As promised, I will explain what I meant by ‘good’ men not being who I thought they were. Upset with news of an elderly dog thrown from a bridge—and killed—I unwisely tried to vent to one of my friends. In near tears (pathetic, I know) I explained how I can’t understand how humans can hurt animals the way they do, how the torture of them goes on every day unchecked. Though, instead of listening, he instead accused me of caring more for animals than of people. Of holding them in higher regard, and though I tried to explain this wasn’t true in any way he wouldn’t allow himself to see it from my point of view. He repeated ‘humans are superior’ as his main argument, and made it clear he supported the culture of torturing animals. I was crushed, not only because of what he said but because of who he was; a good guy, I had thought. Moral, I had thought. Would never intentionally hurt anyone, and not generally unkind. So, if the world is made up of these ‘good’ people, how is anything going to change?
For a long time I asked myself this and have come to the conclusion that it won’t. It never will, because all those who say they care and do nothing and all those who couldn’t be less uninterested so greatly outnumber the few who want things to change and act on it. And one soul cannot change the world, no matter what the stories say.
