The blind snake
Look Ma! A blind dog! Poor thing! It keeps bumping into various things as it moves. What a pity! said the little boy to his mother as they crossed to street to buy some grocery.
Hurry up Tim, you need to pay attention to the road as you cross it. Said his mother sternly. Tim obviously shocked by his mother insensitivity and looked at her with with tears welling up in his eyes.
Mother! How can you have heart of stone! There is a blind dog and we need to help it! Tim was starting to sound very authoritative. His mother knew she needed to pay attention to the situation. Instead of heading towards the supermarket she decided to take Tim to a park.
Tim: Ma, we left the supermarket behind.
Mother: Tim, we are not going to the supermarket we are heading towards the park.
Tim: I am in mo mood for playing in park just now let's just finish grocery shopping and go back home.
Mother: Tim, we are not going to play in park, we are going to talk.
She said very softly. Soon they were in middle of a beautiful park with lush green grass and many many trees. Birds were everywhere and their melodious songs striking the perfect harmony. Butterflies were busy flirting with the flowers.
Tim always felt very peaceful ad one with himself in this park. He would often sit for hours staring at the birds as they went about their business.
So, said his mother tapping him gently on the shoulder, trying to grab his attention. Did you feel sad for the blind dog?
Yes! I did and you took absolutely no interest in the plight of the dog! said Tim with hint of anger in his voice.
Absolutely true Tim, said his mother. Why do you think I took no interest in plight of that dog?
Tim: Because... Because you have no emotions and have no heart. Tim's voice was shaking now.
Mother: Calm down young man! Why did you take pity?
Tim ( in very convincing voice): Because he was blind and I have feelings, I care about animals.
Mother: Do you care about all animals?
Tim: Yes
Mother: Do you care about mosquitoes?
Tim (taken aback by the question): Whaat? No! They are nasty! They bite.
Mother: So you care only about cute and non- nasty animals.
Tim: No, I do care for all animals but for some I care more.
Tim was starting to have internal conflicts with his own statements. He knew tat it was not a matter of winning the arguments but a matter of having his feelings resolved and hence decided not to argue just for the sake of it and be more honest with his thoughts.
Mother: Tim, It was not that I did not feel bad for the dog. I did but then there are two things that you need to understand.
Let me start with an incident that occurred nearly a year ago. Do you remember that blind snake in our yard. You had spotted the snake and within minutes it was clear that the snake was blind. It would keep bumping into things just like the dog you just saw. You started off nice with just photographing the snake and it's eye. However as you drew in closer the snake sensed your presence and made attempts in getting away. Since the snake was getting more and more restless so were you as you were unable to get the photograph you so desired. You ran after the snake with more rigor. This only made matter worse and snake made more and more desperate attempts in getting away. It would bang it's head multiple times into the wall and couple of times in the barbed wires lying behind the dumpster. Sometimes you would irritate the snake with a stick so that you would get it come in desired position and sometimes you would just for the kicks of it.
The snake obviously was not a big fan of being man handled by the stick made one last desperate attempt to save it's life. Being blind the snake probably did not know that it was running towards you.
Scared for your own safety you left the snake listless with a quick blow from the stick.
My question for you Tim is that did you not feel sad for the blind snake? After all it was also a living being that was scared, helpless and disabled. It probably had feelings too and in it's last moments it probably just wanted to escape or just left alone.
It is easy to feel sad and bad for the animals that are generally accepted as cute and lovable. Just like it is easy to sympathize for the popular kids in school when they are down but that does not mean they are the only ones who have feelings and emotions. The awkward kid at the corner of the classroom has them too.
What I am trying to say is that let us just not be prejudiced only about the animals and plants that have come to be more socially or culturally acceptable to humans but to all life forms.
Do you understand the point I am trying to make Tim?
Hurry up Tim, you need to pay attention to the road as you cross it. Said his mother sternly. Tim obviously shocked by his mother insensitivity and looked at her with with tears welling up in his eyes.
Mother! How can you have heart of stone! There is a blind dog and we need to help it! Tim was starting to sound very authoritative. His mother knew she needed to pay attention to the situation. Instead of heading towards the supermarket she decided to take Tim to a park.
Tim: Ma, we left the supermarket behind.
Mother: Tim, we are not going to the supermarket we are heading towards the park.
Tim: I am in mo mood for playing in park just now let's just finish grocery shopping and go back home.
Mother: Tim, we are not going to play in park, we are going to talk.
She said very softly. Soon they were in middle of a beautiful park with lush green grass and many many trees. Birds were everywhere and their melodious songs striking the perfect harmony. Butterflies were busy flirting with the flowers.
Tim always felt very peaceful ad one with himself in this park. He would often sit for hours staring at the birds as they went about their business.
So, said his mother tapping him gently on the shoulder, trying to grab his attention. Did you feel sad for the blind dog?
Yes! I did and you took absolutely no interest in the plight of the dog! said Tim with hint of anger in his voice.
Absolutely true Tim, said his mother. Why do you think I took no interest in plight of that dog?
Tim: Because... Because you have no emotions and have no heart. Tim's voice was shaking now.
Mother: Calm down young man! Why did you take pity?
Tim ( in very convincing voice): Because he was blind and I have feelings, I care about animals.
Mother: Do you care about all animals?
Tim: Yes
Mother: Do you care about mosquitoes?
Tim (taken aback by the question): Whaat? No! They are nasty! They bite.
Mother: So you care only about cute and non- nasty animals.
Tim: No, I do care for all animals but for some I care more.
Tim was starting to have internal conflicts with his own statements. He knew tat it was not a matter of winning the arguments but a matter of having his feelings resolved and hence decided not to argue just for the sake of it and be more honest with his thoughts.
Mother: Tim, It was not that I did not feel bad for the dog. I did but then there are two things that you need to understand.
Let me start with an incident that occurred nearly a year ago. Do you remember that blind snake in our yard. You had spotted the snake and within minutes it was clear that the snake was blind. It would keep bumping into things just like the dog you just saw. You started off nice with just photographing the snake and it's eye. However as you drew in closer the snake sensed your presence and made attempts in getting away. Since the snake was getting more and more restless so were you as you were unable to get the photograph you so desired. You ran after the snake with more rigor. This only made matter worse and snake made more and more desperate attempts in getting away. It would bang it's head multiple times into the wall and couple of times in the barbed wires lying behind the dumpster. Sometimes you would irritate the snake with a stick so that you would get it come in desired position and sometimes you would just for the kicks of it.
The snake obviously was not a big fan of being man handled by the stick made one last desperate attempt to save it's life. Being blind the snake probably did not know that it was running towards you.
Scared for your own safety you left the snake listless with a quick blow from the stick.
My question for you Tim is that did you not feel sad for the blind snake? After all it was also a living being that was scared, helpless and disabled. It probably had feelings too and in it's last moments it probably just wanted to escape or just left alone.
It is easy to feel sad and bad for the animals that are generally accepted as cute and lovable. Just like it is easy to sympathize for the popular kids in school when they are down but that does not mean they are the only ones who have feelings and emotions. The awkward kid at the corner of the classroom has them too.
What I am trying to say is that let us just not be prejudiced only about the animals and plants that have come to be more socially or culturally acceptable to humans but to all life forms.
Do you understand the point I am trying to make Tim?
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