rescue's sacred cow..burn out is a myth.

this is going to be one of those posts that will not interest anyone..except for me. whatever, feel free to ignore, there will be no updates, sad notices, funnies, or warm and fuzzy's.

and this is just my personal opinion...no science, no research, no folks standing behind me and saying "yes!" some may actually take offence to this.

this is my view on rescue burnout and compassion fatique...
there is no such thing.
it is a western invention to justify quitting, walking away from uncomfortable or down right physically or emotionally painful days. burnout is the socially acceptable answer for changing our minds.
so why don't we just say it? i no longer want to do rescue.

think about it..parenting is one of the hardest things we ever do...but do the majority of us throw up our hands and quit part way thru? in third world countries do the hungry claim burnout, walk away and cease to look for food? no they keep looking until they are too ill or physically weak to move to find some food.

humans are emotional creatures but our emotions do not have to rule the roost. we have brains that can think and problem solve, we have willpower and stamina to withstand great physical and emotional challenges..just ask the katerina survivors. closing their eyes and claiming hurricaine burnout would have ended their lives.

all of us eventually want to take a step back from rescue..it is a hard and challenging life. many of us want to do something else that doesn't involve homeless animals or the human headaches that seem to follow them.
and this is absolutely fine.
it is just a simple choice.

today i want to do rescue and maybe tomorrow i won't.
but it won't be because rescue sucked me dry, it won't be because my cup is no longer full, it won't be because i burnt myself out being compassionate, caring about animals, doing rescue.

it may be because i am tired, it might be because i no longer want to deal with people. it may even be because the life is hard and i want to live a little more easier and with more privacy or comfort. or maybe i just want to do something else or nothing at all for a while.

i will never cease to be me from caring..compassion is built quite strongly in me. and caring and compassion will never hurt me..it actually makes me a better human being.
i am not a victim, nor ever will be of burnout or compassion fatigue because they do not exist for me.

i am the sole victim or beneficiary of the choices i make in living. too much compassion has never posed any danger to me... (too little? maybe.)