How a Kitten, a Crow, a Little Girl, and Star Trek taught me to be a better person

My sister, Michelle, sent me a video today about an unlikely friendship between a kitten and a crow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZjZQ6KkiUk

According to this true story, the crow ignored its natural instinct to either eat, or run from, this furry predator and began mothering the abandoned kitten. Amazingly, the pair became fast friends, and the crow is shown on tape protecting, feeding, and playing with the kitten.

So what did I do when I watched this video? I did what any other self-respecting American Mother would do: bawled like a baby! Happy tears, mixed with sad tears, tinged with hopeful tears.

Call me a sucker, but in today's world of escalating conflict, I chose to assume from watching the video that if animals can transcend instinct to get along, maybe...just maybe...it's possible for humans to overcome generations of man-made barriers in order to meaningfully connect with others and make peace.

Interestingly, my 10-year-old daughter and I had a somewhat related conversation (or should I say, 'conversion?') just a couple hours before I received the video this morning.

Let me preface this by saying that I appreciate animals, but have always regarded them as incapable of overcoming instinct, so they've always seemed sub-human in my mind. Cute and cuddly, to be sure, but definitely not on par with us people.

That being said, we have an 8-month-old cock-a-poo named Kona, and over breakfast today my daughter asked me a question that she's asked me many times since we got our dog:

"Mama, do you love Kona yet?"

Today, like each time she's asked, I told her:

"I like Kona very much, but I reserve love for humans."

Typically, my daughter looks down and doesn't say anything. Each time she does this, I can tell she's disappointed and that she's willing me to love Kona as much as she does. But I've always made it a point to be honest with her, and I wasn't going to stop today. This time, however, her response was different. She calmly looked me in the eye, and said:

"At one time, African Americans and women were considered 'less-than-human.' Maybe one day we'll see that animals are worthy of the same kind of respect and love."

I sat dumbstruck, staring at this wise being in front of me who was my daughter. I had no response, and my thoughts suddenly skipped to one of the ways I used to teach my kids the concept of respect when they were smaller. I'm a fan of Star Trek because I love the vision of its creator, Gene Roddenberry (http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/news/article/121585.html).

Roddenberry conceived of Star Trek in the 60's during a time of much racial and political strife. He wanted to show how people could rise above petty squabbles and learn to simply respect others. So, after watching an episode with my kids, I'd talk to them about how the crew encountered many alien species - some seemingly more intelligent than humans, some less; some stronger, some weaker - but that humans in the future evolved to respect all manner of life equally.

So, how is it in all this time I never made the connection to animals? After all, they're nothing more than an alien species, right (alien simply meaning "different from ourselves")? Does that make them any less deserving of respect and/or love?

Then, as if to underscore the lesson I learned from my daughter today, I received the Kitten and Crow video from my sister. It's funny how lessons can sneak up on us when we least expect it.

As I prepare to start my PhD program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution, I learned today that it's possible to rise above instinct to overcome conflict...and stereotypes!

And, yes, I will work to develop love for our furry little alien, Kona, who brings so much joy to our lives.