From
ancient times to the present, there have always been some cruel and
inhuman things existing in the society. People rarely tried to stop
this kind of cruelty; instead, they always take it for granted.
Moreover, many think that』s a good entertainment in their routinized
life so that they can have fun through these activities.
Take
Shirley Jackson』s 「The Lottery」 for example. Inhabitants in the village
held the ritual to hope for a great harvest. They chose a person to
accomplish the ceremony and at last Mrs. Hutchinson was selected to be
the sacrifice. They stoned her to death and thought that was fun. No
matter how Mrs. Hutchinson shouted, they ignored her; they insisted on
carrying out the ritual. Maybe the original purpose of the ritual had
been to pray for a great harvest, but in the end, it became such a kind
of cruelty.
There used to be an
activity like 「The Lottery」 in the
Roman Empire. In
ancient Rome, there were always some battles between two countries. And
the winner would grab some captives and take them to the amphitheater to
fight fierce animals. If he won the fight, he could survive; if he
lost, he would become the animal』s food. There was no denying that
these captives had only one idea: to win; but they didn』t have much
choice anyway. This kind of activity would attract a lot of local
citizens and they were excited about the action. They never thought
that was an inhuman thing. They only thought of it as an entertainment
for them, just like the village people in 「The Lottery.」 Even today, a
similar sentiment exists in Taiwan. When the 921 earth quake happened,
some people didn』t take pity on the victims. Instead, they took
pleasure watching the scene of disaster without caring whether they
would hinder the rescue efforts. In their opinion, it was a spectacle
that they simply could not miss.
In all
these three cases, people take cruelty for granted; therefore, they
never show any sympathy for the victims. Why do they neglect the human
suffering? Maybe people are always selfish. But I believe it is
compassion, the ability to think for others, that makes us human.