investigations.peta.org
This issue has surfaced, (or some might say resurfaced) on my Twitter. And it really brings distress to me as I watch it. I cannot imagine how would these baby monkeys actually experience and face the situation.
I can't help but wonder. Human cruelty is already a big problem on this Earth. So why on Earth are we adding a brand new big problem, called animal cruelty? Are we really that cruel?
These cruel actions are being justified by some parties, as psychological experiments. As experiments that are conducted to gain more knowledge and understanding, to help out mankind in return.
Thinking about it reminds me to Belko Experiment. A movie which portrays a social experiment, where the participants need to kill three people. If they don't, six people would be killed. More instructions follow ahead, but I'll just leave it here, so I don't spoil it.
The point that I am trying to convey here, is both of them claim whatever that they are doing, is something good. Although from the ethical perspective, it is obviously wrong, but in a sense, these wrong things are just some things that are needed to be sacrificed, in order to gain more knowledge and understanding, to help out mankind in return.
So, supposely, if we are aiming to help our human race, we need to actually get involve in these experiments, or at least, agree and approve them, because this is indeed something good that will help us, humans.
Sounds good?
No, right?
In my school days, I was the one who wanted to know everything. I tried to learn everything I could. Classes in schools were not sufficient to fulfill my desire to gain more and more knowledge. I would question everything and search answer for everything.
After SPM examination, the holiday really helped me to relax and reflect on my own thoughts and actions. That was where I realized something.
I had been trying so hard to know all things. Is that even possible?
What I can know and learn, for my entire lifespan, maybe just covers about 0.000000.....(add as many zeros as you like).....1%
Realistically, whether you try hard or you do not try at all, you won't be able to know everything.
So, it is actually better to limit our search for knowledge to paths that are relevant to ourselves.
For example, it is a good thing to learn about taxonomy on dinosaurs. But, if you are majoring in finance, there are very little possibilities that that particular knowledge will help you in your life. Not that it is not good, but it would be more appropriate and helpful to you if you switch from learning about dinosaurs, to learning something like... business!
This is just a cheap example on a relatively large topic. And again, I am not telling finance students not to study about taxonomy on dinosaurs. If you want it, just do it. It's fun.
Other than that, the way we acquire knowledge is actually more important than the knowledge itself, as long as the knowledge itself doesn't interfere with your needs and priorities.
I remember that during a study group with my teachers on the subject Physics, I suddenly asked them about the schooling system and their own opinion about the system
Maybe because I was taking exams, and I stressed out, and I wanted to blame the government for making the exams exist in the first place. Typical mind escape for any Malaysian students.
Although my intention was (ambiguously) good, my teachers had to spend their precious time talking to me about the very topic that I wanted to talk about.
So the other students can't talk to them, while they might have even more important questions to ask. Even I can use that time to ask something that is more important and relevant to me at that time, like any related physics questions.
But I didn't. And I thought that was a good thing to do.
And it was. But it was just not the right thing to do.
There's a difference.
I could just Google it, or ask them after I finished my papers instead of asking them before the exam, or I can just put it aside and concentrate to make full research about it after SPM end.
What if I forget or loss interest about it?
Well, never mind. We are not meant to know everything anyway.
Not knowing about the schooling system will not affect my life.
Knowing it won't necessarily and significantly impact my life.
And even if it will, it is totally not my fault if I decide to not go deep about it at that particular time.
If it is truly important, it will resurface during more suitable moments, and more appropriate research methods will also emerge together at that time.
If I do really want to gain more knowledge, I should choose other topics that are more relevant, that can be studied more decently.
Getting back to these little monkeys, I can't help but being angry. What are they studying? What are the so-called important breakthroughs that they need to discover that they need to do such cruelty? I am not belittling any of their discoveries, as those might be actually important breakthroughs, but remember these 3 points:
(3) It is not worth it to go down a path that has the possibilities and can be foreseen that you are going to do something unworthy, to gain a knowledge that is also unworthy relative to the path.
Well, simply, don't do bad things to get good things.
(2) It is more worth it to study things that are more relevant and use more suitable research methods.
(1) Don't be stressed out if we don't know or get things. We are not meant to know everything. If a certain topic that you choose to learn frustrates you instead, don't worry. Take your time to understand them. And if you really can't, you can always decide to leave them, and move on to study more things that you might excel more.
Thank you dear past me, for reflecting on those fallacies and false beliefs in my mind.
Now, just like how I find excitement and fulfillment in knowing things,
I also find peace and tranquility in not knowing things.
It's not easy, but I hope you can too.
Comments
Post a Comment