The Good and Bright World
On the back of recent edition of Europa Sur (an Andalusian newspaper) was a photo of a whale beached in South Africa. Why whales end up in this condition is still something of a mystery, but since they do, I’m of the opinion that some kind of decision was made—and that should be the end of it. But sadly, in this whale’s case, its end was decided by man. The powers that be thought it best to play God and end the critter’s life by blowing its brains out with explosives.
As a kid I well remember being told the story of how an Eskimo leaves the world behind when he finally realizes he hasn’t much time left. He sets out on his own, usually when his family’s asleep, finds some far away icy mass, and awaits the inevitable. Hypothermia can be either a potent enemy for those who wish to live on, or a blessed friend for those who don’t, and once the old Eskimo breathes his last, he knows that his remains will be covered over, to be forever held in an icy stasis—a condition rich Americans pay full dollar for, which goes under the fancy title of “cryogenics.”
But for those rich Americans, and that poor old Eskimo, the fate of their own personal body shells is made by their own decision, whereas the fate of the beached whale wrongfully became of man’s choosing.
Man’s penchant for playing God with the lives of others is not restricted to noble sea mammals, for man derives pleasure of some sort from interfering in the lives of fellow human beings, too. Does the name Terri Schindler ring any bells? We all remember Terri. Her parents remember her much better than we do, for they brought her into the world, only to watch helplessly as men took her prematurely out of it.
To my view, the works of modern mankind, when they involve themselves in the subject of life and death, are cloaked in dichotomy and contradiction. Liberals are quick off the draw to condemn military action, and even quicker at lamenting the subsequent loss of life, but when truly defenseless creatures become their focus of attention, they’re equally quick at ending their lives!
Euthanasia, abortion and, yes, destroying beached whales that will not return to the sea, are the name of the game to brain-dead liberals. The sanctity of life is upheld only when they deem it convenient to do so. But when push comes to shove, you can always rely on the liberal blood machine to take things, and lives, into its own stead, because liberals fail to take the term “destiny” seriously.
The spiritually minded individual understands that a strange form of partnership exists within an individual’s life: The physical and spiritual elements are united in mutual destiny—free will housed in God’s Will, living and breathing, thinking, planning, and expediting their course on good old planet earth with all the wonders that it contains.
What a good and bright world this is if we do not lose our hearts to it, but what a dark world, if we do!
Tales of the Hasidim , Martin Buber
The spiritually minded individual comprehends part of the vastness and wonder of Creation, and finds his role within it. He understands the frailty of life and its dependence on another dimension far higher than himself, to help him through the darkest night:
The LORD is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.
The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.
Psalms 145:17,18
Throughout time great men and women have fearlessly forged ahead, bravely carrying out what they know to be their part in progressive world history. Through doing so they became part of the brigade of noble souls and, without that knowledge and understanding of the higher dimension that empowered them, they would have formed part of the other side: the brigade of dishonorable cowards—the ones who go through life condemning the enfeebled, the unborn and the very old, to death.
But there’s a twist of irony to Europa Sur’s back page for the ones who support the killing of beached whales and other innocents: Directly above that photo was another photo of an Iraqi lying on a hospital bed with a bandaged leg and a caption that said, “Still a river of blood after nearly two and a half years since the United States and allied forces attacked Iraq.” Surrounding the beached whale in the photo below was a sea of blood oozing from that lonely sea mammal, which had swum to shore with the intention of breathing its last in communion with its Maker, rather than becoming a living feast for a sea of sharks.
It found instead its intended end altered by man and his twisted sense of earthly mercy.
Mr. Symon, an American who lives in Spain, writes a weekly column for AMSIRIANO.COM called “Europe in a Nutshell.”
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