Ears to Hear? Eyes to See?
First off, I would like to say that I, er, borrowed this title from Jeff Byrd's editorial, "Ears to Hear" in the Tryon Daily Bulletin (oops, that would be "Mr" Jeff Byrd to me!). I think his excellent commentary spoke to all of us. If not, it should have.
I am a very lucky dog. I have "ears to hear" and "eyes to see". And we do need to hear and see things that outrage us, or we will never see change occur. These past two weeks I have seen or heard of several incidents that disturbed me greatly. I find it difficult to comprehend how some folks have no respect for any living thing, be it two-legged or four-legged.
A small kitten was hit by a car. The lady (and I use that term advisedly) who was driving, got out, saw the kitten was injured, shrugged her shoulders, got back into the car and drove away. Fortunately for the kitten, there was a kind-hearted Good Samaritan behind her, who got the kitten the care it needed (and who also got a good description of the woman, the car, and the license plate. She will be remembered.)
Another incident that I personally witnessed involved a big old turkey crossing Collinsville Road, not exactly a superhighway. It was in a clear stretch, easy to see and avoid. But the "lady" (ugh) driving never braked or swerved, she just obliterated that turkey. All she did after hitting the big bird was look in her rear view mirror and I'm not sure why. I am hoping it left a turkey-sized dent in her nice looking car. I won't go into detail about the other incidents, which include a cat being thrown from a moving car, but trust me, they are equally dreadful.
I realize that these incidents may seem petty to some, but the truth is, they are not. This complete disregard for life, be it four-legged, two-legged, or winged, is indicative of a sick society. Senseless, mindless, gratuitous violence against any living being is horrific. What are we teaching our children? How do these people look in the mirror? Would you want one of these people as a neighbor? As a friend? Is this the kind of folks we want in our community? On a personal level, I find them scary.....even though I am big !
Mr. Byrd was referring to the divisiveness that comes when people of one race distrust or fear people of a different race, and, to the understanding and respecting of the viewpoint of another. I firmly believe that respect for each other is a moral imperative to each of us. I may be "only a dog" but I know, and try to live by, the golden rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This sentiment crosses all boundaries, be they racial, religious, national, or interspecies, and speaks to the universal society of which we are all a part. The humans in our community need to show respect for each other and the rest of us living beings, human or animal --
So once again, I am reminded of the two words that I chose to be my "words for the year". "Humane education". We really need to learn to be humane to everyone and everything!
I think NOW would be a good time for us to start!
Woof!
CHAMP
