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in every plausible corner of the planet. A soul speaks when spoken to. Every voice,
sensation, concept emerges with equal prowess, relevance, and staging. Staying
power is not vested in power, but in tenderness. A rallying cry may have philosophical hues and stripes but at the center of all such concerns are those shared not by the
strength of one’s grip, but the durability of the heart as it connects with another. Do
not imagine that an insect high on Socotra, a ground orchid in Haiti, has not overseen the workings of the world, side by side with a companion; two Diving Bell
spiders hidden comfortably together in the precise cranny of Staubbach Falls; a
White-Headed Buffalo weaver of the sub-Sahara or Vietnamese wild rooster calling
inquisitively to their friends, just at the right second upon dawn’s ferrying light, a
solemn sunrise made manifest for one and all across the earth’s 123 billion acres.
Fig. 56.3 Donkeys in the Haghier Massif, Haghier Massif, Socotra Archipelago, Yemen. (Photo
© M.C. Tobias)
56 A Situational Animal Rights Ethic