Saving a Life
It was a beautiful sunny Saturday. Henry walked with his
father under the shade of the trees in the municipal
park.
Quietly, little Henry kept thinking. He had been shocked
by some scenes he had seen the day before during the
broadcast of a television news station.
- Dad, how can there be people who kill other people? -
he asked.
Holding his little hand a little tighter, his father
replied:
- It’s very sad, isn’t it, son? That is because men
still bring evil in their hearts. If everyone loved each
other as brothers, that would not happen. We would all
be like one big family!
The boy, only six years-old but very observant, thought
about it for a moment and said:
- But yesterday I saw on the TV news that a father was
arrested because he injured his son! I thought all
parents loved their children!
At that moment they were passing by a bench and his
father invited:
- Let’s sit down and get some rest.
Settled on the bench, the father looked at the boy, who
was waiting for an answer, and said:
- Everyone, Henry, is an evolving spirit. God, the
Supreme Creator, created beings in evolution. Through
many lives everyone will progress and improve, becoming
better people. From microbes, which we do not see
because they are very small, to the celestial stars that
we contemplate in the distance, everything progresses.
The boy was surprised and started to ask:
- Ah! What about my kitten? And the flowers in that
garden? And the fish we saw in the lake? And...
His father smiled lovingly, adding:
- Everything, son. Minerals, vegetables, animals and
humans. Everything evolves. So when the human creature
commits evil, it means that there is still much to
learn. Even parents, whom children deem to be the best
people in the world, and even though they love their
children, are imperfect and aggressive within
themselves. In time, everybody will become good and will
only do good: to themselves, their peers and the world
in which they live.
- Oh!
- Therefore, we must respect nature and respect life.
Henry, who listened carefully, recalled:
- But men kill animals to eat. Poor things!
- Yes, son, but that is part of our culture and it will
eventually disappear. The worst is that there are men
who kill and destroy for pleasure. Animals, which are
inferior to us, only kill to defend themselves or to
satisfy their hunger. But man will kill his own brethren
with malice and animals for sport; he will destroy
nature because of his ambition, burning forests and
polluting rivers and cities.
The boy, with a worried face, exclaimed:
- Wow, Daddy! I want to do something to help!
- Very well, son. We can all help to preserve our planet
so that it is better, cleaner and more enjoyable. Do you
want to know how? Giving an example of love and respect
for life and showing other people how to act.
Henry felt, at that moment, like a little man to whom a
great task was bestowed.
It was late. Time to go back home.
They started walking again when they saw, coming in the
opposite direction, a little girl and her mother.
The girl, who had just bought an ice cream, unwrapped it
and threw the wrap on the ground.
As mother and daughter approached Henry and his father,
a small cricket sprang out of the midst of the bushes
and leapt between them.
The reactions were different. The girl took the ice
cream from her mouth and ran towards the insect, lifting
her foot threateningly as to crush it.
Henry also ran, and, more quickly, threw himself on the
ground and managed to catch the cricket, before she
could crush it with her foot.
Then he got up, still panting, stroke the frightened
cricket that rested in the palm of his hand, smiled
satisfied and said:
- Why did you want to kill him? Let him live! He did not
do you any harm!
To the astonishment of mother and daughter, now blushed
with shame, Henry looked at his father with pride and
said:
- We have to preserve life, don’t we, Dad?
Then, without waiting for an answer, they resumed their
walk.
He took a few steps but felt that something was still
missing. He stopped, turned to the girl and added:
- And remember that the place for litter is in the
rubbish!
Aunt Celia
Translation:
Johnny Silveira -
silveirajohnny@yahoo.com