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A Mary T. Hoffman Commentary from All-Creatures.org

 

"Joyful Curmudgeon" An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful.  At the same time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the world, and feel called to help expose and end it so that we may have true peace and compassion.

 


When “Humor” Isn’t Funny – 26 November 2007
By Mary T. Hoffman

Before you read what I have written for today, please visit
http://www.all-creatures.org/poetry/whiteliesand.html
and read “White Lies and Pranks” by Lance Landall.

Most, if not all, of us know someone who thinks playing tricks on others and making them appear foolish is funny. The people I happen to know who enjoy doing this seem to have something of a mean streak.

The fact that they are “avid” hunters may have something to do with their warped sense of “humor.” And if I may digress for a moment, have you noticed how hunters like to be described as “avid” as in “avid hunters”? For years I’ve noticed that some deceased hunters are described in their obituaries as “avid” hunters. I thought I’d look up the word “avid” in Webster’s Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary sitting on my desk. Here is what I found: “craving eagerly, greedy, characterized by enthusiasm and vigorous pursuit.”

These hunters use various deceptions – scents, sounds, blinds and tree stands from which to ambush – in their unsportsmanlike trickery of unsuspecting animals. So, I’ve come to the conclusion that there must be a connection between the desire to pursue, trick and kill other animals and to belittle, demean, degrade, or debase humans. I think that such behavior is a form of sadism that is “socially acceptable,” so the perpetrators know that they can get away with it.

Hopefully, some hunters will wake up and face the truth that it takes real guts to stop their addiction to destructive behavior. Then, when they learn to enjoy nature without a weapon in hand, their courage will be blessed with true freedom and happiness – and deception and trickery will be no more.

Go on to: NOVEMBER – 27 November 2007
Return to: The Business of Religion – 25 November 2007
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