Guest Post by W.B. Murph, Author of Molly's Miracle
In George Orwell’s “1984” the future is uniform. Everyone’s lives are controlled by “Big Brother”. Everyone dresses, works, behaves, and lives as the party dictates. The protagonist, Winston Smith, decides that he will keep a diary of his thoughts (a “thoughtcrime” in this state) as the tiniest act of rebellion against a world of uniformity. This miniscule rebellion leads to a full on war against the party. He does not win, but his story provides an extreme example of life without differences for us to consider.
Too often, the human world is focused on conformity. Children must be well-behaved, women must act like ladies, and men must be good providers in order to conform to someone’s notion that this is how the world should be. It is the world those now in charge grew up in. The new generation of children is starting to change things. They recognize there is value in everyone. If the world does not break them of this wonderful ideology, the possibilities for the world are endless. Our world bounds forward when it begins to value people over profit, love over hate, and kindness over power.
Dogs have a unique understanding of these children’s viewpoint. Each dog knows that he has value simply by virtue of BEING. They do not need to have four legs, two eyes, brown fur, or any other thing to share in all the fun and excitement a dog’s world offers.
Murphy tells everyone he meets that he is “living his best life”. That means Murphy accepts that he is often ornery, sometimes standoffish, frequently flippant, but always adorable. Murphy accepts his limitations. He is a Beagle, and he can never, ever be a St. Bernard; he does he want to be since being a Beagle is completely acceptable to all he meets. Much more important than accepting himself, though, is accepting others exactly as they are.
The characters in Murphy’s books normalize the amazing variety of circumstances encountered in the world. He feels this is of crucial importance for teaching the very small humans that everyone is different and everyone has value. So for him, amputating Molly’s leg was not a reflection of something wrong or something bad, but simply one fact of a full and interesting life. Amputating a painful leg is sometimes necessary to helping us live our best lives.
Murphy sees all the differences in the world as exciting; differences are a valuable educational tool for not only the one who is “different” but also for all the people they meet. There is no such thing as an ordinary dog. There are many thousands of Beagles in the world, but there is just ONE Murphy. The same is true of humans. Many children and their parents may read Murphy’s book but none of them will have exactly the same reaction to it. Some may find it upsetting that Molly has her leg amputated, but this is really a loss for them because they are holding on to a uniquely human notion that losing a leg is “bad”.
Every difference has a valuable lesson to teach humans about what it means to accept oneself as truly unique and special. An obvious difference, like an amputated leg, allows Murphy to show this in a very overt way, but there are also a myriad of subtle differences that make up the world as well, all of which coalesce into the beautiful, vibrant tapestry of life in which we live. Examining an overt difference with a new mindset may help the reader to appreciate the more subtle differences in life as well.
There is nothing beautiful, or special, in conformity. To appreciate the brilliant blue of a cloudless sky we must have lived through some rain. Indeed, many experiences considered negative are an integral part of experiences the world deems positive. Rain grows trees, flowers, and grass. It provides life to the world. Every time a ball game is rained out, the world receives the infinite gift of LIFE.
There are differences the world has assigned “good” or “bad”, but these are human constructs. Each difference can be good, bad, or neutral – ultimately it depends on the individual. To help the world see differences as special, Murphy wants to start normalizing the “bad” differences and highlight the ways in which they make society so much better. Just like that rained out ball game, a child who is blind may teach others the true joy of listening with intention. A dog with an amputated leg may teach us that play continues on three legs just as it did on four. If an individual decides to accept their difference as a gift, then it will be one.
Molly is typical of our world – she sees her disability as a liability. She is broken and has no worth, even to herself. Her story is the literal path from broken and worthless to perfect. The interesting part of Molly’s journey is the ONLY change that happens on her path is inside of her. She learns along her way that different can just be special if that is how she wants it; her differences are what make up her sparkle and shine.
She is special because she offers the world a chance to learn to value her. She offers the world another perspective, a unique circumstance through which others can find what is different in them and highlight it for the world to see. These discoveries become like an enormous snowball rolling down a steep hill. Every person who chooses to treat his or her difference as a gift adds more snow. If enough snow is added, the world can never stop it. One can offer no greater gift to humanity than the chance to learn, love, and grow. In learning, in growing, in loving is where we learn to live our best lives – Just like Murph.
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