Extra Credit MLKJ Post 1/24/13

            I was pleasantly surprised when I went to the Martin Luther King Jr. panel discussion earlier today. There was a huge diversity in not only the speakers but throughout the audience as well. The diversity piece of the discussion is what really stood out to me. One of the first speakers talked about how she attended a play in China about Martin Luther King Jr. I was actually shocked that people in China had not only heard about him, but cared enough to put on a play about him. She described how the play company had to negotiate with the communist Chinese government in order to be allowed to perform the play. I was surprised that people in other countries cared this much about race equality in America, especially countries like China that are predominantly only one race. Her speech reminded me of my trip to South Africa a couple years ago, my family went to an Apartheid museum and before the trip I had never even heard of it before. I learned the basics about MLK in elementary school, but I never learned about other countries racial equality. I did briefly learn about the caste system in India but not even close to enough about it to perform a play about it. At least one if not two of the panelists where from foreign countries and I was surprised at the vast knowledge they had about Martin Luther King Jr. I don’t know if they learned about him when they came to the United States but today I definitely was enlightened by the fact that many other countries know a lot about Martin Luther King Jr. It got me thinking about how many global heroes there are that I probably don’t know about. How had I not heard of the Apartheid before a few years ago, why is that injustice not something we learn about in school. I don’t know if it goes back to what we talked about in class, The United States is egocentric and we tend to only learn about ourselves, but I think it is a shame I haven’t learned more about other heroes like Martin Luther King Jr., especially in a country so rich with other cultures.

Blog Post 1

Thousands of years ago man domesticated animals, and in doing so made a promise that in this mutual relationship they would take care of one another. I am sad to say that today this promise has been broken. Many a creature fall victim to abuse and mistreatment at the hands of their supposed caretaker.

Throughout history man has depended on beast as a resource for food, labor and companionship. With advances in today’s technology and the lessening burden on animals for society to function, we as a people have failed in upholding our companionship end of the bargain. Where would society be today if the cavemen didn't have deer to hunt, if the Eskimo didn't have dog for transportation, or if the farmer didn't have cattle for labor?  With all of advancements in society we must not forget our past, what enabled us to be where we are today. How can a people so readily abuse and misuse god’s other creatures.

This is an injustice we will no longer accept. As a country and as a people we must stand up as one to defend the rights of those who cannot defend themselves. It is obvious today that we as people have broken our promise. When we took these creatures into our homes we swore we would look out for them, but today this is sadly not true. Many animals will not know what it is like to be appreciated, to receive the benefits of the unconditional love they put forth. Too many times are animals abused, beaten and starved to death. It is our duty, our responsibility to assure that this type of injustice will cease to exist. How can man be so cruel to a creature that has done nothing vengeful in return? Now is the time to open the heart of mankind to all of god’s creatures and provide them with the homes and environments for which he had intended. Now is the time to make animal shelters a thing of the past and provide all of the earth’s amazing animals with a loving home.

We as a people will stand for this no more. We refuse to accept the idea that the love of human kind is used up. We refuse to sit down while defenseless animals are mistreated. We won’t sit by as humans destroy the lives of creatures who want nothing but love. We will not turn our heads as our brothers and sisters mistreat the creatures that have enabled us to succeed. No matter how our world progresses and what technological revolutions are to come, we as a people must never fail to appreciate and uphold the contract we made with the domesticated animal. It is now that I call to action all people of the world to make animal abuse something our children will learn about in history class.

I have a dream that one day no animal will have to fear, fear the hands of their master, and fear their future.

I have a dream that in the near future animal abuse will be a thing of the past and all of god’s creatures will know what it feels like to be loved.