Black "Velvet"

Are you a benevolent deity, or a vengeful wraith?


We got to play god this week. While trying to save gas and be more socially responsible, my wife decided to bite the bullet and take the bus to work. While waiting for the bus near a busy downtown intersection, she saw this little fellow shivering in the bushes.

With semi-trucks rolling by just 10 feet away and the temperature soaring to over 100 degrees this time of year, it was a no brainer that this 10 week old was not long for this world. Being the 'cat person that she is, she promptly called me on her cell phone and had me come and get her so we could take the kitten to the vet, and eventually to our home.

Holding this little kitten in the palm of your hand is a humbling experience. At first she was pretty much out of it. Dehydrated, confused, scared, pick a bad physical or mental state and she probably fell into any of the categories. Her experiences with the world up to the day we found her hadn't been too pleasant.

So here are these frightened little green eyes looking up at you and wondering, "Whats next?", and you realize just how powerful we can be and what an awesome responsibility it is. We could give her life or we could cast her away. She really didn't have any say in the matter. Her only lifeline was compassion. Without it she would be dead.

She was lucky that day. My wife has compassion to spare and she was in the right place at the right time.

We like to think that almost any intelligent being would have some degree of compassion, but the sad truth is many don't. Murderous pedophiles, abusive parents that abandon their children, terrorist that drive explosive laden trucks into hotels, none of these people have any compassion. For them, the world is an awful place where they fight for scraps of food, think only of satisfying their needs and murdering for their god. Any one of these people would have tossed the kitten away as a distraction.

After resting in her own private air-conditioned room, getting some medication and food, the kitten is now starting to explore her new world. She is curious and purring and after the initial shock of being taken in by strangers, she never wants to be left alone. She is wide eyed and innocent and appears to know no fear. In a word, I guess she is as pure as you can get in this world.

There is a warm feeling that you get when you are someones benevolent deity. Saving something and giving it hope and security is a very powerful thing. I am starting to believe that we have so many problems in this world because many people are never taught to do this.