Ever since this coronavirus catastrophe overwhelmed the world and cut into the life of every living soul, many a man has found themselves in hardship – laid off from their jobs, their businesses destroyed, all life plans postponed. Then suddenly, people finally had all the time in the world, sometimes even too much, and whether they liked it or not, they started taking notice of each other and found the time to see each other for what they really are: husbands their wives and wives their husbands, children their parents and parents their children.
Not knowing what to do with all that excess of free time, some have turned to their “gizmos” and started exchanging their creations through social networks. Some of the creative endeavours were really fun, witty, and for a moment were able to chase away the dark clouds over our heads. I regret now that I didn’t save those cheerful and witty clips – they would have comprised a beautiful anthology of gaiety.
However, I have noticed a trend in these gizmo-distributed creations, which made me think about this phenomenon more seriously and, in the end, to start worrying. An increasing number of the creations depict animals – dogs and cats for the most part – as sensible and sensitive creatures, a great company to humans, and a substitute for something to which a substitute simply cannot be! The common thread underlying the content is: people do not need other people; parents do not need children and children don’t need parents; surround yourself with adorable doggies and kitties and yours shall be a fulfilling life.
It is widely known that some of the world’s most powerful people have long been working on “reducing the world’s population.” This formulation cloaks all those means of preventing childbirth, down to that abominable mutilation of millions of helpless children in the wombs of their monstruous non-mothers (Serbian: nemajka). Bill Gates says (in GatesNotes) that rich and developed countries are not the problem. In other words, their plan is being realized here. The lifeless Sahara is spreading. The issue, he says, is most daunting in the underdeveloped parts of the world, so he, “the merciful”, steps in to help and offers the local women there “better tools to space birthing or have a smaller family size”. When Trump prohibited U.S. foreign aid from being used to perform or promote abortions around the world, Trudeau jumped in with one thousand four hundred million – as if he had no issues that needed addressing in his own house – to fill the gap that Trump had caused. (Globe and Mail, June 2019)
I go for long walks with my friends almost every day. As we walk, we meet many different people who are also making sacrifices for their health. On one of those occasions, we came to the same conclusion simultaneously – children are nowhere to be seen, to make one’s eyes shine with joy! Nonetheless, you’ll see purebred or mixed breed dogs and mutts wherever you cast your eyes. My godchild ives in a 23-storey building, in a prestigious part of town. I swear that in all the years that we’ve been visiting each other, I don’t remember ever being in an elevator with a child, but I have seen an abundance of puppies and doggies, dogs and mongrels.
These young women and men in their prime have obviously decided not to embark on the challenging journey of life, to avoid marital uncertainty and dealing with boring and whiny children. The clips I mentioned before, they are designed to reinforce and further cement them in their lives’ most tragic mistake. I am looking at a picture, a dog, his eyes sad, and the text reads as follows: “Sometimes you look into a dog’s eyes and you think – a human. And then you look into a man’s eyes and you see – a dog!” Conclusion: you are always safe with a dog; forsake humans. Next, some unfortunate boozer is emptying glasses, and his dog “friend” is doing the same: deftly, with its paws – I almost said “with its hands” – he grabs the glass and drains it skillfully. The most deceptive piece I received goes like this: scene one – a young woman carrying some firewood, her cute dog walking beside her. The pooch is dressed in an adorable children’s outfit, tapping on its petite two legs and carrying a basket on its back. So “cute” that the dog lovers could just eat it up, the basket, outfit and all! The subsequent scenes follow: his “mom” putting money in his snout; excuse me, I meant to say, in his “mouth”; the dog prancing down the street, on his two tiny paws, to the store; its basket being filled and him paying for it. The final scene: “the mother” and “the child” enjoying together by a fireplace, watching television. What else could you possibly wish for.
Obviously, a lot of effort and money have been invested in these winsome fairy tales. Huge funds are being invested to prove the unprovable. I read that experiments were conducted on pigs at a university in Pennsylvania and they reported that pigs “show agility in behavior and mental flexibility”; they learned to play computer games, understand the concept of game and, moreover, are capable of a deeper understanding of the world around them. Elon Musk implanted a chip in a monkey, so now the monkey is using technology and playing games. In the twinkling of an eye, there they are – various doctors of science explaining that this research will make us “re-examine our attitudes towards animals” and question our moral code.
Perish the thought, dear God, that I have anything against animals! I myself had German Shepherds and called them my friends. I shall forever cherish memories of them. Yet still, it could never have occurred to me that my Alsatian wolf dog, even if he was my Vuk, was my best friend, let alone a substitute or a compensation for any of my children.
“The fad that is reflected in the keeping of “pets” in apartments, devotion to dogs (or other animals) to the extent that goes beyond what is reasonable, alienates man from man and from our God. This process takes years and ends with the animal lover being unable to receive or return love to anyone other than the animal. Being absorbed by the affection that an animal instinctively shows towards a human or another animal, they fail to notice those around them who can bestow true love upon them. The love for pets is of a more recent time, but we see individuals devoting their time to quadrupeds, multiple times a day, every day, or at least twice as much as they would to their children at any time during their lives. They provided the children with several hours of playing computer games, and with that, scoliosis, abnormal gait … they dedicated themselves completely to the dog. They don’t mind waking up very early, or staying up late at night to walk their dog, or to talk to him, bathe him, feed him; as well as inhaling the stench of animals and of their food.” (s.M.V.
This great city, where I live, has enslaved many of our children in its womb. The second generation, in terms of status, has significantly outgrown their parents. Successful lawyers, doctors, engineers, they are all being generously compensated for their slavery. Chipping off their thirties, yet still alone. I have been telling them to reconsider their priorities while there is still time. I tell them: birth children, enrich yourselves through that experience, and then continue observing life’s wonders through their wise eyes, too. Doctorates, diplomas, inflated bank accounts and other meaningless trifles will not give you comfort or joy when, at the end of the day, exhausted and drained, all alone and miserable, you throw yourself into a corner of your huge, but empty, apartment
In all that hustle and bustle, do not forget that, as the poet says, “children embellish our world”… and thus your life, too. And if you have the wisdom, you too shall desire that embellishment.