Lt. Gen. Jagath Jayasuriya in his first speech as Army Commander stressed the importance of discipline. The message could not have been more appropriate if one were to take into account a soldier’s callous behaviour, I was witness to down Jawatte Road one evening, recently.
I saw two street dogs with collars, indicating that some concerned party had taken the trouble to vaccinate and sterilize them, peacefully walking past two soldiers. All of a sudden one of them dealt one of the dogs a blow with the butt of his firearm. The poor unsuspecting animal yelled out in obvious pain and nearly ran into a passing car much to the amusement of the two soldiers. They looked on gleefully as the petrified animal hobbled away on three legs seeking a place of refuge.
It is a well known fact that the President, being an animal lover, has stopped the practice of stray dogs being killed by the authorities. It was a heart-rending sight to see a helpless animal being brutalized by intelligent human beings. Does not Buddhism denounce cruelty to animals as a cardinal sin? But what value do we place on the life of an animal when human life is so cheap nowadays? |
E-mail