The Good Kind of Pork

The Pig That Inspired All Of China That Life Is Worth Living

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Brent Lambert

Just when I thought my week was ruined after road construction outside meant getting only nine hours of sleep instead of ten, and then getting shampoo in my eyes in the shower, I found this little gem in the Daily Mail:

A pig which was born with just its two front legs has become an unlikely celebrity in Henan Province, China. The 10-month-old animal, known by villagers as Zhu Jianqiang, which means ‘Strong-Willed Pig’, was born with only two front legs, which it now uses to walk on. According to owner Wang, Zhu Jianqiang was one of nine piglets born in a litter this January.

He recalls: “My wife asked me to dump it but I refused as it’s a life. I thought I should give it a chance and unexpectedly it survived healthily.” Several days after Zhu’s birth Wang decided to train the two-legged female piglet to walk by lifting it up by its tail. “I trained her a while each day. After 30 days she could agilely walk upside down.

She proved to us that “no matter what form life is, it should continue to live on,” he said. “I won’t sell her no matter how much the offer is.”

Thanks Zhu, now it’s going to be really hard to find excuses not to go to the gym

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"I cried because I had no shoes, till I met a man who had no feet"

- Persian Proverb

Its interesting to think that the more advanced society becomes, the more that we desire material things and yet the more that we loose our sense of what truly matters and what is more important, and we also loose our appreciation for the blessings that we already have. I happen to recall the saying "the grass is greener on the other side". Honestly? What a load of crap!!! No really, it is a bloody load of freakin horse manure!!! Whats that? You don't agree with me? Well, everybody is entitled to their own opinion, really, but for the sake of proving my point, ill use the example of Zhou the 2 legged pig.

Okay, Zhou was born with only 2 legs.. Tough shit. Thats life. in some weird perspective, and to personify the ol' piggie, lets just say their might have been some degree of depression and self pity (and before you argue by saying you doubt that a pig can get feelings such as this, kindly be reminded that i am PERSONIFYING the freaking pig. if you don't have an idea what the bloody word means, click on it and be enlightened. Thank you) and maybe a dash of self loathing with a tinge of fear that being a freak of nature that it might not live that long and the like. Granted, if this were indeed the case, i would find myself in dire straights indeed if i was this pig, and be envious of all my other porky siblings frolicking around. But by a twist of faith (and defiance of the dark wishes of Wang's wife), the pig not only gets a reprieve from the chopping block and the cooking pot, but gets a very valuable bit of mercy (yes this is very valuable, more so than Gold, in my humble opinion, and if you happen to doubt my opinion on the matter, ask the Jews or the Cambodians that were Exterminated by our 'fellow human beings(?)' , a lesson in become self sufficient and a certain degree of notoriety in the village that would ensure a moderately cozy life.

So, in this regard, i ask you, dear reader, this question... 'How is the grass truly greener on the other side for Zhu the Pig?'

Real Fortitude

: for·ti·tude
Pronunciation: \ˈfȯr-tə-ˌtüd, -ˌtyüd\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin fortitudin-, fortitudo, from fortis
Date: 12th century
1 : strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

I happened upon a rather disturbing though albeit contemplative scene by accident. The scene was of this homeless couple walking along the sidewalk to destinations unknown to me while being trailed by their 2 pet dogs. 'So what is so disturbing about that?' you may ask. Well, simply put, the 2 pet dogs were both handicapped in the sense that they were deprived of both their front legs and yet were able to maintain a constant distance with the couple they were following. to give you an idea what they looked like, imagine pushing a wheelbarrow.. You have the picture in your mind?.. Good.. Now replace the picture of the wheelbarrow with the dog with the absent front legs.. rather disturbing isn't it? This image had bothered me greatly being that i'm a general animal loving kinda guy, with more inclination to favor the members of the canine species. I had honestly tried to look away, but my eyes seemed to be rebelling against the signals being sent to it by my brain. I have seen a dog walk home after losing its hind leg in an accident, but had seemed to display minimal difficulty walking (i guess this was because he had 3 more to help him along). But the image of these 2 dogs sans their legs had bothered me deeply.. until i noticed their expressions and actions. I'm not some dog wisperer or expert in canine affection or what-not, but i have been taking care of dogs long enough to be able to read some salient signs. And from what i had observed of these 2 dogs, as they were struggling to, for want for a better description, propel themselves forward along the sidewalk, they seemed to be playing with each other. I mean, if they had full use of their faculties, they would undoubtedly be trying to wrestle each other and trying to trip each other in their own unique canine way. I guess for them, there was no disability, but their games just became more challenging.

This is what i find so interesting. So many people spend so much money on Inspirational Books, talks and Videos when inn all actuality, they simply needed to do was look out the proverbial window and see what lessons they can get from Ol' Mother Nature. Im not saying their wasting their money, but rather im cheering them on further in the sense that they had decided to give it one more shot and not give up. Kudos to you people!! But then, there is also the other side of the coin. Im talking about the people who had given up all together and just decided to cash in their chips and take a loss. Ok, fine.. You guys may not be made of sterner stuff, in fact, some people may call you downright weaklings for that matter. What i dont understand is, if these 2 dogs can persist to continue even with their current disabilities, whats stopping you from giving up so easily? I guess for some, cowardice is the only way out. Its a good thing not everyone is a coward, and want to strive even harder for that extra mile. Its a good thing Nick Vujicic is made of sterner stuff.