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Death, Pets And So Many Philosophic Questions

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posted on Dec, 29 2012 @ 05:34 PM
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We were lucky in a sense that death never played a major role in our family. Our family has pretty much been spared of tragedies and loss of lives and I am thankful for that. I am well aware that other people/families might not have been so lucky - illnesses, accidents and tragic losses of lives happen. This is something very inconceivable to me - like things you read it the news or hear "from others".

I want you to understand that what I post is on that background. I certainly don't want to offend or anger anyone who had such a loss of a human being happen in their own lives.

We have "plenty" of cats - we love all of them, each has a very specific character and each one is a true part of our family.

Today, I went outside in the morning wanting to go to the store to find one of our cats, Manxy, lying dead on its side right in front of our steps that lead up to the apartment. Our cats hang out down there all the times.

While we have problems with some neighbors because our cats go to some porches and areas they are not supposed to be, I *think* we can exclude foul-play.

Manxy was just lying there, there were no wounds, blood or anything.

Manxy was a sick cat in a sense that he had birth-defects, for example he only had a stump of a tail, although he was a normal tiger cat, not a Manx breed, he also had some breathing problems and very, very likely some heart problem.

Manxy was otherwise acting entirely normal, just hours before he squirmed around on my lap making his weird noises, eating, playing, swatting at us with his claws because he really wanted to get his share of the lunch meat etc. How can he be dead, from one moment to the other....

Seeing him dead out of the blue really took me by surprise. I am feeling sad and also angry, although I don't even know whom that anger is directed to. God? The cruelty and injustice of life in general? I don't know!!! It's like you want to shake your fist in anger about what happened and you are looking for someone to blame but you can't....

How this feeling must be if someone would lose a human being.....I cannot even remotely fathom!!!

As for Manxy, one of our cats, my own explanation is that they were down playing as usual....today at 9am (!) that crazy dude again started with his very loud fireworks/firecrackers a block away (VERY common here in Spain)...so the cats started panicking running back to the house. Manxy, with his weak heart might have simply dropped dead due to a weak heart. (I found this website where many other cat owners reported similar sudden cat deaths, mostly due to heart failure).

Anyway, despite the sadness and anger such also opens up so many philosophic and metaphysical questions which go around in my head. Yes I KNOW. It's "only" a cat...but for me this doesn't really matter. It's a living being.

I am pondering questions like the purpose of a life, why a life is coming to this world just to be taken away a year or so later. Why lives are coming into this world which are "not perfect" (like handicapped people), or sick people which are destined either to die soon or destined to have a really horrible life due to sickness or illness. Why people would die at young age while others wont....those metaphysical questions people pondering for ages already... questions I cannot find and answer for...

Back to pets - this reminds me of an episode a few years back where we had a litter where ONE cat died shortly (minutes) after birth. I can't understand it. I can't understand the meaning of it. I can't understand the "mechanism" behind it or the sense. How a living being is "made" and planned to have all abilities to live a life...with working organs, a mouth to eat and drink, feet to run, eyes to see and otherwise OBVIOUSLY everything given by nature to live....just to die within minutes of birth. This does not compute in my brain.

ONE thing which saddens/angers me about Manxy's death is *also* that a living being is "gone" where I know that no-one ever will talk about, say, for example, in the news etc... say, if a person would have died. If a pet dies, who cares? Besides me and my wife...the dead of a pet will hardly "interest" anyone. There wont be headlines anywhere, it was "just a cat". You know what I am saying?

We say..or tend to think...what "relevancy" had this cat in our lives....he lived a year and a half, "all he did" was eat, anger some neighbors by pooping in their flower pots etc,....but what sense and relevancy did THIS LIFE have? And, what about his death? Do we just wipe this away, saying "well it's just a pet...it is not important...it didn't play a role in this world"...it came to this world "just like that" in the same way as it departed this world....leaving open questions about life's meaning....the meaning and purpose of birth, death etc... this applies to pets but OF COURSE even more so to humans - ANY living being.

But then this is also a very difficult philosophical question for me, because if my logic tells me i HAVE TO apply this to all living beings I cannot exclude pets/animals and say such feelings only apply to humans since humans, ALLEGEDLY, would be "special"...but if I realize ANY living being as "special" I would also have to include any other sort of being, heck even down to beings like fleas, fish etc..etc...

