A Market Scene

Last Sunday, me and my mum went to the Toril Public Market for our weekly supplies. It was hot and I was sweaty while carrying 2 bags filled with fish and veggies. But before we could go back home, we stopped at a grocery story near the market and bought more stuff. At the cashier, the line was so long and it was grossly tight that I opted to wait for my mother outside till she's done.

Outside, it was still hot but I managed to spare me some shade from a pile of empty soda cases.

While waiting, I happen to fixate my attention to a middle-aged man walking in a very slow pace. It seems that he is sick with something (maybe heart-related) that it affected his walking. He was dragging everyone behind. I was by the entry but I didn't had the guts to help him. Instead, the woman behind him offered to carry his grocery and off they went to the man's destination.

I felt kinda bad for not helping in an instant. He was obviously needing help but I don't know why I hesitated. I even turned away. I felt really cruel towards him eventhough I didn't do anything, but by doing nothing, it already meant a big fault in me.

But then something caught my eye. A white fluffy puppy was tied outside of an empty store across the street. It wasn't even tied with a proper leash. It was just a plastic rope. He was eating leftovers set on a plastic bag. The pup was maybe only 1 or 2 months old.

I quickly scanned my surroundings for its owner. Why did he let his puppy be in this situation? After a few head turns, I caught the glimpse of its owner returning back to somewhere but going directly the long path behind the store. I saw the puppy's food on a mount. I guess he refilled its food with more of their leftovers, but the puppy didn't touch it. Instead, it went crying and screaming and whining. It wanted to play. It wanted attention. It wanted love. It wanted his owner.

My heart was aching as it went on crying. Against the smoke-belching motorcycles, cranking rusty jeepneys, crappy radio speakers, blabbering mouths and honking cars, why am I the only one who can hear its cries? Why can't anybody hear his pain?

The Philippines is famous for poor pet ownership. That is the typical Filipino attitude. They think that dogs only eat leftovers from their tables. They think that they should not go anywhere but only to where they tied them for 15 years. And then, when the dog gets noisier than ever before or it hasn't done any good for them, they kill it for its meat. A grotesque taboo.

They forget that these are creatures from God. They breathe, eat and live too, just like the rest of us. They feel pain and they feel love. Why should we rank ourselves above of them when they are so much capable of loving us rather than us loving them?

I wanted to cut the plastic rope and bring the pup to our home, but it will bring risks to my kennel. I wouldn't know if I can still take care of one more dog. My hands are already full. I had to stop myself though it wouldn't be the first time if I saved the pup.

Back in Zamboanga City, I stopped a tricycle from hitting a puppy by the sidewalk. The driver was making a U-turn by using the sidewalk as an advantage. I thought he would stop because he suddenly hit the brakes, but then he stepped on his gas. Without missing a beat, I halted the vehicle by spreading out my limbs. Half of my body (left side) bumped the tricycle which led to a complete stop. I screamed "no" at him and the puppy ran away from the road. I glared at the driver and he put his tricycle on reverse. That was a morning by the way, while I was on my school uniform. LOL!

So back to the topic.

On our way home, I was pondering so much about what happened that I began to evaluate myself in that situation. Between the man and the puppy, I had so many emotions in a whirlwind. And eventhough I felt I betrayed humanity for not helping the sick man, I felt even more depressed and a complete downpour of sorrow for the puppy.

You can say that I have more heart for animals than mankind, but it is man's fault for receiving suffering by acquiring illness through gluttony and lifestyle, and it is also man's fault for brewing suffering onto God's creatures by acquiring cruelty through ignorance and neglect.