What is the true meaning of the word 'valuable'? How is it applied and to what measure? Is it enough to attach it to something treasured and possessed like a family heirloom? Or would it be more effective in describing the feelings we have for someone and their company?
It is defined as the following:
- Having considerable monetary worth; costing or brining a high price.
- Having qualities worthy of respect, admiration or esteem.
- Of considerable use, service, or importance.
But at what value does one place on something like, love? Or friendship? Better still, your health?
How valuable is your mortal soul when it comes to deciding what is right or wrong?
As an example, let's say you're out for a walk through some local beauty spot and you stumble across some guy beating a dog mercilessly with a stick, for what reason only they know. The dog is yelping pitifully and cowering as it is being beaten. What do you do? At what level do you value your safety, the dog's welfare and the moral issue of intervening or walking on by?
How valuable is your own piece of mind and sense of good vs evil? Is the animal's health and well being valuable enough to risk that of your own? If you did intervene and happened to rescue the dog, but in the act caused bodily harm to the cruel bastard with the stick, how valuable is the act of compassion compared the that of possibly losing your liberty with a spell in jail?
Personally I know which way I'd go and take my chances with the law. I have, and much to my shame, had occasion to hit a guy I witnessed throwing a dog up in the air in an attempt to chuck it over a 7' tall fence during an argument with his sister. But he failed, and as the dog hit the floor he kicked it. At the time I witnessed the event from the upper floor of the building I worked from.
A red mist filled my head.
Once over the fence he ended up on the floor and I was being restrained by a work colleague.
Later it transpires the police arrived and when asking the gathered witnesses about the man who assaulted the dog kicker, there seemed to be a general consensus of memory failure. I later found out the guy was a local drug addict and had a past known to the police, and was prone to beating up his mother and sister.
How about you? How far would you go to save an animal from such a person?
2 comments:
It's such a weird thing to attribute the word "value" with "friendship" or "Love" or "family." Great thought provoking post!
Possibly, but nowhere near the quality of the posts I have read on your blog, Lydia. Thank you for stopping by :)
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