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Sad tale of dying values

(China Daily)
Updated: 2011-01-14 08:02

A driver, who accidentally knocked down a pet dog and his friend sitting beside him were made to kneel down before the dead animal for an hour by its owner in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, recently, says an article in Xi'an Evening News. Excerpts:

The dog owner gave two options to the two men: pay a compensation of 5,000 yuan or kneel down before the animal for an hour. The driver and his friend chose the latter.

Perhaps they did not have enough money to pay the compensation. Perhaps they thought 5,000 yuan ($757) was too big a sum to pay for killing a dog.

But they could have at least sought the help of police, who would have settled the matter fairly.

Surprisingly, the two friends refused to seek police help. Their refusal or inability to pay 5,000 yuan made them take the entire blame for the accident, though it is difficult to determine who really is guilty.

Making people who are assumed guilty to kneel down before an animal has changed the traditionally noble behavior into a farce.

In the Suzhou accident case, humans were made to kneel down and pay their respects to a dog, which is humiliating.

The Suzhou case shows how indifferent some people have become to values. The importance and relevance of values seems to have changed in these post-modern times.

Some people today are ready to lose their dignity for money, something that no one would have done a few years ago. Is this loss of moral integrity and uprightness?