Project Vision 21

During the time of the second Industrial Revolution in England in the mid 1800s, when the British Empire was at its peak, it was said that it was better to be the horse of the Queen than the subject of the Queen, because horses received better treatment than people.

According to historians, royal horses at the time of the Victorian Era in England lived in comfortable stables and received food and constant attention. They even enjoyed a time of resting after working. At the same time, many families lived in poor conditions, suffered of malnutrition and had to work long hours (children included) seven days of the week.

There was at that time such a difference between the standard of living of the royal horses and the people that some writers and analysts anticipated significant changes in England, from a revolution of the proletariat (Karl Marx) to a Christian revolution with a social consciousness (William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army).

At the end, England did not become a communist state and almost Utopian proposal of Booth was never fully implemented. Eventually, horses were replaced by machines, the standard of living improved and many of the social injustices disappeared.

I thought about that situation in England a century and half ago, when some animals received better treatment than many people, when I was reading last week several stories in the American media about how pets will soon be able to sue their owners, and about the launching of luxurious hotels, airlines, and cemeteries just for pets.

I want to emphasize I have nothing but the highest respect towards pets and towards animals in general. All cruelty or abuse of animals should be properly punished.

But we face a crisis and a transformation of such depth that many people, in our country and around the world, can’t find a job to feed their families. In such a time, do we really need luxurious hotels and planes just for pets?

Also, have we already solved all other judicial problems so the American judicial system and its judges will now have enough time and resources to hear cases presented by pets against the pets’ owners?

I say one more time I have nothing against pets or animals. They are also part of God’s creation and they should be respected as such. He who abuse animals should pay for his actions.

In fact, this commentary is not about pets. The recent stories about pets and animals are just an example of what I perceive to be lack of understanding of the real dimensions of the global crisis we now face, and what I describe as “good intentions, but with wrong priorities.”

If in this time of challenges and changes there are entrepreneurs, politicians, and legislators who believe pets should receive more legal rights and a higher standard of living than many people can’t even aspire to have, then perhaps it is time for us all to review our priorities and our understanding of reality.