Melissa
I am sorry to hear that you have grown up, and no longer feel you can have
any affect on women's, children's or animal rights.
 
I work at Oberlin College, a prestigious, liberal minded, liberal arts
college.  A couple years ago, the admissions office produced a poster.  It
had one of those lovely images from space of the earth, and the caption:
"Think one person can change the world?  So do we."
 
Well I admit it is pretty hard to change the world, even just the ferret
world, but all of us can make small improvements.  We can save a pair of
ferrets left out in the elements, educate one person that ferrets are not
wild, nasty animals, convince one prosecutor that a ferret killer should
be prosecuted fully, save one ferret from a death sentence after a bite
incident, insure that one person gets the ferret she was meant to have, get
one ferret the expensive surgery it needs, show one ferret that humans can
be trusted and loved, teach one ferret how to war dance again.
 
You can be realistic, and know that you cannot do it all, but we must all
do what we can.  We can all save that one starfish on the beach.  To fail
to do so, or at least try to do so, is to risk losing our humanity.
 
I hope you grow young again, and regain your idealism.
 
Linda Iroff
The Raisin Retreat
Oberlin, Ohio
http://www.oberlin.edu/~liroff/ncfs.html
[Posted in FML issue 2461]