...helpless today. This is a little deep. It kinda sprung up out of nowhere so I promise to write more fun things later but for today, I think I needed to get this out.
I logged onto Comcast to check my email and there was an ad on the right the almost made me cry. It was from the WSPA (World Society for Protection of Animals) and there was a small bear that was being used in bear baiting. Bear baiting has been around for hundreds of years. Years ago, a bear was brought down by dogs for sport inside a ring. If that wasn't bad enough, now in countries like Pakistan (where is it actually illegal) they remove the bear's teeth as a cub and then let the dogs rip him to shreds. If the bear is not fighting then they secure him with a chain through his nostrils. The bear has no defense. It never actually lives, it's body won't let it give up.
Now, I realize that with the homeless crisis in the US, children in China basically poisoned by their milk and the countless amount of people that have been affected by war that this might not seem very important. To me though, it was a symbol of just how bad things are when it comes to humanity. What are we doing to each other? We are supposed to have this higher knowledge and the will to rise above base lower animal instincts. In reality, the animals that we are supposedly above, are better than we are.
I think this is why so many people latch onto this platform. It is pretty easy to love an animal that supposedly isn't as smart as humans are. It's easy to point fingers at others who are torturing creatures that don't have a voice. It is much harder to love and embrace a person who's culture is very different from our own but who still are tortured and killed for sport. That's what most wars and battles are about, sport. Who won, who lost, what the winners got to take from the losers. The 'smart' people who direct these wars of sport are the only winners. The people who battle are not the winners. They come away, scarred, mentally and physically. The people who direct the wars, from the sidelines, from offices or even caves in the middle of nowhere, they are the winners and collect the spoils. They are the ones removing the teeth of that little cub so when it gets older they can watch it killed in their own sport of war.
This has nothing to do with religion, nothing to do with today's politics. It has to do with what we are deep down inside ourselves. We are human and with that comes responsibilities that are not governed by which God we believe in or which party we vote, but in the fact that we are plainly human beings. That DOES (or did ) mean something. What it means, fails me at this point and time. Which is why I feel helpless today.
15 comments:
That was very thoughtful. I am sorry that you feel helpless today. I know what you mean, I feel the same way sometimes.
Wow.
You captured my feelings about caring for others, including humans and animals, and our responsibilities as humans. We are the most intelligent species (as far as we measure intelligence), and we need to use that to help all other species, including members of our own. Yet, so many do not.
At moments like this, I try to focus on the goodness going on, for there is goodness. You can find small kindnesses, small acts of protection and selflessness, and you can focus on those to encourage yourself to keep aiming for the bigger, more encompassing acts of kindness. Hope is beautiful and necessary. Hold on to it, and it will take you closer to where you want to be.
I hope this helps.
Peace.
You can imagine how I feel about things like this.
I couldn't even read all of your post because it's so upsetting to me.
I'm sorry for the way things are.
I love this post and couldn't have put it all better myself. It is that word on my lips eternally.WHY? Poor bears, poor humans, what can we do? I try to teach my children to be tolerant of others, compasionate and caring. That's not enough but I am at a loss.
I think the human race is very arrogant to assume we are superior. We have so much proof to the contrary.
Mostly I blame men! I'm sure if women were "in charge" things would be very different. But perhaps I'm being unfair?
I'm sorry, I don't think I've helped, just ranted!!
I have no words. Instead, I'm going to link to you in my blog.
I just don't know what to say. I did a tongue in cheek post a few weeks ago about torture devices - and truly we humans have creative minds when it comes to this. If only it could be channeled in another direction. I am not sure that I understand the allure of this "sport."
Unfortunately, politics, religion and greed all play into this ... "My God is better than your God." It's kind of sick, when you think about it.
I don't know what to say about this. It makes me sad. It makes me mad that this is a "sport."
Sigh...
Thanks for sharing. I needed to read this.
That is so sad. I like to think people are basically decent, but sometimes its tough. :(
Thought provoking and well said. My son is leaving for Iraq (2nd tour) next month and he is only 23 years old. Talk about feeling helpless. I once read that every conflict from the smallest sibling rivalry to the greatest World Wars are simply power struggles. That hit me then and is approrpiate now.
Very thoughtful and thought provoking. I agree that very few people "win" in a war... while there seems to be more than enough loss to go around.
I feel helpless too sometimes... like I can only address that which is in front of me...
I just came from a humor-blogger who switched gears today to write about pedophiles..I think somethings going on in the universe.:)
Great post.
Oh, that's so sad! I can't believe people do that. Just wrong...vicious.
these are strange times. thanks for shedding some light.
excellent, thought-provoking and scary post. It's hard to think of the dark side of human beings, probably because it's so much more pleasant (and easy) to think that "everything is just fine" even when evidence to the contrary is right under our noses.
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