The PR Blog

A 94-year-old’s heartfelt plea about cruelty to animals, the neglect of children and the elderly, and our failing responsibility as caretakers.

The Measure of Our Humanity

Today you hear of so many incidents: I cannot call them stories, of cruelty, neglect, and downright "don't give a damn" attitudes that you reach the stage where you say, "Please don't go into the details. It is too upsetting."

I can't listen to any more distressing accounts of what someone has done to a child, an animal, or an elderly person.

We, as human beings, have brains.

We have hands and fingers. We have developed all sorts of things that can help those who depend on us, whether they belong to the animal kingdom or to our own species.

But if we don't speak out, who will? At 94, my sense of urgency is a reminder that time is short for all of us to act on what we know is right.

Once upon a time our cattle and sheep spent their days outside in the fields, enjoying the fresh air and resting under the shade of a tree. In many parts of the world today, where are they? In feedlots, penned indoors, living in such squalor that if we actually saw it, we would be horrified.

Look what has happened to our chooks. We now have to advertise that they are "free range" simply because they are allowed outside to scratch on the ground for part of the day. So many others spend their entire miserable lives confined to cages.

We also need to look at the way animals are killed for food. Once upon a time it was done as humanely as possible. Now we allow practices that are cruel and terrifying for cattle and sheep. That is another subject most people do not want to know about, because if we actually saw it, we would again be horrified.

Nor are we looking after our animals or our hard-working farmers. Farmers are quite capable of managing most of the time, but when the rains fail or their water is taken from them, governments must lend a hand. The water problem also has to be solved, otherwise this situation will only worsen and recovery will become more difficult. By the time it reaches our homes and our dinner tables, it will be too late.

Then we come to the children. Babies aborted at full term, neglect, and, in some cases, children being used for the sexual gratification of dreadful people. What are we doing about that?

Then there is what many children are being taught at school: lessons about masturbation, changing gender from girls to boys and boys to girls, and endless talk about climate change that leaves some of them worrying about their future. I believe we should get back to the basics: reading, writing and arithmetic. By the time they have mastered those, they will be old enough to make up their own minds about many of the other issues they are now expected to accept.

Then we come to the elderly. Not necessarily every older person, but those who are physically infirm and no longer able to look after themselves.

We read of terrible neglect :  people left alone until someone, far too late, finally discovers them and rescues them. Some have been left so long that they have literally become stuck to the bed or the chair in which they have been abandoned, fouled by bodily wastes, covered in sores and, in some cases, maggots.

You do not want to hear about such things, let alone see them or discover someone who has been treated in this way. Where are the people who are supposed to be overseeing these vulnerable members of our community?

I do not know the exact words, but I was always taught that God gave us both the knowledge and the ability to care for children, the elderly, and animals - all animals, not just the cattle that provide us with milk or those that serve our needs. He expects us to care for His creation, yet we are failing Him. It is time we pulled together and addressed this neglect.

We may not be as bad as some countries in the world, but that is hardly a reason for complacency. We still need to improve the lives of our animals, protect our children, and care properly for the elderly who have served us so well over the years.

I am reminded of the prophetic words of Paul Harvey in his 1965 broadcast, "If I Were the Devil."

Having dominion over the animals should never mean exploiting them. It should mean exercising humane stewardship over the resources God has entrusted to us. Mankind was given the privilege and responsibility of representing God in this world. We are caretakers. We hold sway over the earth, and because we bear God's image, we should strive to act as He would.

Does God misuse His creation? No. Is God careless with His gifts? No. Is He cruel, selfish, or wasteful? No. Then neither should we be.

Having dominion over the animals should entail a humane management of them as the resource God has ordained them to be. We should consider that mankind was given the task (and blessing) of representing God in this world. We are the caretakers. We hold sway over all the earth, and we (bearing God’s image) bear a responsibility to act as God would. Does God misuse His creation? No. Is God unwise in His management of resources? No. Is God ever cruel or selfish or wasteful? No. Then neither should we be. Any misuse or mistreatment of God’s creation is the result of sin, not the result of following God’s original command. We must fulfill our duty to manage the earth wisely until that time when the wolf shall lie down with the lamb in the kingdom of Christ (Isaiah 11:6).

 Redhead 

94 Years Wise