A Helping Hand (Nice Human & Whale Relationship Story)

Shoshin

Just thought I'd share a nice Dharma deed youtube clip of young Aussie guy removing some fishing line and plastic bag that was tangled around whale's mouth...

federica

We have so much crap going on in this world, presently, that kindnesses like this slip under the radar. Isn't it sad that such acts of compassion are seen as wondrous, a novelty, something to marvel at, be pleasantly surprised by, or moved to tears in watching, when by all accounts, we should actually consider this, the 'norm'...?

There has been massive furore about the hunter who shot the lion, and how the world in general has been clamouring for HIS head on a plate....
Arguments shot back and forth about how we put so much value on an animal's life, but seem to blithely ignore the daily misery, torture, sadness and wanton destruction of human life... have we become so inured to people-based tragedies, that inhumane treatment of animals is now priority? Centre stage?
I read a response to this, which made enormous sense to me at the time...

It was a comment in response to this:

I think that most people probably do not value human life above animal life anymore. In fact, I think that the trend is moving toward human life being less valuable or important than animal life.

This was the ensuing response I found insightful:

"Given that there are 7.3 billion of us on the planet, and that our ever increasing numbers pose a threat to other species, I can understand why a lot of people are focusing increasingly on animal welfare. There's no shortage of advocates willing to speak on behalf of human beings.

Billions are donated in aid, one way or another, to trouble ridden countries each year - specifically to help the people of those countries. In terms of meaningful and concrete action taken to help, far more money is diverted towards helping people.

But if you want to know what people's hearts say, rather than how they feel obliged to donate their spare cash (or in some cases how they are made to donate their spare cash)...yeah, a lot of people probably do have more of an emotional reaction to animals being mistreated. They can't speak, they can't defend themselves (beyond physically) and they can't advocate for themselves or their families. There aren't animal rights lawyers lining up to represent them and their interests.

And of the billions of human beings roaming this planet, sufficient numbers have so little compassion for animals that those who do cherish the continued existence of all sorts of species on this planet feel a more pressing need to advocate for them. We have the people who want to tame the planet to the point where there is no wildlife to speak of, on it, versus those who want to preserve the more untamed aspects of our natural world.
What a boring, sterile, colourless world this will be if the former finally win that particular conflict."