How can I say I am angered and saddened by this cat's dead but don't give a **** about smashing a fly or spider?? This is another philosophical question I have and where I can't find an answer.... WHY do we have a preference (or are taught in such a way) that one kind of life is more valuable than another? Who decides this? Wouldn't ANY life have a purpose??

Anyway, most of my sadness and anger is really around the idea that Manxy's life is gone, like his existence was so insignificant and didn't really matter "on a bigger scale" - and i just HATE, HATE this idea.

I therefore wrote this to dedicate it to him and in a way to honor and remember his life. But I also want to dedicate this post to all other lost pets. Somehow I feel I "owe" it to him...that's the least I can do even if he was "just a cat".



posted on Dec, 29 2012 @ 05:40 PM
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reply to post by flexy123
 


Id give you a million stars for this thread, if i could, because it matchs perfectly my thoughts on the subject you raised. il be back in a minute to comment further, (need to put daughter to bed).



posted on Dec, 29 2012 @ 05:50 PM
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I ve questioned myself the futility of it all. i lost my mum at 25, it hit me hard, one minute she was here, the next gone.
I also have the same feelings as you with regards to animals. I have a fourteen year old bichon frise, and hes gone downhill rapidly in the last few months. He cant see, he sleeps a lot, i sort of sense his life is probably coming to an end soon. And ive been imaging life without him, and i know hes just a daft old dog, but hes a living and loving being, and will be sorely missed.

life is such a mind****, i hope theres something else after this.










posted on Dec, 29 2012 @ 06:02 PM
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reply to post by flexy123
 


A fruit fly lives only for a few days.

Everything is temporary here and always changing. That's what makes it fun to watch. It's fun as long as you don't get attached to yesterday. Live in the moment. Things come and are gone as soon as they have come. It's just a show. It's beautiful and glorious and alive once you get the hang of it. It's just a ride. We live for a while and get to watch it from a unique seat. Then we die and move on to something else. It's something to be thankful for.



posted on Dec, 29 2012 @ 06:15 PM
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A short life here could be a blessing that you don't recognize through human eyes.



posted on Dec, 29 2012 @ 06:28 PM
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Lost my cat 21 years ago. Took me three years before I could even squeak out saying her name. I barely got it out and burst into sobs. My immediate family are all living too - so - no experience with death really.

For your anger though; it's NORMAL. It will pass, don't worry about it too much. I never got to the anger phase yet. Here are the normal stages of grief. www.recover-from-grief.com... That link is a 7 stage list, others say five stages.



posted on Dec, 29 2012 @ 06:40 PM
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My mom killed our dog 2 days ago. She put him down for no reason except he annoyed her and she is mental. An otherwise healthy and amazing rottweiler. Without getting into too many details, I loved this dog. The pain is immense. But I am gaining from this. My friend who was always there and willing, who is no more but continues to teach me even in death. When I reflect on this I realize that I treated him well, kept him happy and showed him some of the love that permeates from this world. Knowing this alone has brought me much comfort. It is basic I suppose, but I cannot stop thinking about being the best person I can be. The kindest, most loving, caring empathetic human I can possibly fathom. Because so long as I make that my goal, no matter what happens, I brought the love and the peace. I find much solace in this thought.
edit on 29-12-2012 by TruthHurtsDenialKills because: (no reason given)



posted on Dec, 29 2012 @ 08:32 PM
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I have lost many people and pets throughout the years and have pondered the same questions.
I would like to believe that after this life here on earth, we go on to something different, something better. A pet is never just a pet, they are living creatures that bring much love and joy to our lives. I suppose we can be grateful for whatever time we have spent sharing our lives with them. I am sure that they loved and appreciated those special times with us and now they have moved on and wait for us in peace and contentment.


edit on 29-12-2012 by Night Star because: (no reason given)



posted on Dec, 30 2012 @ 12:19 AM
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i have lost quite a few "pets" in my life time also not to mention rl family members. it all feels the same, they are a part of our life, some more than others. dont feel bad about mourning for them cuz its just goin to happen no matter what. i miss my bird sooo much & getin another will not replace him. one of a kind. really puts in perspective other aspects of life, like everyone else out there... u are here for a limited time like everyone else. make it the best for all




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