20080527

Puppies Vs. Toddlers

where does true happiness lie? in knowing the truth, or in denying it and living in the faux peace of denial? many of us can echo the words of zach de la rocha, lead singer for the now defunct "rage against the machine", who states: if ignorance is bliss, then knock the smile off my face!
the truth, while not always pleasant, is liberating. that is the motivation behind this blog. i hope to challenge others to seek the truth, and to look inside themselves and determine if they are voluntary blind men, or are they seeing the world through the eyes of the enlightened.

that being said, the topic for my first post has to do with a disturbing trend that i have witnessed over the last week in my own hometown paper in tupelo, ms. a home on a rural county road was raided last week by law enforcement. this raid was spurned by the death of a two year old boy, who was essentially starved to death. however, the death of the two year old was not the main story that was reported from the raid. the main headline in the paper the following day had to do with a "puppy mill" that was found on the property. some 150 dogs were taken from the property that were diseased and malnourished. the story about the abused and neglected two year old who died? one column off to the right side of the paper. i am an animal lover as much as the next person, however, when exactly did the lives of animals take precedence over the lives of children? this is evident in the movies, as well. a movie can show humans of any age, gender, or race being tortured, murdered, or any other gruesome fate that man in his depravity can imagine. however, at the end of the movies, there is always the disclaimer that no animals were harmed during the making of this film. there is no disclaimer about people, even when filming documentaries. i do not hear a public outcry. i hear silence. why? because human life is trivialized. this disturbing trend began with the introduction of evolutionary teaching into the schools in the 50s. if humans are nothing more than glorified animals, then we are worth no more than that. from that came roe v. wade, allowing the further trivialization of the lives of the unborn, based on their inabiltiy to contribute to society and their subsequent burden on society. i forsee this trend to soon be transferred to other groups, such as the mentally and physically handicapped, the elderly, the homeless. "never," you say? many germans said "never" when first told about the atrocities that were being committed by their own government. in reference to the aforementioned article, other articles have graced the front page of the paper in the days following the raid, all having to do with the puppies. nothing more was said about the unfortunate two year old except that the parents were being charged for his death. like an ostrich, we bury our heads in the sand. this way we do not shatter our utopian view of man's "inherent goodness". if man is not inherently good, then we have to admit that there must be something wrong with us. but we judge ourselves based on others, and not on the standard Almighty G-d has set for us. in response to the puppies, G-d's Word says that we are of more value than many sparrows. puppies as well. if only we all held to that view, maybe our world would be a better place.