Slavery and Cannibalism in Our Modern World
I had planned to write on the struggle in the US congress in which
the Israel Lobby seeks to override the president’s veto. This is likely
to cause a new war in the Middle East, send out a new wave of refugees,
and destroy the cradle of our faith and civilization. However, the most
dangerous trend we are facing springs from our arrogant desire to
override the natural order of birth, life and death.
On the streets of Tel Aviv, young Filipinos or strong Sudanese push
trolleys with old Jewish people. They cling to life, these old ladies.
Age and race are juxtaposed: it is fine to be old, if you belong to the
right race or ethnicity. Taking care of the old is a job for immigrants,
refugees, and guest workers of the wrong race. Whenever I see such a
trolley, I do not exult in our good care of the elderly and in our
humane attitudes; I lament the fate of the Philippines and Sudan, for if
these states hadn’t been devastated by us, the young women would be
taking care of their own children instead of flying to the end of the
world to change diapers for old Jewish ladies.
Once, the slavers had to go to Africa, hunt and seize prospective
slaves and ship them to plantations. We destroyed their societies, and
now the slaves are paying their own fare and competing to live in Uncle
Tom’s cabin. They became indispensable for the care of old people, and
we have a lot of old folks in our developed countries. This is the case
where both means and purpose, the modern slave trade and the
preservation of exhausted life, are equally reprehensible.
