I have always been a person who cared for all creatures great and small, saddened when the lives of bugs or "pests" weren't valued like the lives of other more understood creatures. Why isn't that spider just as important as the bunny, dog, horse? Well, that spider is so important, and helps the world's ecosystem stay balanced, and keeps our environment healthy and regulated. When you look past the often-thought-of-as-creepy exoskeleton aesthetic, you realize that this tiny creature is a marvel of nature. She weaves her own home, which doubles as her food catching system, and after a rain shower, the drops on the gossamer catch the sun and create beautiful little rainbows.
In appreciating something that looks so different than the traditional much loved creatures of the world, we humans can understand how important it is to not judge a person by their outer facade. If our kiddos learn to appreciate and love people who look differently than themselves, learn differently than they do, and have completely different hobbies and interests than they do, the world will be a place where perhaps there is more tolerance, love and kindness.
Charlotte embodies all of these ideas. She's just a barn spider. But she's also extraordinary and is able to communicate, and becomes so important, because people decide to give her a chance and take the time to understand that a spider is not "just" anything. Just like a human being is not "just" a label. Underneath the exoskeleton aesthetics we all have, we want to be successful, understood, nurtured and loved. That is why I would love to paint this mural. Reminding people to not judge a book by its cover can never happen enough. Less judging, more understanding.
