I am going to offer a passage from the book because I believe it shows the power of how we treat another, and what it does for that person.
Ariana is talking about social systems, and how she thinks we respond so much to horses because we, like them, need a social system. We need to belong. We need a herd.
Here is the story she tells:
Francine was a homeless woman who visited my friend's church to receive free meals and a place to sleep on cold nights. Most people walked by this woman on the street as she talked to herself, the cracks in her path or the bushes in the park, but when she visited the church, she was greeted with a hug and a warm smile. She would bring him photographs of the sidewalk and tell him long stories about what the lines in the pavement meant. My friend understood her need to connect with another person and to share her stories. He decided to give Francine a home and the task of preparing the dining hall for dinner. Over time, she took to her new responsibility with a quiet smile and dutiful hands.
At each meal, she greeted the visitors with the same kind heart with which the pastor greeted her. As she began to feel good about herself, she made new friends. Her dependability was quickly recognized by a local restaurant. They took her in, gave her a bed in the back room and a job cleaning the restaurant.
Francine still visited church regularly because it was a family to her. One day, when the pastor greeter her, Francine pulled him aside. She thanked him for taking her in and she told him that she was happy now. She no longer heard voices and felt that she belonged to people she could take care of.