The Pitfalls Of Compassion
There’s one thing about compassion: it can’t be practiced with the expectation of having something good in return. The essence of compassion is to give without expecting one’s good deeds to be paid back. Sometimes, it can even entail dealing with the negative consequences of helping someone out.
However, this is sometimes forgotten by some. It’s hard to imagine how someone’s good actions to be paid for with punishment, suffering, and stress. But it does happen. It also happened to the couple in this story. Would they be ready to deal with the consequences?
They Were The Perfect Couple
The Davies were a nice, middle-class couple residing in Salt Lake City, Utah. Everything about them seemed impeccable. They were high school sweethearts; they got married right after college; both of them had good, well-paid, stable jobs.
They also loved each other very much and lived with a cat that they absolutely adored. But not everything was so perfect about the Davies.
But They Had A Problem…
The Davies had been struggling with a certain problem for years. They had tried to solve it by all means without success. It even got to a point where it started taking a toll on their marriage.
They had been trying to have children for years now. But it just didn’t happen. They spent a long time wondering what could be wrong and trying everything in their hand. But it just seemed impossible. Eventually, they discovered the cause of their problem.
The Husband Was Sterile
Jason, the husband, was sterile. When the doctors came with the results and gave them the news, they were devastated. There was nothing that they wished for more in the world than having kids.
There was only one thing they could do, and they were willing to go all through with it.
They Chose Adoption
They decided to adopt a child from a foster home. Given their circumstances, that choice seemed like a no-brainer: they would get to raise a kid and they would also be helping an orphan in need.
So they contacted a foster care center and waited for a response. Little did they know that sometimes is better to be careful with what you wish for.
Njoud Steps In
In a matter of weeks, the foster care center wrote them back. The Davies were told about a 5-year-old Saharan girl named Njoud. Her parents had been killed in the conflict between the Polisario Front and the Moroccan government.
The Davies were moved by Njoud’s story and quickly made their decision. They would adopt the girl and welcome her into a loving household. Only if they knew what they were getting themselves into!
At The Beginning, Everything Seemed Alright
When the Davies first met Njoud, they felt so blissful. Finally, they could do what they had always hoped for: share their love with a child, raise her, be her guides and carers.
Njoud seemed happy to meet her new foster parents at first. She seemed to be a sweet, affectionate girl. However, there was something about her that the foster care center had advised the Davies about.
There Was A Catch
She had already been adopted and then returned to the adoption center before by other families. By seven different families no less, and all in the span of 2 years. However, the adoption center didn’t elaborate on the circumstances of these events.
But this didn’t stop the Davies. They felt even more compassion towards that poor girl that had such bad luck in life. They were convinced that they would make a difference and finally show Njoud the love that she deserved. They wouldn’t be like the other selfish foster parents.
Some Weeks Of Peace And Then…
And for the first few weeks, everything seemed fine. Njoud was very sweet and she seemed grateful and happy to live with the Davies. The foster parents, in turn, were absolutely delighted with her.
But when they introduced her to the cat, they could sense that Njoud wasn’t too into it. Maybe she was afraid? Well, she would get used to it and they all would learn to live in harmony. Or that’s what the Davies thought.
It Got Even Worse
Soon, the apparent hostilities between Njoud and the Davies’ cat became more overt. The cat started hissing every time she saw Njoud. And Njoud seemed more and more annoyed by the presence of the cat. She even started throwing things at it. One day she shot some pieces of cutlery at the poor cat.
The Davies couldn’t put their finger on what was the matter. They decided to set up a camera during the night to see if there was something going on while they were sleeping. And what they saw spooked them to no end.
She Was Trying To Kill The Cat
Some nights, Njoud woke up from her bed and silently walked to the kitchen. There, she picked one big knife from one of the drawers. After that, she looked for the cat around the house and, after finding it sleeping, she would attack it with a knife!
It was an absolutely disturbing scene that repeated itself every other night. It seemed like Njoud was trying to kill the cat! Now they knew the reason for the animosity between them. Alarmed, Davies questioned the foster care center about it and waited for a response.
What Was The Matter?
Finally, the adoption center disclosed the reasons why Njoud had been returned by seven different families.
The girl just didn’t get along well with pets. All the other foster parents had similar experiences. Either she had attacked their pets or neighbors’ and friends’ pets. But what could be the reason for this? Well, the foster care center had a theory about it.
Why Did She Do That?
Njoud came from a very poor village in which animals weren’t well received. Wild dogs and cats would sometimes wander around the village and steal food, spoil crops and such.
It was a usual practice for the people in Njoud’s village to just attack or even kill any dog or cat they saw around town. And children had picked up on that practice.
What Should They Do?
Now one question remained. What would the Davies do with Njoud? They loved the girl and they wanted the best for her, but they also loved their cat. And it was really stressful to think that it might get hurt or even killed during the night.
Finally, they took a decision.
They Kept Njoud
They decided to keep Njoud with them, take care of her and show them that there was no need to be afraid of or attack pets. It might take a while and they would have to take measures to protect the cat in the meantime, but it was the least they could do. They had made the decision to adopt Njoud, and it wouldn’t be right to back out now.
And surely, with love, compassion, care, and kindness, they would manage to create a happy environment for all the family members, including their cat.