Two young men from Suzhou knelt down on the street for an hour after accidentally killing a pet dog, which then was widely shared and commented by netizens. The content of these comments was even more surprising than the act itself. This incident made me think about several issues.
Firstly, who lost their dignity when people knelt to a dog? Let's not discuss whether there was actual coercion involved, whether the dog owner was extorting money, whether the pet dog was really worth a fortune, or whether the two young men were unable to pay compensation despite wanting to. Regardless of the truth, as long as the two young men didn't genuinely believe that mourning a dead dog was justified, and as long as they knelt not for the dog's forgiveness but for the dog owner's mercy, this act first and foremost indicates self-contempt!
As the saying goes, "One kneels to heaven above, to earth below, and to one's parents in between." We kneel to heaven and earth because they provide us with a place to live, and we kneel to our parents because they give us life. Beyond this, a man should not kneel easily. Kneeling to a dog—does it imply that human society should respect dogs more than humans? Or does it suggest that in conflicts between humans and dogs, kneeling is the only way to resolve things? No, I've never seen a dog kneel to a person after biting them! Therefore, the act of kneeling to a dog primarily shows how much these young men underestimated themselves, equating the value of the dog to that of heaven and earth, or even their parents. I say this not to insult the young men or disregard their dignity, but because they themselves disregarded their own dignity and disrespected themselves.
Should one compromise unprincipled or fight back? Kneeling to a dog, according to common sense, shouldn't be the genuine intention of the young men; it was likely due to pressure from the dog owner. So, when we are under pressure, should we compromise without principles? Should we accept the other party's demands unconditionally? Are the mouths given to us by our parents merely for eating? Are the limbs given to us by our parents solely for walking and working? If the dog owner insults you, can't you insult him back? If the dog owner hits you, can't you hit back? I'm not encouraging violence, but if you truly cannot think of any other way to stop the violence against you except by "kneeling", you might as well use violence. In this case, although I wouldn't call you an anti-Japanese hero, I would at least not criticize you like this. A man without backbone—is he still a man? Preferring a dog's face over a human's—is he still human?
Even when in the right, one should show mercy, let alone when not in the right! The car ran over the dog because the driver didn't drive carefully, but also because the dog owner didn't manage the dog properly. The driver should bear responsibility for not driving carefully, but should the dog owner bear no responsibility for not managing the dog well? If the dog owner thinks it's reasonable for the driver to kneel to the dog, doesn't he think it's reasonable for himself to kneel to the dog? Actually, both the dog owner and the driver are human beings. Respecting dogs over humans means the dog owner isn't respecting himself either. If he doesn't consider the driver as a human being, then he doesn't consider himself as one either.
Netizens' comments are extremely biased! Most of the comments I saw online mostly criticized the dog owner while showing sympathy for the kneeling young men. This is partly because pets are often associated with wealth and greed, triggering the common folk's resentment towards the rich and powerful — yes, many ordinary people are busy making a living and don't have time to spend big money on pets! However, why don't we think about whether we can rely on such wealthy individuals to protect our rights or dignity? Can we depend on such condemnation? Whether it's an individual, a nation, or a country, if one surrenders before a large-scale invasion, no matter how severe the condemnation, it will be useless. Protecting oneself always depends on oneself — that is courage and self-strengthening!