Sometimes things are, in fact, exactly as they seem. While we often color our perceptions of everything outside ourselves with filters constructed of our biases, prejudices, preferences and hopes, some things are so plainly and undeniably obvious that, even when we try, we cannot make ourselves believe anything other than the obvious truth about them.
The images in the video on the right speak for themselves. They are the products of dog fighting, the enterprise into which Michael Vick chose to invest a portion of his enormous wealth. I make no apology for calling these images to your attention. They are the truth.
The images are the products of an obscene “sport” which Michael Vick sought out in the dark and dank evil of fighting pits hidden away in locations secured by his money. So great was his wish to see animals tear flesh from bone, rip arteries, organs and entrails through gaping wounds, and drench themselves in the blood of their mangled and dead opponents, to hear the agonized shrieks and cries of the dying combatants, that he traveled in shadows, hid in darkness, became the confederate of the putrid dregs of humanity and risked criminal prosecution to satisfy his taste for blood, money and power over defenseless and dependent creatures.
What Michael Vick did to rather large numbers of defenseless dogs was a heartless, brutal and cowardly thing. His acts were of a kind so devoid of all honor or pretense of mistake that literature is filled with examples of men who took their own lives rather than be exposed for their participation in such obscenities. Even the fabled Ajax, whose slaughter of the flock was a consequence of rage and delirium, preferred death at his own hand to life in the shadow of such unspeakable cowardice and disgrace.
Michael Vick has served the sentence for which he bargained. Society has no right to punish him further, and I have no wish to do so. On the other hand, society has no obligation to reward him or celebrate his talents, and I can find no cause for reward or celebration.
Has he repented? Has he experienced a genuine change of heart? None of us, of course, will ever know the answer to that question in this life. The answer to those questions is known only to Michael Vick and his creator, perhaps only to God. The matter is, really, none of our business.
I do, however, know this. Once Vick dons the uniform of the Philadelphia Eagles and returns to the field of play he will instantly be the hero of thousands, perhaps millions, of young boys who will admire his talents, imitate his style of play, and wish to emulate his conduct on and off the field. Can there be anything worthy of emulation in a man who brutalizes and slaughters God’s creatures for profit and perverse amusement? You will consider and answer this question for yourself and in your own way.
I have forgiven Michael Vick already. What did he do to me, you ask? He assaulted my sense of decency and imprinted permanently onto my consciousness images of the suffering, torment, agony and unspeakable fear within the helpless animals he and his criminal enterprise exploited, abused and murdered for fun and money.
I have forgiven him, and I know that God will forgive him as well. Should he be in my church this morning, I would welcome him to sit with me, and he would be welcome at the communion table of our Lord. I am not prepared, however, to sign his paycheck.
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The forgive and forget business started in my childhood and it made forgiveness damn near impossible. Jesus wanted me to do it, but I reckoned Jesus to be a lot better person than me. If I had to play the fool and forget then He could forget it. But that’s not what forgiveness is about. As one who participates in transforming justice dialogues between “victim” and “offender” I know there is no point in asking someone to forgive and be the offending party’s best friend or act as though trust is a foregone matter. In forgiving Michael Vick it does not mean I have to trust him or sit next to him or that I have anything to prove to anybody. I know people who have done unspeakably horrible things to animals as children who went on to do the same to people. It is documented that their childhood included being tortured, shamed, and humiliated. This is why an act as horrific as Vick’s toward all those puppers causes me to pause and ask, “What did someone do and/or model for him to reach a place that the suffering of critters, whose sole purpose in life is to be loved, would mean nothing more than entertainment and dollar signs? I am so glad that the Humane Society has taken it upon themselves to train him to see animals as creatures as having purpose and who deserve to be loved. I dearly hope they will reach a place in him where he can be humanized. This is why every person who has done a horrible offense against another almost always benefit from having a good hearted free world visitor. This is why we have to love our children and be a real community. And it doesn’t mean we have to be sappy and all Christiany when we are mad as hell.
I read this blog yesterday and as usual, it gave me much to think about which is one of the reasons I look forward to my daily Perkerson Park blog fix.
I’m a huge animal lover. I’ve been blessed with wonderful dogs and cats all my life who are like family to me. When I see an animal hurt or mistreated, it breaks my heart and causes me to feel such anger at the person(s) responsible for their mistreatment.
When Michael Vick was convicted I hoped they would throw away the key because I was so appalled and angry at what he participated in, along with several others in the scheme. Time has passed and he has served the sentence our laws enforced upon him. He says that he has had a lot of time to reflect and wants to TRY to make amends for what he did. Only Michael Vick and his Creator truly know if he means this or not.
Forgiveness is a hard principal when it’s someone that has done a horrible wrong that has hurt you or someone you love. However, if that person asks to be forgiven, I feel they must be worthy of that forgiveness. Our Creator forgives us on a daily basis of our stumblings regardless of how large or small. Do I think he deserves a second chance? Yeah, I guess I do. Will anyone forget? No, probably not. Forgiving and forgetting are two separate things.
I do not believe a person is born into this world evil from the get go. We all come as sweet, innocent babies – a gift from the Creator. Evil seeps into our hearts as we mature and grow older in this world and are subject to some force that twists our hearts.
I’m glad the Humane Society is working with Michael Vick and I hope that the scars his own heart must bear will heal. It’s for sure the world is watching and watiting for a sign that he has reformed himself or still harbors evil in his heart.