Don’t bite the hand that’s feeding you

I thought it was lovely that the young German tennis star, Sabine Lisicki, was noticeably horrified after a ball girl ran over and squashed a bug she had been attempting to gently remove from the court with her racquet, during the Thai Open. Sabine’s reaction, at 29, was beautiful and commendable, although in my opinion very naïve.

https://tendaily.com.au/news/sport/a190130rak/tennis-star-mortified-after-ballgirl-kills-bug-on-court-during-match-20190130

Click on the above link to open:

Trying to save the life of a bug is what our children are led to believe is the way things are meant to be. But it’s not of the real world. If you’ve been born and bred in a concrete bunker, or want to lock yourself away in one, that’s one way to live your life. But in the real world, even with the present floods in Queensland or fires in Tasmania, you will have to come out of your bunker at some stage – even if it’s only to eat and drink. Thankfully nature will still be there to assist you with that.

Now whether it be a bug in your veggie patch or a horse with a broken leg, I don’t think anybody gets pleasure from euthanising anything. Does a chicken farmer like the gruesome task of euthanising any of the sick birds in the flock they tend to daily? Of course not. Would you like to eat those sick birds? Of course not. So the sick birds are removed and put into fertiliser. Maybe you eat tomatoes from the ground that’s been fertilised by that bird – the garden just outside your concrete bunker. That’s the circle of life.

But what of Sabine’s background? What direct experience would she have had of the death of anything in her life? Her father is her tennis coach and her mother an artist. One would assume (and I’m happy to stand corrected) she has spent very little time out on the farm – or anywhere similar – learning about the balance of life, especially not from a very early age when one cuts their teeth. But unfortunately, Sabine’s high profile on the world stage is setting the bar where they think it should be – even if unintentionally – rather than where nature dictates it is.

Do you think Sabine has ever been faced with the challenge, as I was at ten year old, of having to put a dog down to minimize it’s pain, after it had been dragged off the back of a bike whilst chasing wild cattle through the scrub? Do you think that was easy to do to a faithful working dog? Multiply Sabine’s bug experience by one thousand. Now hopefully Sabine has never had to take her dog or cat to the vet to be euthanised in downtown Germany. Who would want to? But this is the real world we live in, and unfortunately, these challenges come before us on a regular basis.

Now please let me be clear. I’m not personally attacking Sabine for her actions at all, and as mentioned earlier I think it’s a beautiful way to lead your life – if you can stay and live in that bubble. As long as there were no bugs or nasties killed during the making of the tennis balls or racquets she uses, she’s in the clear

The problem is that most of the populations today are not even close to living in the “real world”, but born and bred in an artificial concrete, glass, paving and turf lawn environment. As close as they ever get to the real, natural world is when their clothes get wet on the line, or a thunderstorm blows through.

Some of these folk think they know best for industries that have been operating for a long time. I’m not saying that these industries are perfect or can’t be improved, but these folk need to legitimise their comments by knowing what they’re talking about.

This is a valid issue to consider, especially in light of recent live export trade publicity, protests against the treatment of animals by animal liberation groups at Muchea sale yards, and Vegan activists attending the farm near Harvey, taking photos of calves on the farmer’s private property, his business premises and home, to protest about the handling of animals and the consumption of meat. Now for all the Sabine’s of the world, who have presumably had very little, if any, firsthand experience out in the real, natural world, what do they feel gives them the right to criticise practices that for generations have put a roof over their heads and clothes on their backs. I’m not anti the need for improvement, or doing things better in every way. In fact, I’m all for it. That’s how we learn and progress. But get out there first and get some real, firsthand experience. After ten years of that you will be better equipped to improve practices yourself with your own money, effort and ingenuity. Then come back and see me, and you’ll get a fair hearing.