It is an invulnerable fact that, any soul with a human heart, whether of love or steel, shall not pass a market of Hong Kong without being overcome by horror, by sympathy, and by self-disgust.
We imagine the typical Hong Kong market. Once we enter, the sullen smell of butchered beings rushes into the nose like water in a flood. We feel a sort of compassion towards the lost lives, but nevertheless, an irresistible, and extremely primitive and animalistic watering of the mouth generally takes over. We are more animal than the animals.
We then pass by the poultry store. The confounded chickens are being slashed mercilessly by a self-declared holder of the crown of creation. As the cold-blooded man continuously murders innocent, warm-blooded lives, the cry of terror and anger rings through our ears. What kind of civlised people are we, being able to withstand the shrill voices untouched? We point to a dead chicken, suspended on the beam like it had never been alive. The payment is made, the butcher chooses a naked, bruised corpse and we are to devour another deceased animal tonight.
Gradually, the smell of chicken is replaced by the smell of smothered ox and swine. The ox, unable to struggle for his soul had long been unlocked, hangs miserably on the beam. The swine, stripped of his ability to respond as well, does the same. We take little pity of the wretched once alive beings. There is little difference between our practice of animal-eating, and cannibalism, of which we always show disgust.
We then proceed to the seafood store. The marine animals were swimming without their natural delight, for they knew for certain that death was their fate, and they were nearing it. At this point a rational, sensible person such as Hui-Tzu would stand up and point out, matter-of-factly, that we were simply humans and therefore had no ability to feel like fish, lobsters and the other sea creatures. This is untrue, for we are standing by their side, looking straight into their very eyes.
At this point, our souls start to shed tears of repent. We are the bloody animals we describe lions, tigers and sharks as. Our ¡¥modern hearts¡¦ are made of nothing but cruelty, brutality, primitiveness, selfishness. We leave the market, hailing a taxi to the countryside to bury the chicken whose death we had caused. |
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