The story of Axle, the dog beaten to death in a public place recently, disturbs the mind on so many levels. Cruelty to animals has been a social malady for ages, but because of social media, we are seeing it more than we care to look.

This sort of violence is, however, often not taken as seriously as abuses against other humans. Injury to persons can elicit an outrage so powerful it can topple autocrats. But when animals are tortured for fun or social media engagement, or stolen and butchered for illicit trade, most people tend to look the other way, just as that neighborhood ignored Axle’s killing.

This kind of violence, similar perhaps to the fire-razing in Indonesia recently by enraged citizens, comes from a place with no more compassion. It is anger thick with frustration and resentment, blinding one to reason and empathy.

Humanity has long been able to inflict cruelty — murder, genocide, the slave trade, and human trafficking are some historic examples — but to see such brutality inflicted on domestic animals shows a height of inhumanity we must check ourselves for. As Pinoy Big Brother asked his latest Gen Z housemates, “Who are you when no one is looking?”

The past year alone is a testament to a kind of cruelty we can exact, with absolutely no compunction, on each other. 

Brazen corruption, the kind that lets a politician smile while raping the national budget slated for development, education, health, and progress, is one form we are all too familiar with. We can hunt down the slimy perpetrators till we are blue in the face, but if we are the kind to simply sit and watch while it all happens, sometimes in the very groups, companies, or organizations we are in, then we are just as guilty.

When Black Lives Matter rocked the global consciousness on racism and inequality, wokeness was sparked, and people urged compassion, understanding and change.

When the Me Too movement made women demand justice, it showed that empowerment issues had a long way to go after Women’s Suffrage was won generations ago. 

The LGBTQIA+ have made some gains, but the battle continues on the gender equality and rights front.

Axle, the poor dog beaten to death (by a local barangay official, to boot), is a symbol of human cruelty in these times. The Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF) has made urgent calls for citizens to uphold the Animal Welfare Act because, in the end, silence or tolerance does not free you from responsibility, let alone conscience. 

“When cruelty is witnessed yet unspoken, or when harm is ignored for the sake of convenience or fear of conflict, it sends the message that violence is acceptable, that the voiceless do not matter, and that accountability can be ignored,” said the AKF.

That applies to both animals and humans.

Civilization has given us new clothes and artificial intelligence with no heart, no spirit, and no soul, but can we really say that we have such humanity?