Joseph Campbell wrote that we must participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.  We cannot not spare Joshua Rockwood the sorrows of the world, we can participate joyfully in his eventual triumph.

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“Your strength and resolve are inspiring, Joshua,” wrote Ginny Ford on Joshua Rockwood’s gofundme project this morning, she was contributing to the fund to help him move forward with his interrupted life and get his farm ready for winter.

For West Wind Acres, this winter will be a lot warmer and brighter than the last. In March,  Joshua was arrested and charged with 13 counts of animal cruelty during an awful cold wave, one of the worst in the history of the Northeast. Ken Norman, a long-time rescuer of horses and a well-known farrier, said the charges against Joshua amounted to “Bullshit Misdemeanors,” and that is the best description I’ve heard yet. None of his animals died or were seriously injured, he got them all through the winter only to face the Orwellian justice of the animal rights movement.

It seems Joshua’s real crime was being a young farmer raising animals in the brutal cold. That did not used to be a crime, and ought not to be a crime now.

Ginny Ford donated $25 to Joshua’s winter project this morning, she has joined nearly 300 people in making a joyful noise to the world. They are all standing by Joshua and will support him in any way that we can. On behalf of him, and his family, his animals, of farmers everywhere who struggle against sometimes overwhelming odds to do their work, live and work with animals, support their families. It is an awful thing to criminalize normal farm life, and life with animals,  this injustice ought not to stand, and thanks to so many of you, it may not stand.

Joshua’s struggles this year have been painful and difficult, but there is a lot of good news coming from his story. One of them his his family. His family reminds us that this is a very human story, about human dreams, human aspirations, about our need to be compassionate and decent to one another. Another is the new technology – social media – that is permitting farmers and animal lovers to come together in support of one another. The same technology that has been used to persecute them is now being used to help them.

Joshua is an idealistic farmer working hard to bring healthy food to local people. He ought not be ruined for that. He is seeking $16,000 to built four tire water tanks that soak up heat from the sun and stay warm even in sub-zero weather. And a Greenhouse Shelter that is inexpensive and eco-friendly, for his cows, pigs and cattle.

As of this writing, Joshua has raised $12,925 from 284 people all over the country, and some of the world, on his gofundme page.

In many ways, this is a story of how we treat one another, and how – this is the very sad part – people who love animals feel like they must now band together to protect one another from the people who say they are fighting for the rights of animals. But are not.

Unknown informers stalked Joshua and his farm, reported him to the police. The police, in conjunction with Humane Society workers, and two horse rescue farms, raided his farm, cited him for having an unheated barn, inadequate shelter for his pigs and frozen water. They seized three of his horses and the rescue farm that came and took them is seeking tens of thousands of dollars in administrative, veterinary and boarding fees to give them back. It could have been me, it could have been you. It got as low as – 27 when the police showed up at West Wind Acres.

In the town of Glenville, the toilets froze and backed up in the cold, spilling sewage over the municipal offices. No one was arrested or charged with a crime.

Joshua’s gofundme has been up for less than three days and he is 80 per cent of the way there. About $3,000 to go. We are going to get there. Thank you all, you are all making these joyful noises unto the world. We are close.