As I was driving to work Monday, I saw a huge object moving in the road. It was a turtle, larger than any I have seen outside of a zoo (and larger than many I have seen in the zoo).
It was so large that I wasn't sure Blue (my 1967 Ford Fairlane) could straddle it! I lined up a straddle axis barely within my lane and went by, but not without incident. I was in the right lane of a two lane, one-way highway. The turtle was in my lane heading to the left lane, so I cleared it entirely in my lane, but the car in the left lane locked down its brakes! The car behind that one slammed into the car sliding to a stop. The car behind that, the third car, slammed into the second car. Both of those cars had a chance to swerve into my lane and would have hit Blue in the side, but they wisely chose contact with the sub-compact hybrid car that slammed on its brakes instead of taking on Blue. The fourth car appeared to bump bumpers as well, but I was on the safe side of the turtle by that time and couldn't be sure. There was a mini-Cooper behind me who also cleared the turtle, but she didn't attempt to straddle it, just swerved around it.
I couldn't believe somebody would put people at risk by slamming on their brakes to save a turtle. If I had been in one of those cars in the wreck, I would have gotten my tire tool out and clubbed that turtle to death.
I would have then taken the turtle and thrown it on the hood of the car that slammed on its brakes and caused the wreck. "Do you think you saved that turtle? I don't think so!"
I could have done that because our Creator gave us dominion over this creation. I think the driver of that Honda Prius that slammed on its brakes should meditate on that. She should also meditate on the fact that Man is the highest among creation and much more valuable than a turtle. I would never put humans at risk to save a turtle (or Polar Bear, or bird, or fish, etc...).
