The most precious thing we have is our life. It is something to cherish, to protect, and to enjoy, because once it is gone, it is "game over"! Yet, humanity has such little respect for life. And this attitude is not just towards human life, but to the animals that inhabit this planet as well. The lower down you are on the food chain, the less respect there is, yet it has been shown, over and over, that if you mess with the food chain it affects EVERYONE. Yes, the other animals, humanity, and the environment. Yet we keep on doing it without heed for the disasters that are ahead.
I have watched two videos recently (on You Tube) that left me heart broken. Both for very different reasons. But both shared one thing in common - a lack of respect for life. In the first video, a young Asian mother of 18-19 years of age, beats her 9-10 month old daughter. Why? Because the child was conceived from rape, and because the mother is frustrated. I watched this mother slap and hit her baby around the head and legs, hit her daughter with a remote (from a fan or television), beat her continuously with a firm cushion, push her away, kick her, and yell at her. This baby is completely defenceless. She cannot talk, she cannot walk, and she is totally unprotected. I watched her cry in terror and fear, from the very person who is supposed to love her. I watched her cry until she was too exhausted to even move.
I understand it may be difficult to love a child conceived from rape. But that child is still created from 50% of her genetics. If she didn't want the child, why didn't she place her up for adoption? Or even place her in an orphanage? There are so many women around the world who cannot have children of their own, but it is the one thing they want, more than anything else in the universe. A child to call their own. Yet this mother places such little value on the life of her very own daughter. Is this what we have taught the younger generations? Then shame on us all!!!
The second video showed me how "that pretty piece of fur on your collar" came to be there. Let's just say, I am NEVER, EVER going to buy another item that has any type of fur (unless they can prove that it is 100% synthetic). I watched as hundreds and hundreds of dogs and cats (in China) were crammed into tiny cages, lying on top of each other, unable to breathe, move, or stand up, then taken away, killed, and skinned for their fur pellets. It was horrifying. I cannot even begin to describe just how horrific is was - to see endless rows of cat and dog skins thrown on the ground, drying in the sun. Why? For money! And so someone can have a pretty fur-lined collar. Again, life is considered worthless, except for the money it can bring to the greedy business men.
And now, on the other side of the world, in Newtown Connecticut USA, the right to own a gun outweighs the value of life. How is it, that a 20 year old, can have access to rapid-fire weapons? How is it that we say you must have a licence to drive a car, you must wear a seat-belt, and you must do the speed limit. But to own a gun, and not just a hand-gun, but a rapid-fire gun, you don't need anything. No rules, no regulations. Why? The answer is simple. Humanity does not value life. Why? Because politics and money speak louder than words and actions. Yes, we can say the man was a monster for taking those 26 lives, but the blame doesn't lie with him alone. Take a long hard look people - we are just as much to blame - for it is humanity who has taught so many generations that life has no value. We have taught so many generations to lack respect for themselves, their community, and their elders. We taught them... so who is to blame now?
If we want to change the way things are done, we need to do it ourselves by setting an example. Not by pointing our fingers at everyone else. If we want people to respect life, then we need to teach them how!!!
