Lions and Support Systems

Dereck and Beverly Joubert , a couple who made the documentary Soul of the Elephant, were on Ellen the other day. They were talking about Elephants, and how it isn't only elephants that are at risk, but lions, and rhinos, and so many others. Ellen brought up the case of Cecil the lion, who was shot by that piece of crap last year. I think probably the majority of people watching were a little taken aback, as was I, at Dereck's response. He said that on the one hand, it was a terrible thing. But on the other hand, they were pleased that it happened. Going on, he explained that it wasn't that they were glad that Cecil was killed. They were glad that his death brought attention to what has been an ongoing problem. About 600 lions are killed by tourists every day. Some, like Cecil, are poached illegally, some legally. Legal or not, it is wrong and needs to be stopped. Before Cecil, there was a little bit of attention for the problem, and after Cecil, people all over the world were up in arms, trying to get things changed.

As sad as it is, I can understand his point. So many are dying, but maybe this one will be the change.
Social media seems to be bringing this idea to the fore in many areas of life, not only conservation. Previously, we have been a more private culture. If we were going through some sort of medical issue, or dealing with the death of a loved one, we kept quiet about it. Those closest to us knew about it, but others didn't.
Now though, we share what we're going through. You can follow groups that keep you up to date with what they are going through, like Jaxon Strong. You can also follow groups dedicated to those who lost their fight. And on those, for example, Rally for Lily, those left behind form a support group, caring for each other and helping others who are still in the midst of their fight.
You always hope that you're not the one who goes through something horrible. You hope that you're one of the lions that just gets to chill on the Savannah and play Lion King (minus the whole Scar thing....)

But what happens if you're not? What happens if you're one who gets killed? Or, if you're one that deals with a disease or a tragedy? What will you do?
Cecil didn't have a choice. He was killed. He just happened to be a well known lion who was killed, and that was why his death received international attention. There were probably other lions killed the same day Cecil was killed. There were certainly other lions killed during the uproar surrounding his death. But they were unknown lions, and their deaths did nothing to bring attention to the plight of lions.
You do have a choice. You can hide and pretend that nothing is happening, or you can be honest along your journey and hopefully make a difference to someone else going through the same thing. You may be dealing with a physical disease, or something mental, like depression. Perhaps it's relational, and you've lost someone near to you, like the stuff with my brother. Chances are, you're not the only one going through whatever you're going through. You can go it alone and  not help anyone, or you can bring something positive out of whatever your situation is.