What We Can Do: A Call for Action

A few days ago, I received an e-mail. That is not surprising, I receive tons of e-mails every day. But this e-mail made me ask myself a very important and yet difficult question: Should we be proud of being human?

The news referred to a new kind of “sport” discovered in Norway and Canada, which involves killing baby seals for fun and enjoyment. Yes, small, immaculately white baby seals are being butchered as we speak for the entertainment of some of our fellowmen.

It is true, I am a real animal lover and protector, but I would think that any normal person in this world would be appalled to hear of the existence of such terrible facts. The e-mail made me extend my thoughts upon all the horrors which man, the most intelligent being on earth, has performed throughout history and keeps doing every day.

Whether one is or is not religious, my opinion is that the “good” should be felt equally by all humans, opposite to “evil”. One doesn’t have to be a theologian or a church preacher (or just someone who goes to church on a regular basis) in order to see what the world has come to because of humanity and the power it was given unconditionally. People tend to take nature for granted, without considering that it is the source of all life and the main reason for which we can breathe, eat, drink and, thus, stay alive.

We wake up in the morning with the vivid feeling of “ruling the world”, of being able to have it all, no matter what methods we choose to accomplish it. Anything can be ours; we can use it all to achieve our purposes. When some people are asked what they are searching for in life, what they wish to achieve, most of them say “happiness”. But, I wonder, what does happiness mean to a person that kills for enjoyment or power, by defying the very balance of the universe, and shows no remorse?

Of course, it is very easy to say “I am a good person”. Let us admit it, neither of us is good. But, in my opinion, there are levels of good in this world, as well as there are levels of evil. And it is not that difficult to stretch towards the former, when we take into consideration that by this we could create a better world for all of us.