Animal Philanthropy
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The question is not, "Can they reason?" nor, "Can they talk?" but rather, "Can they suffer? —Jeremy Bentham |
You are Needed
Animal Philanthropy may seem to be a paradoxical term, since the roots of philanthropy derive from the "love of humanity." The way we at Assisi see things, though, an act of generosity that helps our animal brothers and sisters is also an act that helps humans. We live in a symbiotic relationship with non-human animals, one in which we experience healing, companionship, and play, as well as the opportunity to be nurturing and generous.
Companion animals inspire our generosity with their open ways. We can return the love animals have shown us by loving them in return, as well as supporting organizations that are dedicated to protecting them from harm and ensuring their right treatment in our society. Animal philanthropy is the most enjoyable kind of philanthropy, bringing joy to the giver as well as the receiver. People also comment on how satisfying it is that even relatively small donations can benefit so many sentient beings.
There are hundreds of wonderful organizations that work on animal welfare and protection, many of which we support ourselves. We also invite you to consider supporting our work at Assisi, which is different in that we address many levels of the relationship between humans and animals. We’re working on the practical level of resolving problems and creating mutually beneficial solutions between humans and their animals (which often keeps them from being abandoned or euthanized). We’re also working on the relational level of creating better human-animal communication and training a new generation of communicators. Finally, we’re addressing the most foundational level of cultural paradigm. At this level, Assisi is helping to shift us from the old worldview, in which humans treated animals as property to be exploited (similar to how we once treated slaves) to an emerging worldview in which we relate to them respectfully as fellow sentient beings.
Donating to Assisi, then, is an act that can benefit current and future generations, for it supports a shift of consciousness towards a permanently improved relationship between humans and animals. We envision a day when a child looks at her parent with her eyes wide and says, "They really used to treat animals in that way?" Then we’ll know that we have achieved the deepest goal of animal philanthropy.
If you support this shift, we invite you to become a donor to our work, which allows us to work on education, outreach, trainings, web resources, and media that promote a new paradigm of human-animal relations. Monthly donation is particularly supportive since it provides us with a steady revenue source! Donate here today.
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* The Assisi International Animal Institute has Federal and State non-profit tax exempt status. *