I reported the other
day that we got a dog. So for a week now, I and he have been bonding, master to
animal. I'm sure he is a Filipino German Sheppard because he is rather stubborn
about some things. Like if there is a "slipper" (sandal) in the
neighborhood, he will chew it to shreds no matter how many times he has been
told "no". And he will eat the crap that comes from the kitchen
drainage pipe no matter how often he has been yanked away and scolded.
This morning I
observed my wife's brother trekking out for his early morning duty of feeding
his fighting chicken. He lives in the house at the other side of our property,
along with my wife's mother.
I've never owned a
fighting chicken, but I've owned dogs.
Americans tend to
ascribe human qualities to their dogs. Most pamper the animals, talking to
them, feeding them, keeping them bathed and clean. In the U.S., dogs often have
the run of the house. My ex-girlfriend, a veterinarian, would allow her poodle
to sleep on the bed with us. She argued that dogs are cleaner than humans, and
I believe her. After all, she is now rich, and so is her dog, and here I am,
sucking my income off Uncle Sam.
Dogs in the
Philippines also have the run of the house, but that is often because there is
no door. And fleas are just another bug that poor people have to deal with.
The dogs here are
not very well cared for. Well, other than receiving the garbage for food, they
are usually not cared for at all.
But the chickens
are.
They get vitamins
and a little house and personal
attention and are trained for their occupation, to kill other chickens.
That's what I don't
comprehend, and maybe a reader can help me out.
I humanize my dogs.
Care for them, love them, get loved back. Do Filipino men care for their
chickens that way? You know, do they bond at the heart?
If so, how can they
send them into the fighting ring knowing there is a 50/50 chance the bird will
come out dead?
I'd never send my
dog into a fight. Certainly not to one where odds were even I'd have to get out
a shovel and bury him. And my hungry neighbors would certainly not be allowed
to dine on his carcass.
I deduce that
Filipinos simply don't extend their feelings to animals at all. Not to dogs,
not to chickens. Hell, based on the rudeness everywhere, I'm not sure they
extend their feelings to other people.
Yet that is what
distinguishes the higher order of human from the lower order of animal, is it
not? The ability to conceptualize and figure things out, to know that kindness
is good and courtesy honorable? That's why we are the superior animal, except
for cockroaches and ants who will be here long after the nuclear holocaust.
I look at the
Republican primary in the United States and I'd say those of us claiming to
belong to mankind have not progressed very far on the progressiveness scale.
The deceits, outright lies, manipulations and lack of respect shown other
supposedly upstanding, honorable men is astounding. It's down and dirty. No
holds barred. Cut throat. Rather like fighting chickens in the ring, now that I
think about it clearly.
The Corona trial is
another cock pit, women welcome.
We are more animal
than human, in many respects. Bowing to base motivations like dominance and
cunning. A cross I suppose between an elephant and a fox. Dominance and cunning
and even nasty, ruthless violence. What animal best represents that? A hyena? The
results of our murderous tendencies are broadcast daily. Who can question that
somewhere in our genetic code is an easy disposition to kill?
Well, I think we
have to simply try a little harder to recognize principles that allow us to
claim an honorable place above animals. We have to try a little harder to stick
to those principles, even if the weight of other people's opinions and acts
goes against us. We have to do better. Better than uttering lies, knowingly.
Better than lying to ourselves.
Right now, I think
dogs, and possibly even chickens, are more honorable than man.
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