Humanity Today: A Call For Action

A few days ago, I received an e-mail… That is not surprising, I receive tons of e-mail 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.

While trying to make our own, personal existence better, we cannot help noticing what surrounds us. Every day, no matter how good that specific day is for us, we hear of the horrors happening, physically, somewhere far away from us. The feeling I get is not “it’s not my problem”, but it is more like “it is happening, and that is bad enough for me and the rest of us”. And I am certain I’m not the only one. Each and every single day we hear of people killing animals, people killing people, people hating each other for money and power, people dying of hunger and poverty, animals being butchered as part of a sport called “hunting” or simply dying because man has destroyed their habitat…

The first question that comes to mind is “ok, so what can I do about it?” And that, to some extent, is true. There is not much we can do, except sign virtual petitions which will never reach the addressee, talk about it with our friends and families, suffer secretly because of it… I find it sad, not being able to do anything, just repeatedly asking “why?” and “where is the perfect world promised to us when we were babies and everything was colorful and safe?”

A few months ago, I had the honor of translating a book called “The Children of War” from Romanian to English. The book was written by a Romanian war correspondent, a remarkable woman who decided to DO something, instead of wasting time wondering why it is happening. It took a lot of courage and strength for her to go to all those horrible places in the Middle East, where people are being killed in their beds and children are being held hostage in their schools. By translating that book I somehow felt like I was contributing to something, like I, myself, was making a small step towards ACTION. On the other hand, by reading about all the things this woman and many others like her have done and are still doing to help, I felt rather small, insignificant… and I realized that I was standing in front of something much bigger and much more valuable than the little, stupid things we complain about every day. There are people out there putting their lives to risk in order to help others who are less fortunate. This is what being human really means, in my opinion. Not just having two legs and a mind which can do much, but does little, but doing all it takes to make the world a better place, not just for us, but for every being on this planet.