Saturday, July 23, 2011
title:{What A Hamster Has Taught Me}
Just now, I brought my brother down for a walk and decided to stop by the pet shop to take a look at the dogs and hamsters and other animals. I love animals, except when they are without any enclosure or worse still, let loose! Therefore, the best place to look at animals is at the pet shops! (: I love it every time I enter the pet shop. Seeing those animals never fail to cheer me up (: However, this trip to the pet shop is special and has taught me unexpected thing!
Inside the pet shop, the dogs were separated with the public by the transparent glass wall and cages, while the hamsters were separated with the public by the transparent glass wall and some square plastic grids. At that instant, my brother shouted, "Mouse!" To my dismay, there was a mouse on top of the square grids. It was strolling on the square grids. It was loose! I was really frightened and grabbed my brother, making sure that he didn't approach and harm the hamster.
Immediately, I went to inform the shop-owner, who in turn managed to place the hamster back safely, before the hamster managed to harm itself accidentally by jumping off from the grid squares that were half a meter above ground. In my fluster, I actually told the shop-keeper that a guinea pig was let loose, when it is actually a hamster Woah! Blame this on my nervous breakdown and my weak biology concepts. I was flushed with embarrassment, but I'm glad that I managed to prevent the hamster from hurting itself. I'm sure that the hamster would've hurt itself if it jumped down from the square grids. Look how small and fragile it is. It is around the size of my clenched fist. So delicate. The story does not end here
After the hamster had been placed back into its enclosure, it began to try to escape again by climbing to the celling, which is the square grids. It failed for the first time. Later, it climbed again and again. It failed the second and the third time. I was so awed by the perseverance of this hamster that i actually wanted to buy it!
This made rethink of what I had done. Did I really make the right decision in helping to protect it? What if I am wrong? What if this freedom it really craves for is actually what matters to him? What if it will be much happier without being put in the enclosure. A thousand "what if"s flashed through my head. I began to question myself then. What if I did something which I thought might have benefited that person, ended up not being something that he/she actually wants? Is freedom good for the hamster or is being kept safe all that matters?
BUT, I know for sure that the hamster is special. All other hamsters had given up hope in escaping from the clutches of the shop-keeper, but this one is special. In it, I see hope and optimism. (: this hamster is really special. It goes the same for human, isn't it? Those people that made it to the top are actually hopeful and optimistic.
Woah! I had learnt so much from a trip to the pet shop. I should visit the pet shop more often (:
7:02 PM;