Since we actually experienced a portion of a day with no rain, I went outside today to do some yard work. One of my chief tasks was to pull up a large tarp that has covered a section of grass for nearly 8 months. As I had hoped, almost all of the grass is dead. Now, we can replant the area with native species.
Despite the fact I am an avowed pacifist, I am also a hardened killer. So are you! Every species kills at one point or another and we humans do it quite often.
Every time we eat, we are killers. Maybe you didn't slaughter the cow that became the hamburger in front of you and I didn't pick the lettuce and other veggies in my salad, but, in a legal sense, we are accomplices to murder after the fact. These life forms were killed on our behalf.
Ever swat a fly or mosquito? Murderer! Ever step on an ant or worm? Killer! On any given summer's day, I'm fairly sure that each us -- incidentally or with premeditation -- kills quite a few bugs.
Ever taken an antibiotic? Eaten a blueberry? Had a glass of lemonade? All of these substances are known to K-I-L-L bacteria and the latter two are said to kill viruses too.
Heck, every time we wash our hands, we kill bacteria. Face it. Each of us is a natural born killer.
While we might embrace a "live and let live" philosophy, we would not survive if we didn't kill. I believe this statement is as true for humans as it is for any other life form.
Despite the fact I am an avowed pacifist, I am also a hardened killer. So are you! Every species kills at one point or another and we humans do it quite often.
Every time we eat, we are killers. Maybe you didn't slaughter the cow that became the hamburger in front of you and I didn't pick the lettuce and other veggies in my salad, but, in a legal sense, we are accomplices to murder after the fact. These life forms were killed on our behalf.
Ever swat a fly or mosquito? Murderer! Ever step on an ant or worm? Killer! On any given summer's day, I'm fairly sure that each us -- incidentally or with premeditation -- kills quite a few bugs.
Ever taken an antibiotic? Eaten a blueberry? Had a glass of lemonade? All of these substances are known to K-I-L-L bacteria and the latter two are said to kill viruses too.
Heck, every time we wash our hands, we kill bacteria. Face it. Each of us is a natural born killer.
While we might embrace a "live and let live" philosophy, we would not survive if we didn't kill. I believe this statement is as true for humans as it is for any other life form.
So true Trey. I am a committed pacifist but I know I am a hypocrite. As much as lies within me I try to live a life of peace. And then a mosquito lands on my arm...
ReplyDeleteThe difference --and there is one-- between animals and humans is that we think about it, have awareness of what we're doing...either calling ourselves hypocrites, or at some extreme, sadists and masochists. The mosquito, who may be carrying a parasite that will kill you, is just feeding. When my cat is dismembering a gecko he is just being a cat. But children who do that routinely may be on the way to becoming serial killers.
ReplyDeleteTo acknowledge this hypocricy, to feel bad about it, indicates to me a larger consciousness, a spiritual self at work...whether you're an avowed Buddhist, Sikh or just a "man of peace."