Worse Than Animals
Last week, I happened to be in an unexpected situation that I didn’t know how to manage. It wasn’t just something practical as “I have to build something” or “My car broke down”. There was a stranger needing for help.
It started a quiet morning, browsing on Mastodon. On the local timeline, I noticed a strange, sad post: “A last cry for help”. A person was asking someone to listen to a problem he or she couldn’t solve, and maybe give some suggestions. I sent a private message: “I don’t know if I can help, but I’m all ears if you wanna talk about something”. Then, things took an unexpected turn.
She, a totally unknown girl, told me an episode of abuse and betrayed trust. Obviously I won’t give any details, but we exchanged about forty messages where she told about a filthy man who abused her and then kept texting her, blaming her.
I was taken by surprise and, at first, honestly didn’t know what to tell her. After reassuring her that this is a common subtle psychological tactic, I thought that talking with some more expert people than me would be the best (last year, a new help line was established against stalking). We agreed that the best thing to do was talking with someone she trusted, and with whom she could not maybe “fight” this man, but at least stop being frightened. I think that she just had to sort her thoughts, and I’m glad if I could be helpful in any way.
What unsettled me was the abrupt sense of responsibility that I got that peaceful morning — it was like a little earthquake. Last year, my girlfriend and I unwittingly followed the news much more, and we were astonished by the number of acts of domestic violence. A report from 2023 show that the police had more than seventeen-thousand calls for this reason.
Why are we so insane?
As my almost-centenarian friend says, we are worse than animals.
As a bonus, here is a peaceful picture I took that same week, while hiking with some friends.
🎮 …nothing! I have to finish Blasphemous
🎧 After the Olympics, I often listen to Gojira
📖 Still on The Dark Forest (about ~70% of the eBook)
Last week, I happened to be in an unexpected situation that I didn’t know how to manage. It wasn’t just something practical as “I have to build something” or “My car broke down”. There was a stranger needing for help.
It started a quiet morning, browsing on Mastodon. On the local timeline, I noticed a strange, sad post: “A last cry for help”. A person was asking someone to listen to a problem he or she couldn’t solve, and maybe give some suggestions. I sent a private message: “I don’t know if I can help, but I’m all ears if you wanna talk about something”. Then, things took an unexpected turn.