There are still a few people out there that are willing to make compassion a significant part of their lives and become heroes (or heroines) in the process. The Witness directed by Jenny Stein, is the compelling story of everyman Eddie Lama who through his friendship with a cat begins a lifelong vocation to alleviate animal suffering.
Lama is not your atypical hero; he is a construction contractor from Brooklyn who was raised without any connection to animals. His childhood in a rough neighbourhood saw a fair share of animal cruelty with many kids regularly torturing animals in back alleys.
Later in his life, a rescued cat opened his eyes and heart to animal consciousness. Lama explains how he didn’t really know what an animal was before this point, didn’t understand they have likes, dislikes, needs and emotions. The cat he adopted into his life – literally changed his world. He became vegetarian after questioning how he could love one animal while simultaneously harming others. Lama continued to rescue more abandoned pets and, as his awareness of other animals suffering expanded so did his compassion to include all animals.
The Witness is a beautiful film – achingly poignant and gently inspirational, of immense benefit for all ages.
There are numerous poignant moments in this film, told primarily in Lama’s own words, but one of particular note is when he compares a brutal mugging he experienced to how animals are treated. He explains how he was attacked at night and the beating was relentless, he pleaded, screamed, and begged until he finally stopped fighting and simply withdrew into himself. Lama compares his violent mugging to how animals’ cries go unheeded.
Lama continued his animal rights’ education and delved into the horrors of factory farming and the fur trade. His actions were prompted by the belief that if people could see the reality of animal suffering they would be moved to do something. He converted one of his construction vans into a mobile video screen and drove around the streets of Brooklyn and New York educating people about animal suffering. For his work, Eddie Lama received the Peace Abbey’s Courage of Conscience Award.
The Witness is a beautiful film – achingly poignant and gently inspirational, of immense benefit for all ages.
Order this film on Amazon.com The Witness
Tribe of Heart Films: http://www.tribeofheart.org/
Oasis Sanctuary: http://www.oasissanctuary.org/
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