OSSR
Picture this. A bustling street, and you hear a pair of res screech, and a sudden tragedy. A man
lies injured, with small wounds, yet a magnitude of empathy. But, at the street's edge, lies a soul,
trembling in pain, covered in a pool of blood, a ray of hope, behind every cry of theirs, hope, that
remains unanswered. The crowd gathers around the man, helping him, while sighing, “Oh! Poorm
man”, while their cry, at the street’s edge, s ll remains unheard.
This scene, though fic onal, is a reflec on of a disturbing reality. We humans, with our complex
emo ons and intricate social structures, o en find it easier to empathize with our own kind. The
suffering of our fellow beings, creatures who share our planet and our lives, is frequently
overlooked, dismissed as insignificant or simply ignored.
Globally, billions of animals are subjected to cruelty and abuse every year. This includes animals in
factory farms, laboratories, circuses, and the pet trade. Animals raised for food o en endure
horrific condi ons. Chickens are packed into ny cages, unable to move or spread their wings. Pigs
are kept in crates so small they can't even turn around. And cows are forced to stand on concrete
floors for hours on end.
1.5 billion animals are slaughtered for food in the United States each year.
50 million animals are used in laboratory experiments each year in the United States alone.
2.7 million animals are killed in shelters in the United States each year.
100 million animals are used in experiments worldwide each year.
1.2 billion animals are transported for slaughter or sale each year in the United States.
500 million chickens are raised for food in the United States each year.
25 million animals are used in circuses worldwide each year.
10 million animals are trafficked illegally each year.
And all their cries, go unheard, their pain unno ced. Their deafening cries, remain echoes in the
silence, by a world, deaf to their suffering. They are treated as mere commodi es, their lives
reduced to a cycle of endless suffering.
Yet, we humans, with our capacity for compassion and understanding, have the power to make a
difference. We can choose to see beyond the surface, to recognize the inherent worth of all living
beings. We can choose to extend our empathy to the voiceless, the vulnerable, those who share
our world. Empathy is feeling the pain of others, isn’t it? Yet, do we?
Do we truly hear them? Do we truly see them? Or are we too caught up in our own lives, our own
concerns, to no ce the suffering of those around us? We stand as heroes, we champion human
rights, but what of those, who cannot voice out theirs? Is their existence, a mere footnote in this
world of ours?
Will we ever learn to see beyond our own species, to recognize the worth of all living beings, and
to extend our empathy to those who share our world? For empathy truly, is merely not a passing
sigh, a quick glance of pity, nor a well-inten oned phrase. This may seem like a divergence from
the topic of empathy, more towards animal cruelty, well what then is empathy? Empathy is , “A
heart that feels another's pain, a soul that understands another's strain.”
We are creatures of connec on, bound together by the threads of empathy. Woven into a delicate
fabric, understanding, compassion, and a shared humanity. Well then, in a piece of fabric, it's every
thread, no ma er the size that counts. Every thread".
