great loneliness of spirit

After today’s readings, I am not sure what to write for my blog entry. Of course there were sections that I highlighted to return to once writing yet I can’t set my mind to the course of action of writing. Though the story was well written, I could not bring myself to enjoy the reading of Disgrace. Having many things in my personal and educational life bringing me down of late, I do not look forward to reading about cruel things that have been, or are being done to animals. I really disliked the end of the story (or at least our reading) after the main character builds a relationship with an unwanted dog, and realizing the dog had also formed the same connection. “Bearing him in his arms like a lamb, he re-enters the surgery. ‘I thought you would save him for another week,’ says Bev Shaw. ‘Are you giving him up?’ ‘Yes, I am giving him up.’” (687) Though this was a difficult task for David, and he continues to reflect upon the mental hardships he faces putting these animals down, he put down the one animal that he had made a connection with because of his disability. I have many personal qualms with the persecution of people and animals with disabilities. I have many problems myself that I do not view as disabilities, along with my constant companion Jazz (14 year old cockatiel) who can no longer fly. I agree with Barbara Smuts “while few of us can travel to Africa to live with wild baboons, most of us have the chance to develop a bond with a member of another intelligent, social species…”, with my bond being with Jazz.(652) The topic of disability is one that I will save for another day.

"Hope is a dog born without front legs. A dog barely mobile. Gentlemen, we can rebuild her. We have the technology. We have the capability to build the world’s first bionic puppy. Hope will be that puppy. Better than she was before. Better, stronger, faster.

This two-legged Maltese puppy gets around by using a specially-designed device using wheels from a model airplane. From birth, she was able to get around hardwood floors with ease by pushing off her back legs. However, doctors said that her natural mode of moving eventually would damage her bones and spine. This led them to creating The Six Million Dollar Dog." 1.

Already being into the middle of my blog entry, I realize that I have made this a more personal “journal entry” than a blog. The next blog entry should be back along my usual writing style…

I also realize that I do not have much to say in the way of expressing my opinions, or reactions to the readings. They were another element of my day that brought me down. In continuing with not saying much in my own words I will finish this lonely blog entry with quotations relating animal cruelty.

“Auschwitz begins wherever someone looks at a slaughterhouse and think: they’re only animals.”—T. Adorno. (725)

“The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? But rather, Can they suffer?”- J. Bentham (727)

“The soul is the same in all living creatures, although the body of each is different.” –Hippocrates (726)

“There is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to beasts as well as man it is all a sham.” – A. Sewell (728)

“Heaven goes by favour. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in… man is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain.” – M. Twain

“The Earth does not belong to man; Man belongs to the Earth. This we know. All things are connected like the blood which unites one family. Whatever befalls the Earth befalls the sons of the Earth. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself… What is a man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to man.” –Chief Seattle. (729)

Chief Seattle 2.

Images:

1.http://www.gearfuse.com/the-six-million-dollar-dog/

2.http://mclane65.tripod.com/native/chief_seattle.jpg