Compassion should not only apply to humans and pets.

I'm all for compassion that is directed at humans and beloved animals. But as I grow to an old age, I have gradually extended my compassion far beyond. All animals deserve our compassion, not just pets. I believe all animals deserve compassion, and that includes reptiles and spiders.

Today, I made a quick trip to the liquor store, and noticed a spider was hanging on for dear life to a web thread attached to the mirror on the side of my car's body. It was a life or death experience for that spider. The spider survived the trip, and I was pleased with the result. It survived.

My compassion now extends beyond the animal kingdom. I see plants are just as worthy of our compassion as animals. I used to chop down trees with a chainsaw, with not a tiny bit of guilt. Now, I just don't think I could end the life of a magnificent plant such as a tree in such a violent manner.

I'm just too damn compassionate for this brutal world. I'm hiding out to try to get through my final years without participating in the nasty stuff.

It is wonderful to have so much love and compassion for all living things. I'm usually the same but...spiders scare me so much I usually kill them. I try so hard not to. If they stay out of my way and are far enough from me I let them be, but too close and they are a goner.

I have two questions...

Do you have grass and do you mow it??

But seriously, I get what you are saying. I had a fly strip up the other day and noticed a fly struggling on it. There was no way I could save him at that point, but it did leave me with a twinge of guilt because it was suffering and it was something I hadn't ever really thought of (concerning the fly strips). I have always tried to kill bugs and such as quickly as possible if I had to kill them at all. There's no sense in making anything suffer needlessly.

As for the trees? My husband works in a saw mill and my hypocrisy only goes so far.

a reply to: Night Star

Night Star, a cup and a skinny computer cd captures spiders. Leave them outside on the porch.

Try to imagine you are a tree. No joke. You have lived in the same spot for 20 or 30 years. The sun makes you grow. You compete for sunlight with other plants. One day a chainsaw ends this.

If you remove religion completely from the picture compassion
for all animals becomes quite a dilemma.

Christians tenets and all the Abrahamic religious teachings hold that
animals and plants were put here for our use so it makes it easy for
most people to feel absolutely no guilt or compassion when crushing
a spider, or an ant hill...and it even demonizes the poor snake for
obvious reasons.

I've always found it strange how we can show so much compassion for
some animals and none for others. I think the litmus test has something
to do with how much emotional intelligence an animal can express.
But even then it is a hit or miss proposition--take the minx for example.

It is a tough one...Personally I like the romantic Native American idea
of directly thanking the animal they kill for food. Seems like there is
some truth there,

I also like the late George Carlin's take on it. Definitely some truth
there as well....

If you asked a human you were about to kill for permission, I doubt you would get it. Same for non-human animals.

originally posted by: droid56

Today, I made a quick trip to the liquor store, and noticed a spider was hanging on for dear life to a web thread attached to the mirror on the side of my car's body. It was a life or death experience for that spider. The spider survived the trip, and I was pleased with the result. It survived.

And then you realized that the car you drove there had 100 bugs smeared on your windshield.

My compassion now extends beyond the animal kingdom. I see plants are just as worthy of our compassion as animals. I used to chop down trees with a chainsaw, with not a tiny bit of guilt. Now, I just don't think I could end the life of a magnificent plant such as a tree in such a violent manner.

Have you tried sungazing for your nutrients?

I'm just too damn compassionate for this brutal world. I'm hiding out to try to get through my final years without participating in the nasty stuff.

If you stay true to this belief, you won't get through 2 weeks.

I understand how compassion seems like the right thing to do, but the world doesn't work that way.

My compassion for bugs and insects ends at my door. In nature an animal defends it's home and I do the same. Next time you stumble into a wasps nest feel free to negotiate with them. I will be the guy in your rear view mirror.

a reply to: droid56
You are a very compassionate person.

