They say that it takes a village to raise a child. Nowadays, it takes a colony – as kids play together, their mothers watch and chat, and if the child gets hurt, others rush to take care.
Replace the child with a little innocent pup, out on the street, searching for food for survival, and that same society will apply all its brute force to get rid of the harmless pup, treating it like a national enemy. An unjust reaction because community dogs are originally either animals abandoned by their owners or are the result of a neglected Animal Birth Control (ABC) programme. The streets are their home, and until adopted, that is where they have a right to be.
Controversy around community dogs
Community dogs are at the centre of a controversy right now. The Supreme Court took a suo motu action, ordering the relocation of all street dogs in Delhi-NCR. Later, the apex court's three-judge bench heard the arguments again and has reserved its order.
In my book 'The DOGtrine of Peace' (published in 2017), I had predicted that the world would one day be divided by dog/animal lovers and animal non-lovers. Divided not by geography, not by culture, but by compassion – and this couldn’t be more evident now than ever. The SC order, overriding previous humane orders, added fuel to an already volatile situation between animal lovers who take care of street dogs and animal haters who want the dogs to be removed, thus widening the rift deeply.
ABC programme
India has always believed in the ABC programme: Sterilise dogs so that the dog population does not grow and occasions leading to dog-bites vanish, vaccinate them so that they do not spread rabies and feed them regularly, so that they learn to trust, become friendly and protect the community. And this is the only humane way forward to coexist with dogs.
As the divide between the animal non-lovers and the animal lovers widens, the philosophy of the cruelty of moral indignation raises its ugly head, which can shatter the illusion of humanity.
'Cruelty can manifest in severe forms of hatred and harm'
English writer and philosopher Aldous Huxley pointed out that a sure way to incite a crusade is to promise people the chance to "maltreat someone." This highlights how readily people can be swayed to act cruelly, not only when it is cloaked as a moral duty, but when they are given a 'justified' opportunity to expose their cruel side. It is easy for a person to be cruel. Period.
According to Huxley, the cruelty of moral indignation refers to the paradox where individuals, driven by strong moral convictions, inflict harm or injustice on others, often under the guise of righteousness or doing good. This cruelty can manifest in severe forms of hatred and harm, and is sometimes justified by a perceived moral imperative.
'Lead to a degeneration of values, dangerous to all mankind'
In the present scenario, it has been the invisible but steady war against the community dogs, guided and incited by the self-perceived notion that it is for the benefit of human beings, thus preying on the ignorant minds of the public. This is the crusade which accepts and condones perhaps the remorseless, cruel behaviour of people towards dogs. The belief that if dogs are removed from the streets, people would be safe is a big fallacy, but has been used for years as a convenient narrative justified by the philosophy of the cruelty of moral indignation, which would eventually lead to a degeneration of values, dangerous to all mankind.
'Dogs teach us what being human means'
On the other hand, the right to compassion is our constitutional right – it is what makes all of us human beings. And it is important for us as a society to be the voice of the dogs and ensure their right to live. Because dogs have been in our world for more than 15,000 years, for a reason. Among other things, they teach us what being human means, and they show us the path to spiritual evolution.
Dogs are a representative of nature, a first organic initiation into compassion and the larger goal of the environment, earth and humanity. Loving dogs is the prerequisite and the foundation for a peace-loving society.
'Be grateful dogs exist'
So be grateful that there are dogs on the streets, in your lanes, in your homes and in your life. A non-human army, a staunch friend and a personal companion, whose larger purpose only time will reveal to you. They live near you, loyal, strong and to guard you and to love you like no human ever will or can. Despite hate, hostility and brutality, they have not given up on humans; instead stand by human beings with determination and strength. Be grateful dogs exist and remain close, because your breath is aligned with theirs, and understand that they would give up their lives for you, in a heartbeat.
'Nature may lose its natural balance and retaliate'
If you forcibly try to eliminate the dogs from the streets, you are invariably taking charge of the universe, and nature may lose its natural balance and retaliate.
Also, if you lose the dogs, the streets would be empty and haunted, but not safe, as you lose your shield, your protective aura, and your personal guard when you lose the dogs. Dogs stand between human beings and everything evil. And most importantly, dogs stand between the human world and the unseen, obscure world beyond, of spirits and powers and death that we don't understand. They are connectors, protectors and communicators; if we remove them from the streets and our lives, we have no clue what horror would unleash.
So, open your hearts. Let animal lovers play their role, and the rest of us can allow the universe and the dogs to play theirs.
These dogs, their love and protection make a society whole, and when we understand this, we will finally be evolved and complete beings. Let’s strive for that.
(Dr. Manjiri Prabhu is an author of 23 books, including ‘The DOGtrine of Peace’)
