How Will We Be Judged?

Selfish:
1. [adj.] Concerned only with oneself

Arrogant:
1. [adj.] Having too high an opinion of oneself

Are we really “better” or “more important” than any and all other animals with whom we share this planet? Do you actually believe that when God (or nature) gave us dominion over this earth and all its creatures, we were intended to abuse, waste, destroy and ultimately eliminate, whatever natural resource and living being this earth offered up? The level of selfishness and arrogance required to support such a belief system is beyond comprehension. And inherently labels us unworthy, undeserving, unfit and - worst of all - unjust. What a loathsome epitaph: the human race rose to the very top of the food chain and became rulers of an entire planet, only to leave behind a legacy of oblivious and uncaring cruelty towards all life save their own.

Have we “evolved” to a level of consciousness that is devoid of compassion and humanity towards any living creature save one… ourselves? It would appear so. How else to explain why the average person neither cares about, nor is even aware of, the plight of so many animals - and entire species - across this country and around the world. For most it is a non-issue. They have no opinion or concern because for them it just simply does not exist. The unspeakable atrocities and acts of outrageous depravity, which occur every single day in this wonderful country of ours, go largely unknown because of how distasteful and graphically appalling the stories are and because media coverage of such incidents is basically nonexistent. Unfortunately, such an “ostrich” attitude does absolutely nothing to help the pitiful state of animal welfare on this planet. Denial and avoidance changes nothing.

I know it seems unfair and minimizing to focus energies only on one specific or select group of animals. But that is the unfortunate reality of things as they exist in our world. Is it not better to save even one animal, or one group of animals, than to simply do nothing while bemoaning the terrible state of affairs for all? I wish I could change the world. I cannot. I wish I could save them all. I cannot. But I will no longer allow that truth to prevent me from saving as many as I can… one at a time! I cannot tolerate the torture and cruelty. I cannot bear the images in my mind. I cannot continue to cry every day and every night. And I can no longer accept as “human”, these “creatures” who are so willing to allow this to be… who do not care at all.

You may be familiar with some of the more sensationalistic cases of cruelty and abuse that have managed to reach mainstream news in recent years. You know, like the guy who buried his Rottweiller’s puppies alive in the backyard; or the guy who tied up a live dog inside a burlap bag and then threw it into a river; or the kids who tied a large tortoise to the bumper of their car and dragged it up and down the road at 40 miles per hour. These are real cases. They made the news. Maybe you remember them. Maybe you don’t. Maybe you care. Maybe not. Well, how about the stuff that happens every single day and doesn’t make the news. How about the concept of “passive abuse”. Any idea what that is? “Owning” a dog - or any animal, for that matter - and viewing it as nothing more than personal “property”, and treating it as such, giving it no more thought or caring than your precious TV, can be passive abuse. You want an example? Okay... here’s an example.

Every day, on the way to and from work, I drive past a fairly new, typically suburban housing development. This particular road I travel - the road upon which these homes are situated - is a main thoroughfare. Meaning four lanes and lots of traffic. There was one new home that caught my eye. Not just because it was a large home situated on a very nice corner lot... but because a dog lived there. A dog who was in the yard - the unfenced yard - whenever I drove by, every morning and every evening. So I kept waiting to see the fence which I knew for sure was going to be built. I kept telling myself no one would ever let their dog run loose, so close to the road - especially this road - without putting up a fence. I would see this dog running around the nice corner lot home, with all the traffic in the road that was only 20 feet from where he would run and play. I kept praying for the fence. I kept asking God please don’t let this happen. But there was never any fence built. And then one day I saw the dog, the one whose name I never knew, the one who seemed to have so much fun running and playing, the one I couldn’t save... the one who is now lying dead in that road, not 40 feet from the front door of the house where he lived, where those people live... the ones that didn’t care. I hope God forgives them. I never will. And I pray for that dog. The one who lost his life for no reason other than having had the misfortune of “belonging” to a family that just didn’t care. But what I pray for most is that those people will never again have another dog. Ever.