I am not so compassionate where insects are concerned. Depends on what species. Some are pests and destructive. I have loads of spiders around my property. Giant sized ones and others. I've learnt to just coexist with them . Not sure why I'm able to do so. Well,they are all over my back deck and I like to be out there as well. It's impossible to keep them under control, there are that many! Everyone else is screaming at the top of their lungs. I just say if you have arachnophobia do not come here. However I will not coexist with a spider in my bed. I insist on having plain white sheets so I can do an inspection before I get in. I haven't seen any in my bedroom anyways.

As for plants. There are studies done that claim they have feelings. I'm open to the idea. I have many plants outside and after awhile I've noticed some just want to be moved to a new spot. Then it begins to flourish. I had a pot of various plants I potted around June. Another pot I had was looking empty, so I took this petunia out of the pot, being careful not to dislodge the others roots, to replant into the empty looking pot. As soon as I removed the petunia, this little dragon tree just wilted right there. It looked so sad, like hey you took my friend, I liked it. Put it back! I tended to this pot but that dragon tree was not springing back to life. After a week or two I put the petunia back and it perked up. Was most likely some other factor lie a ph balance or something, it was just odd how it immediately drooped, once I took away it's neighbour. It wasn't fond of the begonia I put there instead,

Anyways sounds a bit nutty, but it's the first time I had seen this happen. The year I finally figured out lobelias are better planted with each other. I've never had much luck with them, until this year I put 4 or 5 of them in small pots. They looked gorgeous this year. Vibrant clumps of purplish blue I was so proud. The others from the same stock withered because I planted them among other plants. Possibly it helps to tell them they look very pretty! Instead of I hate this plant, never getting another one of these.

a reply to: Kangaruex4Ewe

I think grass is like hair, it gets cut and keeps growing back.

The grass wasn't the point. All the insects, spiders, moles and voles living there was the point. They get chopped up too.

a reply to: Kangaruex4Ewe

Mowing grass doesn't kill it, lol, it's akin to giving your dog a haircut.

a reply to: butcherguy

You are correct butcherguy. It seems that everyone's hypocrisy only goes so far.

originally posted by: droid56
a reply to: Night Star

Night Star, a cup and a skinny computer cd captures spiders. Leave them outside on the porch.

I'm not getting anywhere near a spider! It gives me the chills just thinking about it.

a reply to: droid56

Of all the small critters, spiders seem to fascinate me the most. They move in an alien way...they have 8 legs, bilateral symmetry and of all things they weave webs with a wonderful substance that can be stronger than iron.

I try not to kill living creatures intentionally. Except for mosquitoes.

a reply to: kelbtalfenek

Mosquitos must die! LOL

I can appreciate a pretty web, even a colorful spider now and then, but basically they scare me half to death!

I like all of God's creatures (cats are not of God, IMO ).

Especially pigs.
They are very intelligent, as far as barnyard animals go.

Oh, and then there is ham..... AND BACON!

I've always been this way. My kids are this way. My wife is this way. But spiders....I just......I can't deal with them.

This being said, today, I locked up the brakes and almost wrecked my truck for a squirrel. He made it by the skin o' his teeth. Damn if about 3 hours later, a little bunny rabbit ran out in front of me and I nailed the brakes again! He ran away without a scratch. If I see a worm struggling on a hot sidewalk then I take it to a shaded spot behind the house and let it go. Same with frogs or whatever else.

But I also hunt. I fish. I give compassion where it is due.

Oh, and a while back a big mud turtle was in the road. I stopped, got out, went over to get it and put it near the pond over the hill by the road. That thing came at me and tried to get me. It was fast! I left it to it's own fate.

But it's good to see people having compassion for all living things.
S&F OP

I like when hunters show compassion for living creatures. But hunting and fishing is still murder. Murder is the violent end of an animal's life. But it is also true that an animal killed in its natural habitat has lead a much better life than an animal confined in a very small space in factory farms. This is not to say that hunters are doing a good thing when it comes to compassion. It is just saying that it could be worse.