"Joyful Curmudgeon" An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful. At the same
time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the world, and feel
called to help expose and end it so that we may have true peace and compassion.
Why is it that so many people try to downplay the truth about the cruelty against other animals in the world?
Last night the PBS Nature series had a repeat TV airing of “Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History.” (See also: http://www.all-creatures.org/heart/blog-20061106.html)
It was fund-raising time and I was pleased that they had decided to show this program again. However, in my opinion the local spokespersons/fundraisers seemed to skirt the true issue presented here: the exploitation of other animals who feel emotional and physical pain just as much (and perhaps more) than we humans do.
I sensed a certain reluctance (mixed in with a bit of embarrassment) in these local fundraisers that I sense in so many whose livelihood depends on “toeing the line” and “not making waves.” This comes through in a not-so-subtle lumping of other animals under the general heading of “environment” or “nature.” This is tantamount to dismissing anyone who isn’t a “human being” as an object. We mustn’t forget that not too long ago certain human beings were relegated to the same low status and were thought by many to lack “souls.”
Go on to: “Rod of Iron” – 28 November 2006
Return to: Penguins – 26 November 2006
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