Musing On Benefit
Because of its usefulness, benefit, value, the whale, the elephant is hunted, forests cut down, river stones taken, sand dug out, the earth drilled for oil, fish kept, cattle, poultry reared for slaughter.
Is there a worse fate than being kept, reared for food? Born prisoner, face death worse than hanging, without having done any crime but because of its benefit as food! Alas! That’s its fault, its crime!
Besides, what’s there not, to turn it into something profitable: social position, a name, an academic title, ... Works of art could become a profitable business.
“It’s a pity, a waste if forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, … are not exploited.” So people argued. They would choose to build real estates, rather than leave the region, the fauna and flora intact, whole.
As long as playing soccer, kite, marble, chess, … doesn’t have any money returns it is blamed as wasting your time with futile, stupid activity.
What’s not measured in money value? Goods, service, success, wealth, development, progress. Usefulness, benefit is synonym to a money mine and not seldom a cause of suffering for creatures and the earth alike.
Is there no activity that would not drive man to pursue the money chase? And I think of travel, picnic, climb mountains, reading stories, listen to music, enjoy art, to research, … all that makes life worth while living?
And I thought of the benevolence of nature, the sea, the earth, the rivers, the air, the sun, the rain, the sky, so free, … that profits, benefits all being.
To prefer, choose mountains instead of skyscrapers, lakes rather than swimming pools, warbling birds than alarm clocks or ringing telephones, a cool breeze than an A.C., see a squirrel live in nature rather than conserved, caged or painted on canvass, to hear the song of frogs, cicadas, instead of the traffic noise. Don’t we wish for a better, healthier, happier life on earth to live in?
But with such a burden of a huge world population what’s not victimized to become something useful, profitable? We have such a high technology to land man on the moon. Why, is it impossible for man to cope with the alarming increase of our world population?
From Berita Buana, February 11, 1993
