Monkey Research and Evil Cats..so much KINDNESS!

I read a statistic the other day that said there are over 100,000 primates used in research in the U.S. every year. As many of us know, the conditions for primates is often less than ideal in these types of research facilities as these primates are often malnourished or subjected to conditions of maternal deprivation or worse like invasive neurological tests! Well, OK not much is worse than being without one's mom, but you know what I mean! 

I think that knowing these facts makes my most recent account of kindness even more remarkable because I met a monkey who has been involved in psychological research for years and taught me the most remarkable lesson on compassion. 

This particular monkey has endured many years of involvement in a rigorous academic research environment. However, unlike the stories we read in the news and the general understanding that monkeys who endure such difficult conditions must be angry or unstable in some way, this monkey was just the opposite. I have known this monkey, who I will call R.M. for a short time and she is remarkable; always so kind and thoughtful. The other day however was when I really developed an understanding of not only her kindness but also how much she retained from her time in psychological labs. On this particular day, I was troubled by evil cats rubbing there fuzzy bodies against my window and trying to gain access to my soul. This intrusion of cats led me to really freak out. However, at the height of my panic R.M. intervened in only the way that those of the animal kingdom can. She caused the cats to retreat from the window to my soul and reassured me that we all have fears that may seem illogical to others. She reiterated that I should not be embarrassed of my dramatic reaction. She told me a story about one time in her lab when she was really scared by an invasive procedure which seemed silly to her more seasoned primate counterparts. She went on to tell me about her research involvement not only on compassion to others, but on self-compassion. Self-compassion what a concept! In that moment I learned that I must not be to critical of myself and my responses to stimuli which much like my primate friend R.M. have been shaped by past negative experiences. Change what you can, accept what you cannot and learn to like yourself anyways!