It’s when we turn a blind eye to the pain and suffering of the world, and shelter our minds and hearts from it, that we lose our compassion; our understanding; we lose touch with reality. She then went on to say how much of a better person she was than I, telling me that I was full of anger, stating that she’s seen things that I wouldn’t be able to live through after seeing, pain that I could never imagine. I also found this interesting and a little upsetting, as she has no idea what I have seen, or what *I* have lived through. If experiencing pain has caused one to be sensitive to it, then one has gone in the wrong direction and has allowed that pain to wound them instead of making them stronger, or a better person, as she claims to be. I too have seen pain, however I don’t feel the way she does regarding it. The pain I have experienced and witnessed in my life has giving me the emotional and mental fortitude to look upon the pain and suffering of the world with a heart of compassion, understanding and empathy. I do not feel the need to run from it or shelter myself from it, rather, I feel I have a responsibility as a survivor to look upon and acknowledge the pain of others, be them human or animal. I have lived through too much to turn away from someones pain, when so many turned away from mine. I feel it is an injustice to turn away. I will not run or hide, but I will stand firm and strong in my knowledge and beliefs, not only for myself but for others who may someday need me, whoever and wherever they may be. That is my responsibility as a survivor, to help others survive as well, to be a sparkle of hope, to inspire love and to facilitate healing. I was sad for this woman, she saw herself as a strong person, but what I saw was something a lot different, I saw a woman that was wounded and weak at heart, angry, bitter and unforgiving of the world that hurt her, so much so that she could not look upon the face of agony. I am thankful that not only did my heart become more caring, but it also grew firm enough to stand within the world and all of it’s pain and be strong enough to not only bear it, but to love and to help.