You know, I remember when I was between the age of 16 and 23. It's not even that long ago. Back then, I had some romantic notions of what furry was all about and the feeling of family that this fandom created. I was certain that, you know, furries were somehow better than everyone else. That they were more caring and had more empathy than others outside of the fandom. We were special. We were better than everyone else. Years later, I've grown out of this phase and I truly feel saddened by some of the things I did - I felt so strongly that furries were better and more caring, that I ONLY cared for my furry family, and anyone not it in, I used and disrespected. And I disrespected everyone not in the fandom in the worst way possible: Apathy - the exact opposite of the "empathy" that myself and others I knew were toting. You don't get to stand up and say, "furries are better than everyone" if you mistreat those not in the furry fandom. I wish I knew that back then, but I wasn't ready to figure it out.

I do not think furries are better than everyone else. I think furries are everyone else. There is no distinction. I used to do a lot of guerrilla fursuiting when I was in my late teens and early twenties. I look back and I can admit why I did it - I was looking to stand out. I was looking to be unique and to share that uniqueness. But there were two things I was not aware of that now I am. 1 - Everyone in their late teens and early twenties feels this way whether furry or not. And 2 - Just because you randomly show up in a magical fairy tale fursuit does not mean you are providing those around you with a whimsical, fun time that they will recount around the dinner table with their family. When I was 21 I got thrown out of a mall for having more followers than the Easter Bunny. How unfair I thought at the time that I was escorted out of the mall by two security guards. I was just doing what I loved - fursuiting and performing. But I was thrown out for a very good reason - liability. A mall is a business and that business had no idea who I was, and if I did anything wrong, hurt anyone (not that I would), the mall would be liable. I person in costume is there - the assumption by any people present is that I must be a mall employee. So let's talk about another place I've been escorted out of: Best Buy. I was costuming there but people weren't really happy to see me - they were scared because the perception was that I must be up to something. I didn't see that at the time. The point of these stories is that fursuiting is about perception. Fursuiting is AMAZING and CAN indeed be used for fun and whimsy and to brighten others day, but if you don't take the time to really think it through, you might be doing more damage than good. Just randomly showing up at a private business in fursuit is disrespectful to the business. You are putting a lot of stress on them, and you may be negatively affecting that business. That said, there are a lot of opportunities for fursuiters wanting to help business owners - whether that's offering your services to celebrate a grand opening, helping with a fundraiser, or helping out a charity, there's plenty of opportunities to fursuit where everyone knows why you are there and appreciates you for what you are doing. Fursuiting for a cause is one of the best things you can do.

Being considerate to those around us is about more than unintentionally freaking them out while guerrilla fursuiting. It means you have to care about people. Ask people how their day is going. Smile at them and thank them. Be considerate of their space and their property. And think about where they are coming from. Be understanding of their troubles and when you see something going on, help.

When I was 16 I used to watch a lot of anime. I really liked the show, Trigun, and after all these years, there is one thing the main character, Vash the Stampede, said that has never left me:

I think I'd like to do something nice for someone
I think it's good when you smile at someone and they smile in return
Voluntary love encourages people to create a sense of friendliness
Love that is unconditional gives us respect as people

After all these years, it's never stopped being relevant.