After Liturgy every week, I feel as though I am surrounded by a lack of care and concern for the animals who provided the foods upon which people dine.
And I can't say a word about it. Sure, I could talk about the horrific conditions in which these animals suffered in order to become food. But I have learned that the world does not want to hear. I can vividly remember when, as a child not so inhibited by the "right" way to act, I was greeted by a slightly raised hand, and the words, "I don't want to know."
Why don't we want to know? Perhaps because knowledge without action would lead to feelings of guilt? Has the long Lenten fasting period not shown us that it is possible to live without eating animal products? Are we so driven by our passions that we cannot choose kindness over killing? Is there no hope for humanity to become more humane?
So, I steel my face and cry my silent tears. Silent tears for the animals who are not shown God's mercy by the people He entrusted to care for them. Silent tears for the people who have become so blinded and desensitized to the truth that they are able to participate in such madness.
2 comments:
Stephanie, I came here from Ben DeVries blog. I'm so glad he pointed the way!
The timing of your post was so perfect for me. Just this morning I was having a good cry over an act of what I consider animal cruelty, and it really helped to read your post after that. It makes me again realize that I'm not alone in knowing that God gave us the animals to care for them, not to abuse them.
A worker in our local post office told me that last spring a box of baby chicks were shipped through U.S. Postal Service to someone who lives in my town. They tried repeatedly to contact the person via phone, mail, and in-person visits to the house. By law, they are not allowed to open the box that that chicks are in, so they had to listen to them slowly starve/thirst to death in that box. The person showed up two weeks later! The insanity of allowing animals to be shipped in boxes through the U.S. Postal Service is hard for me to believe.
Anyway, your post made me feel not so alone in my love for all creatures, great and small. Many thanks.
Tracy,
I'm glad my post helped you to not feel so alone. It has been wonderful to get in touch with others like yourself who see and believe that God loves ALL of His creation.
Your story about the chicks broke my heart. I must say, if I had been working at that post office, I would have definitely broken that "law." It seems strange to me that there isn't some sort of clause in that law which allows for someone to save the life of an animal who is in danger, whether or not they were destined to be delivered to a particular person.
At any rate, do not give up hope. Each and every one of us CAN make a difference some how!
Stephanie
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