Camel Beauty Contest

 

"Camels barred from beauty contest over Botox": The quest for affirmation and power of partnership with God

Here's a headline you don't see every day: "Dozens of camels barred from Saudi beauty contest over Botox." Camel breeders compete in the annual King Abdulaziz Camel Festival for some $66 million in prize money. Botox injections, face lifts, and other cosmetic alterations are strictly prohibited, but over forty camels were disqualified this year for receiving such enhancements. Camels are by no means unique in needing help to be more than they are. In Google's summary, "Discover what the world was searching for this year," we learn that the world searched online for "affirmations," "soulmate," and "how to maintain mental health" more than ever before in 2021. We were made by God to value life and health innately. It is not surprising that New Zealand would take steps to ban smoking or that geopolitical commentators would express grave concerns about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. When a woman was pulled from a car submerged in rushing water near the brink of Niagara Falls, the story made national headlines. As thousands of people continue to "disappear" in Mexico due to "a maelstrom of gang and drug cartel conflict, as well as government and police corruption," we grieve and seek justice. A Dallas man who beat two puppies to death earlier this year was sentenced to six years in prison, further evidence of our culture's affirmation of life. As with the Nobel Prizes that were first awarded on this day in 1901, we value not only life itself but those who improve it on behalf of others as well.