“It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know [their] own beauty or perceive a sense of [their] own worth until it has been reflected back to [them] in the mirror of another loving, caring human being.”
- John Joseph Powell
When we encounter a puppy that has suffered abuse and abandonment, trembling in fear, lacking trust, experiencing physical distress, we don't instruct the dog to try harder, or to find inner happiness, or to simply snap out of it. We show the dog unconditional love. We provide nourishment, and medical attention, and create a safe haven where it can begin to heal and regain trust. We affirm the value of the dog's life, and through our compassionate actions, it starts to recognize its own worth, not because it possessed that worth all along, though it surely did, but because we reflected that worth back to them with the safe and caring presence of another being.
It is my profound desire that we extend this same level of compassion and care to our fellow human beings.
Excerpted from the upcoming book, " Looking for Bears: The Science of Feeling Safe and Why It Really Matters".
© Steve Andrews, All Rights Reserved.
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