When I’m stressed out and feeling overwhelmed (and yes, yes I am, thanks for asking), I find that it’s helpful to focus on things that enhance our world rather than detract from it. The last thing I need is to immerse myself in the usual daily news fare, full of catastrophes, impending doom, and general despair. I prefer to be reminded that there are people out there who are trying to be a force for good by making our world beautiful and fun. Yes, you might have to do a little digging to find these people, but when you do find them, they are a healing balm. You’ll find two examples of earthly improvements below.
Working on an old drawbridge as I do, I am treated to more than my fair share of graffiti. I’m all for artistic expression, but I really don’t see the point of vandalizing and uglifying everything you touch. It saddens me that taggers put so much time and energy into this pastime. Some even risk their lives to deface tall and precarious things. About a year and a half ago here in Seattle, a 14-year-old boy was struck by the monorail while he was tagging. Needless to say, he didn’t survive that encounter. What a senseless tragedy. He might have grown up to be a creative force in this community.
I wish local governments would give these kids more productive ways to express themselves. They just want to be seen and heard. Have them design and create murals, for example. They’d get to increase their talent, and the cost of the paint would be a huge savings for cities compared to the millions spent each year on graffiti removal. And our neighborhoods would be all the more beautiful for it.
When I stumbled upon the work of Ememem, purely by accident, it made me think of that idealistic dream of mine. But this artist actually makes this concept a reality in a unique and beautiful way. And they do so anonymously, just like Banksy does.
We’ve all seen cracked sidewalks and broken curbs in just about every municipality. Cities can’t keep up with the ever-growing need for such repairs. So when Ememem sees such needs for improvement, they do it themselves, in the most creative way possible. (Incidentally, the artist chose this name based on the sound their scooter makes as they go from one place to another, leaving beauty in their wake.)
You might walk home, tripping over the same damned bit of broken sidewalk that you’ve been complaining about for years, and when you wake up, you find it’s been repaired by mosaics. How cool is that? That patch of concrete has been made better for having been fixed, but it has also been made even better than that by adding a healthy splash of color and creativity! They have even repaired sidewalks that had been damaged during riots. What a wonderful way to promote healing.
Ememem calls their work flacking. Others have called it reparative street art. Either way, I couldn’t be more impressed. I hope the artist will not be offended by my sharing some of their work with you. I don’t profit from this blog. If I’ve increased their notoriety or inspired even one person, I’d like to think I’ve been a force for good as well.
Puppy Yoga
Another thing that never fails to perk me up is all the puppy yoga videos out there, such as this one:
But is puppy yoga really a force for good, or is it an ethical nightmare? Well, it can go either way. So if you choose to engage in this type of event, do your homework.
First, are these rescue puppies or are they from breeders? I’m all for any opportunity for rescue organizations to get people who are looking for pets in the same place as the animals in need of homes. Puppy yoga can help socialize these dogs, too, which makes them much more adoptable.
On the other hand, breeders might be cutting a lot of ethical corners to produce enough puppies to stage these events, because they often bring in quite a bit of money. I do not condone encouraging puppy mills under any circumstances. Animal abuse is one of the most heinous acts I can imagine.
Second, are all the puppies older than 8 weeks? Puppies need to be with their mothers, and isolated from disease vectors, for at least that length of time. Anything less is horrifically exploitative.
Do the puppies have ready access to water, and are they fed on a regular schedule? This is vital for their very survival. Puppies drink a lot. Some places have been known to deprive them of water so they don’t pee on the yoga mats. Unacceptable.
How many yoga classes do the pups participate in? Two, maybe three a day, with long breaks in between, isn’t bad. On the other hand, 8 to 10 a day is a blatant disregard for animal welfare.
Are they allowed to sleep and not be bothered? Puppies need to sleep when they need to sleep. Even if a class is going on. They shouldn’t be roused simply to entertain the humans.
If all these criteria are met, puppy yoga can be a delightful experience for everyone involved, whether they be canine or hominid. Even if you can only experience puppy yoga on video, it enhances our world as much as art does.
So, be a force for good. Create beautiful things and events rather than being destructive or delighting in making things worse for those around you. If we all did that, imagine how amazing this world could be.
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