It never ceases to amaze me, the true horror, terror and destruction that man is capable of. With television, video games and the movie industry consistently promoting violence as entertainment - it doesn't help. Violence is NOT entertainment, it is "bloodsport." It seems everyone these days, including our children, is becoming somewhat desensitized to it.
But let's face it, violence has been sold as a high form of entertainment since well before Roman times and the popularity of the Coliseum. What's terribly troubling about this fact is that . . . over the course of thousands of years of human evolution - we have yet to put a stop to that mentality. Violence is as popular a form of entertainment these days as it was 2,000 years ago. Maybe even more so.
Frightening isn't it?
It says alot about our species. Instead of evolving into positive, healthy mindsets - those of "brotherhood of man" and "live and let live" - we have yet to pull ourselves out of the primordial mud on this one. Hmm. . . something's clearly wrong here. Is it our genetics? Is it our primal side? Is it a mental condition? A human condition? Are we all just a bunch of neanderthals in drag?
I support many causes as much as I can in small ways. I have donated my time, my money and my support to several. And each time I do, I am again provided with information regarding those in need of assistance. People, animals, the environment . . . the list just goes on and on. So many out there need help, support and assistance - it's overwhelming. And what are many suffering from? The hands of man, of course. Our own kind - mankind. One of the most violent, aggressive, warring species on the planet.
I'd like to direct you to a few causes. Many are "bloodsport" and/or inhumanely cruel in nature, so please be forewarned. Others are environmental or humanity issues.
ALL are in need of assistance from the direct result of the involvement of mankind:
Bear Baiting in Pakistan ~ The bears suffer the agonizing removal of their teeth and claws without anesthetic. They are then tethered to a pole while as many as 4 dogs, trained to attack, are unleashed upon the terrified, helpless creature. This is all done for entertainment value at fairs in Pakistan. They are forced to fight for as many as 75 days per year and up to 6 -7 fights per day. The price to watch - equivalent to 50 cents.Bear Farming ~ Bear bile is used in traditional Asian medicine. Bears are "farmed" and confined in tiny cages. They can't move, hibernate or lie down. Bile is extracted in inhumane ways by inserting a tube directly into the gall bladder by untrained farm workers. The wound is reopened up to 3 times per day. Infection runs rampant and the suffering the animals endure is incomprehensible.
Bear Dancing ~ A tradition in India that is passed from father to son. Sloth bear cubs are poached illegally and often taken from the mother after witnessing her brutal death. They each suffer the piercing of their nose or palate and then a rope is passed through it. The rope is tugged throughout their lifetime to control them. Their destiny? To dance for crowds in India, being drug from village to village while nutritional needs are not even considered.
Dogs Being Used as Shark Bait ~ Golden Retrievers, one of the most popular dog breeds in the America, are being used as live shark bait. The evening before the fishing expedition, they are forced to endure a 7" fish hook inserted into their nose or paws so that they are sufficiently bleeding before being tossed, helplessly, into the ocean. The thrashing attracts the prize - a shark. Sign the petition to stop this NOW.
Kentucky Fried Chicken is Destroying Our Forests ~ You know that iconic red and white packaging that serves up this famous chicken? Their "clear-cutting" practice is directly contributing to the destruction of our Southern forests. "Despite repeated attempts to engage KFC in discussions, the President has refused to match his espoused values with the company's iconic packaging." Sign the petition to stop this NOW.
Campaign for the Rainforest ~ It's no secret, the rain forest is disappearing faster than the mist on an early morning river. I don't think people have any idea of the ripple effect and global catastrophe that man's interference here can cause. Additionally, we are being robbed of the opportunity to find medical cures and new species of plants and animals that may actually be beneficial to mankind. Sign the petition to stop this NOW.
Stop Sex Trafficking ~ The ECPAT (End Child Prostitution And Trafficking) is conducting a campaign, "Stop Sex Trafficking" and raising funds to mobilize change in cooperation with The Body Shop. Purchase their Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream or their Bag For Life to help. All net proceeds from the sale of these items is donated towards the cause.
