Positive Changes are Possible

 "Hear with your ears, watch with your eyes, close your mouth and learn." Hawaiian saying.                                     With all the communication methods nowadays, we are provided with a lot of possibilities to learn from each other. Ideally national radio and TV are employed to gently teach the ignorant. (Albert Einstein: "Most stress comes from the daily contact with idiots.") At long last the government tackles the problem (meanwhile solved in many countries) of stray animals possibly catching rabies. A good chance for Radio National Rue Hourria Tunis to explain to uneducated simple folks the need for vaccination. But no, the presenter proudly declared that when he sees a pack of dogs in the morning (probably hungry and grateful if a kind person would donate a bit of food), he picks up a stone and says a sure, he doesn't know how one can hold these dogs and vaccinate them. Shameful ignorant, wonder what are the requirements for his post? I noticed that radio presenters do a lot of giggling, news are rarely read and at a high speed. I have never in my life felt threatened by stray animals, quite a few had a family before and were kicked out for convince, maybe need of veterinarian treatment and guys either not able or willing to spend the money. Lack of loyality and empathy is a human speciality! Amazing that abused animals are still capable to love man. They comfort old, sick and lonely folks, save humans buried underneath crushed houses, snow, from fire and water, aid the blind, protect humans, animals and properties, detect harmful drugs, etc. Sorry, let me take the liberty to compare street cats and dogs with kids roaming the streets all day. Those picking up stones, children and adults, worry me. These kids are constantly picking up stones, throwing them " just for fun" at cats, dogs and humans. I nearly got hit on more than one occasion, the last stone was big enough to kill or at least cause a servere injury. The usual comment of not very bright bystanders: They are children..... With just one word I can get dogs to leave the scene, when kids scream all day at ear splitting level and I ask them to play elsewhere or at least stop shouting, they use bad language or say "sorry" and continue a few seconds later. When you have up to 20 kids misbehaving in front of your door, it's not much fun. I am no longer the relaxed person I used to be. Lots of noise and exhaust gases are harmful for ones health. Last year 7 million people died worldwide from air pollution. It doesn't seem to worry folks here. Motorbikes are often tuned to be extreme loud and leave a black stinking cloud. Some residence areas are used as racing tracks, number plates are rare on motorbikes, makes stealing them and or using for street robbery easier. I hope vaccination of stray cats and dogs is only the start of animal protection laws and the end of senseless killing of them. Reducing the number of homeless cats and dogs can best be achieved by getting them spayed and neutered and teaching the ignorant empathy and responsibility. In fashion are Persian (here called " Turkish") and in particular Sisamoise cats. I joke: if you are not high class, at least your cat should be. Diana, my Sisamoise cat, was in a poor state of health when children tried to sell her. Following various visits to the vet, having been spayed and neutered, vaccinated as well,   she was fine when she walked outside, doubtlessly intending to return quickly (as she did in the past), but a thief was quicker. She must be kept indoors, without a chance to come back home. Folks here quickly get impatient, no time to waite until it's their turn even at the vet's, surprising with so many unemployed. In a hurry for what? A result of too much fast food maybe. Mediterranean home cooking is healthy, lots of fruits and vegetables, plenty of vitamins, good for the body and brain, but how much is still done? I noticed the urge for instant revenge even in very young children. One wrong word and stones are thrown, I find them on my pavement, with construction/repair works everywhere there is an endless stock of stones. This lack of self-control in kids and adults is not harmless. In the F. Bourguiba University hospital in Monastir family members of a deceased Covid patient attacked staff of that ward and destroyed the much needed material, which in return forced the Hospital to permanently close the Covid ward. An attempted assault on the president's life failed. Eye for eye, teeth for teeth - if practiced leaves half the world blind and without teeth. The original demand was not for such literal revenge but mend that if you feel you must take revenge, don't allow it to be in assess of what has been done to you. Difficult to judge the future development in Tunisia, writings on walls implicate that quite a few are "not happy". What we don't need is an elbow society without empathy. We can do better!