[tot] 人比人。。。也来分享一个故事 tryonetry2014-07-18 19:33:27
看了版主分享的： 武汉大学猫狗二三事 。
而在此之前刚刚阅读了好友Brian在网上分享的欧洲行见闻。背景是：他和夫人Janet壮年退休，酷爱单车行。说是单车，他们出游骑的是这种：
自带所有生活用品。一路骑，一路宿营，行程几千公里。前不久在拉丁美洲如此旅行两个月，目前已经在北欧也快接近两个月了。Brian几乎每天都会在网上分享他们的见闻。一般来说是让人开眼界的，很稀奇，或很有趣的。比如说这一段 （我略作缩减）：
1) A man with dreadlocks down to his knees. (Finland) ... 3) A man riding his bicycle with a cat calmly sitting on his shoulders. (Finland) ... 5) On multiple occasions, Curmudgeons start talking to us on bike paths with dirty looks, only to say a lot of words. We ask, "do you speak English?" They carry on with what they are saying and the dirty look. We are completely unable to guess what they might be talking about and we ride off smiling. (Estonia and Latvia). ... 9) I can't say "we" for this one, but I've seen urinals that are placed even a little too high for me, requiring slight tippie toe action. Someone shorter than me would have to have a lot of "impetus". (Norway).
但是今天他分享的故事让人垂泪。就像他们自己反省的一样，我不知道他们所做的是不是最正确的，但是我深有感触的是他们对生命的怜惜，与前面看到的那个武大教授真是天壤之别。我特别转发与此和大家共享共勉 （我未作任何修改）：
他们目前在Lithuania （立陶宛共和国）。
07/15/2014 Day 45 : A kitten goes to heaven.
This post is sad. I felt compelled to write and share partly because I'm in the habit, and partly because I need to get it off my chest. Please, please don't read any further if you don't want to read a sad post; there really isn't anything for you otherwise.
Janet and I were riding in a downpour when I suddenly saw a white kitten lying in the middle of the road. It looked alive, but it was soaked. Cars were coming at it so I jumped off the bike and stopped them, and tried to move it out of the road. Janet was immediately crying, but she came over with her gloved hands to help move the cat. Cars drove around us slowly, looking at us. Janet got a towel from our bags and we moved it out of the street. Upon inspection, the poor kitty looked so disheveled. I knew this was partly because it was wet, but it was pink around the eyes, and his face looked sunken. He looked so miserable, but it may have been because he was soaked. His front right leg was just hanging on there, dragging and somewhat ruined. Not bleeding, but pretty broken. Everything else looked okay. He did not flinch when we touched him, and he was able to run, dragging the leg. He refused any food I offered, and kept trying to run into the street again.
Janet we found some people who spoke a little English, and they pointed us to where they thought we might find a vet. Janet carried the kitten wrapped in a towel and we rode around looking. We couldn't find it, but we found a police station. a nice guy who spoke a bit of English commissioned another guy to drive and we would follow him on the tandem carrying the kitten. We followed him the short distance.
We got to a vet, and the man and the vet talked a bunch. They said something about passport, maybe documents. They wanted to know where we were from. I think they were wondering about the cat's papers? We had no idea - Janet was sobbing, and we just wanted someone to save this poor animal. The vet lady hardly looked at the kitty who was wrapped up in the towel. She was very business like. Janet was balling, and I was starting to feel like crying too. I think they thought the cat belonged to us. The guy wanted to know where we were from, I think, and I was trying to imagine why that mattered at a time like this. Janet was crying harder, and pleading with them to euthanize the kitty at least, which they didn't understand. Finally, I made an injection motion in my arm, and then made a sleeping symbol with hands and head. They shook their heads yes, and it sounded like the vet would do that and understood. The man took us outside, only to start insisting that we should come to his house and spend the night. Janet was still crying a little, and I was looking at the poor kitty wrapped in a towel on the reception counter. The lady was there and she had a box and some plastic tubes out, so maybe she was going to euthanize. The man keeps jabbering, and I keep looking inside. Next thing I know, the lady is outside sweeping.
I leave the man and go back to the reception counter, and poke the kitty through the towel. The body feels very solid and it does not move. I feel satisfied that she has euthanized the kitty. It was all so sad.
Sorry to bring a sad story up, but it has really been weighing on me (and Janet). I know that if the kitten was going to die, this was the best way. The part weighing heavily on me is that I just can't help but wonder if it could have been saved. Who would have done it, and how? Could we?
Every night we get into the tent, we squash a dozen Mosquitos and flies. I hate killing things, but these guys are so annoying. Somehow I justify it in my mind because they are going to suck our blood. Meanwhile, we by chance encounter this poor kitten and somehow - for better or worse - influence the trajectory of its existence.
Today was a bad day. Sorry.