Saturday, August 29, 2009

The conundrum called life

Here is a small story I wrote..

Driving down the freeway in my new BMW convertible, I was thinking about the case I had just won. It was a hard fought case for a cosmetics firm – the verdict allowed them to continue testing beauty products on animals. As I passed their spanking new animal testing lab, I wondered what was happening there at that moment.

The BMW had not been part of the fee…it had been a show of gratitude; an acknowledgement of my skill.

My reverie was rudely broken..by the time I saw it, it was too late. It came in at over a 100 miles and crashed into my windscreen; the glass gave way and it stuck, taken prisoner by speed and shattered glass. I slammed my brakes, pulled over and came out fuming.

Over the roar of the freeway, I thought I heard a whimper. I went closer and saw it struggle. It was mangled and bloodied by the impact. Stroking it gently, I poured out some water on my palm. With extreme effort, it licked my hand and wagged its tail – a show of gratitude; an acknowledgement of my small act of compassion. The effort took its life.

What happened next was a frenzy. A flat-bed truck pulled over and a couple got out. They wept for precious; that had been its name. They said the dog had a large heart and believed in giving.

As I sat there by the freeway, it hit me. Over the roar of the freeway, I could hear the lab groan – under the weight of life rendered meaningless.

My BMW did not look beautiful anymore.

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