WARNING: THIS TOPIC CONTAINS SUBJECTS THAT MAY OFFEND A LOT OF PEOPLE. IF DO NOT WANT TO READ SUCH INFLAMMATORY MATERIAL, CLICK ON THE BACK BUTTON NOW. IF, HOWEVER, YOU ARE OPEN-MINDED LIKE ME OR JUST DON'T GIVE A DARN ABOUT POLITICAL CORRECTNESS AND OTHER HOO-HA, THEN READ ON.
In the light of the unfortunate incident in a zoo in California, I have raised a few questions about the final fate of animals and the morality of humans. When we kill an animal for killing a human, are sending it to Hell? When we euthanise dogs that had been used in acts of cruelty, are we doing more harm than good? When a human is suspected of killing someone, they get a trial. Animals are not as lucky. Once an animal is suspected of killing a human, intentional or not, they are put to death. I wonder if the souls of the executed animals blame us for their eternal damnation. If you are an animal, once you seriously injure or kill a human, you are marked for death, no questions asked. We kill predatory animals because they can't help but do what Nature intended for them to do. And yet we kill our fellow humans for reasons like greed, vanity, sex, jealousy, hatred, religion, and many other petty excuses to justify murder. And sometimes, we kill for no reason at all. I guess the main difference between the tiger that was shot to death for killing a human and a serial killer is that a tiger is governed by instinct and kills because it has to and a serial killer just kills because he enjoys it. Of course, there are animals that seemingly behave like serial killers, like stray dogs slaughtering anything unfortunate enough to cross their paths. There are even reports of animals committing rape and infanticide. The main question that is ultimately raised is are animals no different than humans or are we no different than the animals? We claim to be above the animals and yet we still have our bestial instincts. Does that mean that we, as a species, are nothing more than Godless animals at the core? When the trappings of civilization unravel and peel away, are we left with a mindless, savage animal whose only concern is survival at all costs, even at the expense of the lives of others? We share many instincts with the animals, including being territorial. In fact, we human are territorial to the extreme. Just look at the borders between countries and states. It could be that the whole issue of illegal immigrants many be the result of a deep-rooted instinct to drive away anyone who intrudes into our territory. Sure, people may have various reasons to want illegal immigrants to be driven out of the country, but it all comes back to the subconscious desire to drive out any stranger out of their territory. Basically, everyone feels threatened by the intrusion and thus want to drive them out. And some of the "intruders" are people who want a better future and think that America is the best place to live. *sigh* And we Americans wonder why the rest of the world hates us... I'm sorry, I did not mean to push any buttons, but I can't help but notice a similarity between the behaviors of humans and animals. My intention is to make people think and to ask some questions of their own. I was never interested in politics because frankly, I think the current political situation is silly. Here we are, caught up in our little squabbles over issues that are caused by our ineptitude and absorbed in our fears, real and imagined, when we should be looking at the bigger picture! Anyway, back to the subject. Do animals who have killed humans go to the same Afterlife as an animal who has never even seen a human in their entire life? Are dogs who were trained to kill in bloodsports allowed to be in the same Afterlife as the dogs who were pampered and spoiled? Is there justice for the animal kingdom? I want all those who took their time to read this to think about it.
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