A moth got in my bathroom somehow tonight, and was flittering
around the light. Instead of killing it, I thought, 'It’s a
moth. I will catch it and let it go free.' So I did, and out the
window it flew, back to its freedom. Why are moths attracted to
flames that may even destroy them? Because they hereditarily see
by light sources parallel to their vision, that are distant from
them, such as the Sun, which they can keep a straight angle to.
When they try to line up a straight angle to a ray of light from
a lamp or candle, they smack in to it, and often keep doing so,
again and again (Source: Ms. Tomov, EarthSky.Org).
Why may we seek to save insects such as a moth or a butterfly,
but kill other bugs? We seem to have more respect for things that
fly, which we humans can not do unaided, and less care perhaps
for creatures that crawl, which we all began doing. Or it may
have to do with cleanliness and our perceptions of beauty, which
is socialized.
Hitler used to run propaganda films in German theatres,
disgustingly comparing Jews to pigs. Yet Hitler himself, who
ordered the torture and killing of Jews, was part Jewish. Jews
today are still smeared by racists as being cheap, and tight with
their money. Yet, it is this same respect for money that the
Jewish community wisely adopted, that helped create one of the
richest, most stable, and flourishing industries in the world,
the motion picture industry.
I doubt there are many racist men, who when pressed, particularly
the single ones, would not turn down a chance to date a pretty
model of the very race they claimed they could not stand. I was
shocked to meet a model once, who was a pretty, 20 year old
Caucasian, who stated she could not stand Asian people. When
pressed, she had no logical explanation for this feeling, though
she did admit to me that her parents felt the same way. Like
Hitler, she hated a part of her own genetic history. Racism is
generally created by bad upbringing. Tell a child a lie over and
over, and they generally will grow up to believe it, until their
mind progresses to learn otherwise.
We all may chase the flames at times that can burn us, but at
least we usually learn. We evolved to know how to see and be
guided by the light, but yet not to stare in to the Sun and
become blinded. And when our light is a short distance away from
us, we are smart enough to focus around it. Lets not be blinded
by the short sighted ignorance of those who see and think like
moths. There is beauty in every race, and good people in every
country on Earth. Life is sacred, so let’s respect
it.
- Bruce Edwin, Editor, ® The Hollywood Sentinel