90 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi, a purveyor of nonviolence in resistance movements (among his many attributes) said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
If so, the soul of a community can perhaps be reflected by how it reports on the treatment of its animal friends, as well as its people. When a Hawaiian monk seal died recently after a battle with a parasitic disease spread by cat feces, it made for local headline news. When two nēnē geese were killed by a car near Kahului Airport a few days later, it was a front page story. The mere fact that such unfortunate incidents still make news in Hawai`i is, depending on your vantage point, either an indication of our humanity and caring, or the reality of a slow news day.
Ramping things up a bit, when there is a murder or other criminal act of violence toward a human, it is usually the lead story on local newscasts and a front page newspaper story the next day. The Census Department lists the following cities as having populations similar to Honolulu in 2021- Anaheim, Cleveland, New Orleans, Anaheim, Tulsa, and Cincinnati. Ever watched local news or read a newspaper in those cities? Violent crime incidents are often relegated to page six, or buried in the second half of the newscasts. Sometimes, they just don’t see these to be a big deal.
Again, make your own assumptions as to why that might be, but perhaps it’s reassuring that we still largely pay attention to these things locally- whether it’s human suffering or sad sagas about animals. While this doesn’t necessarily make us more humane than other areas, the day that we lose perspective on the value of life is the day we become more numb, unaffected, and perhaps even less human. Empathy and truly valuing life can be revealing traits in deciphering what separates one place’s ethos from another. Certain cities are sometimes defined as “tough” or “hard”. What does that do to the populace over time? How does that change perspectives, outlooks, and daily demeanor?
Thus, while it might seem like overkill, no pun intended, to see “major” stories about losing a seal or a goose, these beloved entities help to make our islands special; heartfelt sadness and lack of indifference should be acknowledged, not chided.
Think about it…