Rape as a Tool of War ~ "In every armed conflict investigated by Amnesty International in 1999 and 2000, the torture of women was reported, most often in the form of sexual violence. Violence directed against women is often considered an attack against the values or "honor" of a society and therefore a particularly potent tool of war. Women therefore experience armed conflicts as sexual objects, as presumed emblems of national and ethnic identity, and as female members of ethnic, racial, religious, or national groups." Donate to Amnesty International to help to stop this NOW.
Fight Against Child Pornography ~ "ASACP offers a secure, anonymous reporting system for the general public to report questionable content who may feel uncomfortable contacting government agencies. ASACP has the knowledge and technical ability to review submitted reports and forward suspect sites to the authorities who consider our Red Flag Reports to be high priority." If you see it, REPORT IT!
Mankind refers to itself as "civilized" . . . but based on the few examples I've provided above - that seems quite a stretch, doesn't it? Please help. Defend the helpless against this aggressive species we call mankind.
4 Comments:
All of the examples above sadden my heart :-(
I really enjoyed reading this it certainly stimulated my thought process. Let me explain,although what was commented on is sad indeed to think of the inhumanity of it all.
As I read my thoughts drifted to survival of all species and what is necessary for a species to survive is overlooked, more shocking is what seems to be acceptable. For instance we do not see the slaughter or mistreatment of what we consume from our local market. We shop for a nice roast or chicken without thought of the inhumanity involved. Yet when we hear of small amounts of “injustice we think are so terrible and are exploited by those carrying the torch of justice yet keep a blind eye to the mass of injustice going on with ALL species.
Questions to ponder:
Why do we love our cat that torments a mouse before killing it or why do many kill a snake for the simple fact we don't like them?
Is not then all life precious and what power is instilled in us as the judge and jury of what is justice ? Are animals and humans the only living things that have feelings? What about the majestic tree or the amber wave of grain?
Do all species need to exploit other life forms to survive or to heal their own?
I think it was Stalin that said something like killing one person is a terrible tragedy but killing millions is a statistic.
To what point is it all correct ?
Hey! take it easy on the Neaderthals! There is evidence to suggest that they were the peace-loving, art-making, gentler of the two competing homo sapiens 50,000 years ago. And that Cro Magnon essentially overran them (subjugating for rape the ones they decided not to slaughter outright).
Sooo... there it begins. I'm going with a kink in the genes. We can certainly evolve through that given, but my sense is that there is a necessary 'martial' component to any peaceful evolutionary process that has to factored in. History is littered (starting with Mr. Neanderthal) with peaceloving social groups who are routinely run over by Huns. My personal experience with violence has been that it is only stopped by an energy that is every bit as intense - but has a quality I call 'ingressive' - fierce, peaceful, funny as hell, but as solid as the pyramids. It seems to be hiding in most people, and I've seen it pop out and completely defuse volatile situations; I have also seen it scare the pants off of aggressors. After the work is done, poof!, it's gone, like some kind of anti-violence fairy godmother. It's in there, people, and if I knew how to cultivate it I'd make a million bucks. But the surprise is good too.
@MOA
I enjoyed readingthis post. At this point in time I'm reading a book called "Survival of the Fittest" the main aim of this book is to provide a teleological approach to why humans are structured in this particalar way. Also why they have the particular physiological mechanics that make us so efficient in the area of physically demanding pursuits.
To illustrate the points it makes a number of good evidence based points as to the part "unnatural" selection. One of those being that several different species or branches of "human" lived alongside us before we became dominant on this planet.
That leads to the question of how we bacame the dominant branch leading to our particular design features being the dominant human model. The only way we could have arrived where we are is by commiting genocide many times over.
How scary is that as a thought? Genocide as a feature of "Human Nature". We are truly on the face of it the most voilent beings on the planet.
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