Looking Out My Back Window #430

Originally posted on Facebook HERE

Life exists on many levels. Living in the country, and driving to and from work on a highway every day, I see my share of road kill. It always makes me sad. I think I’ve just always been kind of “in tune” to the suffering of all living things… all sentient beings, I guess. To live is to endure suffering and dying. I don’t like to see anything suffer. I take no pleasure in killing anything, even that damn mosquito who attacked me. And we, as humans, are also animals. But when I look into my dogs eyes – there is another being there. Gizmo feels pain. He has fun. He knows when he’s guilty. He’ll go after any perceived threat. He knows what love feels like. He also knows anger and hatred. There are certainly different levels of sentient beings – I do believe insects feel pain. Not so sure there an actual soul in there, though… but as we more up the chain, well… I think every dog I’ve ever had has had a personality. To me, there’s a soul in there living life on a much different plane than we see as humans. And I think it applies to all animals, which is why I stopped eating meat and wearing animal products years ago. A month after I quit drinking and taking drugs I made that change as well. I never really felt comfortable as a meat eater. I’ve never been interested in hunting or killing anything. I was just brought up eating meat, and by the time I was old enough to think about what I was doing I was a meat eater. Then – I started drinking and using drugs when I was fourteen years old. So, my self-love and moral compass was affected by that for years. I didn’t love myself enough to make any changes for ethical reasons I guess. Not until I got sober, and started taking personal ethics and morality more seriously. And it was very clear to me that in order to start living my life inline with what I had always felt internally, I had to make one more huge change in my lifestyle. I gave away everything I had made of animal products – including my Harley jacket – which I loved, but… was no longer something I felt good about wearing. And I quit eating meat. I thought it would be a lot harder to it was, actually. But back then I was the unhealthiest vegetarian on the planet. The first four years I was still eating dairy products on a regular basis, just not meat. So… a cheese pizza with a diet soda was a common meal. Yikes. Or a 3 Musketeers bar with a diet Mt. Dew… Sheesh. After I read the John Robbin’s book “Diet for a New America” I went full on vegan for a few years. Kinda hard to do unless you really watch everything you eat. But – that’s not really where I was looking to go today, anyway. The point I wanted to make before I went off on a tangent there is this… every sentient being will know and feel pain and suffering in their lives. We will all die, too. So, while we’re living we get to choose how much pain and suffering we can add to or help ease with the way we go about our lives. A quote I read years ago sticks in my head. Albert Schweitzer said “think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight”. There are people all over the world suffering every day, and there are others who have dedicated their lives to do whatever they can to help them. There are animals in terrible situations all over the world, and there are people who are dedicated to getting them the care they need as well. I applaud everyone who dedicates their lives to causes like that. I often think I could do way better in that regard. But one thing I can and must do is life by my own code of ethics. And that, for me, is by doing everything I can to not create any more suffering for other living being. And donating as generously as possible to the good people doing the work to help sick and abused people and animals throughout the world. We get to choose what side we’re on. We get to act accordingly, too. I am in no way looking down upon my friends and family who chose not to live the way I do, either. We’ll have our own personal compass in that regard. The vast majority of people I know don’t live as I do. But I can tell you this – if there is anything you’re doing that you don’t feel good about for whatever reason – take a long hard look at changing to be better in line with your own moral compass. Because we need to be true to ourselves first and foremost. As always, I wish you well on your journey. Attack each day will all the love you have to give it, and the world will respond in kind. Be a force for good today and every day, even when it seems things are stacked against you. No one said it would be easy. Strap in, and enjoy the ride. You only get one shot. Make it count. Be what you want to see.