Cricket and Crabs – Can they go together?
Posted on September 2nd, 2015
Senaka Weeraratna
Sport builds strength and character in a person and instills values. A sports personality has a responsibility towards society to do good by setting an example. Sports is about two rivals battling it out to see who is better. It is not about a person of strength attacking a defenseless being. That’s not sportsmanship. That’s Bullying and Cowardice. Yet people don’t seem to think there is anything wrong in throwing an innocent being such as a live crab into a cauldron of boiling water. We cringe when even a drop of hot water spills on us yet we don’t seem to have any qualms about doing that to a defenseless crab.
All living beings feel pain and we all know it even if we don’t want to accept it. Where is our compassion? Why has someone not protested or taken action against the perpetrators of cruelty to animals? Or are famous sports icons exempt from the law? The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, No. 13 of 1907, though outdated, does still exist to enforce the law against cruelty to animals.
Does not the abusive treatment of these crabs infringe on their most fundamental right – the right to life ? Why is the law silent? Why has the police not taken any action and why is society not standing up in protest at this injustice? Are elephants the only animals entitled to our compassion and concern, while leaving out the rest of the non – human living beings constantly subject to man’s inhumanity, from any moral attention on our part? What sort of double standard is that?
Do we stand by and let this happen? The Buddha has pointed out that Samma Ajiva or right livelihood is a foundation of an ideal society. Right livelihood means the choosing of the right vocation which would cause no harm to other sentient beings or the ethical principle of non-exploitation. Today by remaining silent we tacitly condone the killing of innocent beings in a cruel manner, largely because it doesn’t affect us. How many lives must be lost before someone confronts our sports “heroes” and challenge them for an explanation of their ‘ethical’ principles and ignoble ways of earning money? Is this the example to be set for the future generations? Can sportspeople lacking genuine compassion for others including animals be treated as role models for the young? Is an ethical virtuous life no longer relevant for our society and particularly for sportsmen and sportswomen?
‘ Virtue starts with non – killing’ said Buddhaghosa.
It is time that we reflect on this important statement.
Dharma Voices for Animals Sri Lanka Chapter
https://www.facebook.com/dharmavoicesforanimalssrilanka?fref=nf
see also
http://nation.lk/online/2015/08/29/a-little-advice-to-our-top-national-cricketers/
September 2nd, 2015 at 5:03 am
I love these two cricketers and feel extremely sorry for them.
Why should these people make extra money this way ? How foolish they are, being born as Buddhists ?
May they realise this sooner than later.
September 2nd, 2015 at 5:10 am
කුමන නැටුම් කෙළි කවට සිනා දා , මරුට නොමැත කිසිදිනකදි බා දා
ඔබට නොදන්නා මරු මෙහි ආ දා
යන්නට සිදු වන්නේ
ඉන්නට බැරි වන්නේ
නො තිර සසර සාගරේ
ඉපිද මැරේ යලි ඉපදේ
මේ ටික කලට අපි අනුන්ට රිදවන්නෙ ඇයි ? අහෝ ඛේදයකි !
September 2nd, 2015 at 5:48 am
I hear crabs have to be boiled alive to get the maximum meat. This is the worst kind of death to any animal or a human.
I also see another Sirisena in Sanga. Sirisena received a prestigeous award from Harvard, Sangs from British / World Cricket. At a speech he made (I believe at Lords) in England he mentioned how his father looked after affected Tamils in their house. This was an insult to all other Sri Lankans who sheltered thousands of Tamils taking great risks to their personal safety and that of their property. Did he try to say that he is coming from a more compassionate lot to the average Sri Lankan? Sanga didn’t mention that the July 83 riots were the handy work of the then UNP government (Ranil was a Cabinet minister then) and their thugs.
We were all sad to see Sri Lanka loose to the West Indies (when the T20 finals were played in Colombo). I heard the next morning that two youth committed suicide too. This was our match. What was Sanga’s contribution? It was an easy catch (I think he scored only 4). Before the match could finish, we had emails circulating putting the blame on Rajapakse’s attendance. Now I wonder whether there was more to these than what the eye could see.
September 2nd, 2015 at 5:50 am
අදමින් ජීවත් වෙනවා විතර ට
දැහැමින් මිය යනු සොඳමයි දන හ ට
මෙලෙසින් වදහළ මුනි බණ සිහි කො ට
සැබවින් පින්කොට පැමැණෙව් නිවන ට
September 2nd, 2015 at 6:32 am
How do we prepare delicious soy meat products ? In USA & Europe, even types of mushroom are used to mimic meat and delicious burghers are out in the market place.
September 2nd, 2015 at 11:19 am
BBS & JVP ought to get together to do business to raise funds for their causes through the Vegetarian Prepared Food business …… it will give direction to the Sinhala Buddhist villagers.
September 2nd, 2015 at 2:15 pm
I’m a full vegetarian. I feel stronger than MOST. I can’t think HOW people can eat FLESH of another living being.
Humans have a LOT to evolve! We are still the same wild animal in the jungle.
“I hear crabs have to be boiled alive to get the maximum meat.”
Yuk! Who can do this everyday? This is EXTREME cruelty. I wish these animals had a self poisoning switch that turns on just when they die.
(For balance, let me add that being a vegetarian and a teetotaler does NOT by itself make you a good person. (S)Hitler was a vegetarian and a teetotaler too! Instead of animals, he killed humans!!)
September 3rd, 2015 at 3:55 am
The most humane way to kill a crab, according to some, is to place it in a deep freezer where it sleeps itself till the end. I hope this is correct and made known to the restaurateurs.
September 3rd, 2015 at 5:24 am
L.Perera,
Is that the most humane way to kill a human too ? If not why ?
September 3rd, 2015 at 5:29 am
Cricket has now become a business. Years ago cricketers played for the country. Today they play for money. There is of course nothing wrong in that. They deserve the money for the hard work they put in. But what is shameful is cricketers opening up Restaurants to make money . And they advertise that they specialise in supplying meat, fish or to be exact Crabs. The irony is that people look at these cricketers who ´´drown´´ Crabs in boiling hot water as role models. And worse still they call themselves Buddhists and they have Pirith ´thread´ tied their wrists !
Thank you Senaka for bringing this up.
Samaraweera
Australia
September 3rd, 2015 at 10:52 pm
Independent. I hope your concern for crabs extends to Fish, prawns and Tuna (that end up as maldive fish) etc. They ALL in different ways suffer, as much as crabs.