the value of life

[woodcarver]

I hit a cat with my car tonight. It was a complete accident, it just came out of nowhere. It wasn't like I wasn't paying attention, either... Just a total freak thing.

 

I understand that life, value, morality, etc are all duality but what I'm writing are also ideas. I couldn't help but feel a very deep care for life and I consider myself fairly detached. Supposedly we become naturally caring when we surrender but how about the other side of the coin like suffering in these situations? Would anyone like to share some insight on the value of life?

[子泰]

you win some, you lose some. that's life

[Brian]

Real human beings care. Those who think you aren't supposed to have only learned part of the lesson.

[Marblehead]

Sad the cat's life was ended prematurely. But accidents happen. Sad children starve to death. The greed of others happens. Sad people and other forms of life die during wars. Greed again, I suppose.

 

Life is absurd but still worth living, according to Albert Camus.

 

I am fortunate that I have never gotten that unattached from life in all its varied forms. (Well, except for weeds in my gardens and mosquitoes.)

[Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan]

War is from Wrath. Forgiveness would bring peace.
Starvation is from Glutony (but fair game, its a form of greed after all). Moderation would bring Health
Poverty is from Greed. Giving/gifting would bring equity.
Rape is from Lust. Horse Stance would bring consensual lovemaking


and so on and so forth...

[Marblehead]

Horse Stance would bring consensual lovemaking

 

Hehehe. That is funny.

[Rocky Lionmouth]

Accidents are the worst man, sorry to hear about this for both you and the cat.

Did it have a collar or ear-tattoo, could be helpful to inform it's keepers if you feel bad? Were you too upset to stop and check? Im pretty sure i'd be so i dont blame you if you didnt.

 

I feel very Buddhist saying this but the suffering is also part of surrendering. All one can do is try if possible to express and share it so it can take its leave when you are done.

Edited January 7, 2015 by Rocky Lionmouth

[woodcarver]

I am digesting your answers...

[Marblehead]

I am digesting your answers...

If mine tastes bad just spit the words back out.

[woodcarver]

Sad the cat's life was ended prematurely. But accidents happen. Sad children starve to death. The greed of others happens. Sad people and other forms of life die during wars. Greed again, I suppose.

 

Life is absurd but still worth living, according to Albert Camus.

 

I am fortunate that I have never gotten that unattached from life in all its varied forms. (Well, except for weeds in my gardens and mosquitoes.)

I learned how easy it was to accept those tragedies when they're in your mind apposed to right in front of you. I'm really holding back on going about on a basic value all living things possess in fear of it being mind stuff but maybe it's true. The HHC says so at least but I got to the weird part and came here.

 

War is from Wrath. Forgiveness would bring peace.

Starvation is from Glutony (but fair game, its a form of greed after all). Moderation would bring Health

Poverty is from Greed. Giving/gifting would bring equity.

Rape is from Lust. Horse Stance would bring consensual lovemaking

 

 

and so on and so forth...

 

More horse stance, got it

 

Accidents are the worst man, sorry to hear about this for both you and the cat.

Did it have a collar or ear-tattoo, could be helpful to inform it's keepers if you feel bad? Were you too upset to stop and check? Im pretty sure i'd be so i dont blame you if you didnt.

 

I feel very Buddhist saying this but the suffering is also part of surrendering. All one can do is try if possible to express and share it so it can take its leave when you are done.

I did say the S word didn't I? I did go back and it was bad.

 

Thank you all for the answers and the possible subtleties I may have missed!

[shunka]

I am sorry to hear of this, I would find it difficult also.

 

I have been taught that everything happens for a reason.

the trick, of course, is to discern the reason , then accept it.

 

yhs

shunka

[Rocky Lionmouth]

I did say the S word didn't I? I did go back and it was bad.

 

Sorry, i dont follow, do you mean "suffering"?

I'm suddenly not sure wether we were talking of wether you felt suffering or the cat or both, feel like i jumped to conclusions, its what i do, besides read situations poorly.

If you had to act in order to lessen the cats suffering i'd be applauding you for doing what i'd feel would be nearly impossible to do. If you didnt i can relate.

I saw one of my childhood cats get hit once, she survived for a few minutes but all i could do was pick her up and carry her home, i was so sad i functioned on basic reaction mode. I had nothing to help but try to soothe her, ending her suffering didnt even cross my mind because i was so caught in the emotion. I have a hard time accepting death face to face so i become passive and feel helpless, i think i might react similarly today if i wasnt prepared for it.

[Brian]

Remind me tomorrow to tell you about Herbie.

[BearlyTao]

Go away. Let me drag my tail in the mud.

[doc benway]

I hit a cat with my car tonight. It was a complete accident, it just came out of nowhere. It wasn't like I wasn't paying attention, either... Just a total freak thing.

 

I understand that life, value, morality, etc are all duality but what I'm writing are also ideas. I couldn't help but feel a very deep care for life and I consider myself fairly detached. Supposedly we become naturally caring when we surrender but how about the other side of the coin like suffering in these situations? Would anyone like to share some insight on the value of life?

 

This is a wonderful lesson in impermanence, I would offer the cat my deepest gratitude for her sacrifice and dedicate the wisdom and compassion gained from this experience to helping others.

_/\_

[Brian]

Remind me tomorrow to tell you about Herbie.

So...

 

When I started my first "real job," there was this "old guy" (he was then my age now!) named Herbie who sort of took me under his wing. Really nice salt-of-the-earth mountain gentleman. I had Sunday dinner with him, his wife and their two children one time.

 

I'd known Herbie and his family for about two years. His family was at a church picnic one Sunday with the whole congregation. They were gathered at the preacher's home and the whole gang of kids were playing all sorts of harmless games, including riding around in the yard on an old electric golf cart.

 

There was little traffic on the old country road at the edge of the property but the kids were staying well clear of it. Until, that is, tragedy struck.

 

For some reason, on one lap around the yard, Herbie's nine-year-old didn't turn and, at that same moment, a dump truck came around the bend. Herbie, his wife and their 11-year-old daughter watched in horror, along with the rest of the church congregation, as Herbie's son drove the golf cart directly in front of the dump truck.

 

The results were as one might expect and the funeral was one of the most heart-breakingly traumatizing experiences I have ever witnessed.

 

 

 

I haven't seen Herbie or his family in nearly 20 years but Herbie still teaches me about life.

[Cookie Monster]

.

Edited May 4, 2021 by Ocean Form

[woodcarver]

Sorry, i dont follow, do you mean "suffering"? I'm suddenly not sure wether we were talking of wether you felt suffering or the cat or both, feel like i jumped to conclusions, its what i do, besides read situations poorly. If you had to act in order to lessen the cats suffering i'd be applauding you for doing what i'd feel would be nearly impossible to do. If you didnt i can relate. I saw one of my childhood cats get hit once, she survived for a few minutes but all i could do was pick her up and carry her home, i was so sad i functioned on basic reaction mode. I had nothing to help but try to soothe her, ending her suffering didnt even cross my mind because i was so caught in the emotion. I have a hard time accepting death face to face so i become passive and feel helpless, i think i might react similarly today if i wasnt prepared for it.

I really don't want to go into further details. Very brutal. Beyond imagination.

 

Go away. Let me drag my tail in the mud.

Love that story but I'm not sure where you're getting at with it.

 

This is a wonderful lesson in impermanence, I would offer the cat my deepest gratitude for her sacrifice and dedicate the wisdom and compassion gained from this experience to helping others.

_/\_

I don't think my lesson was that important.

 

So...

 

When I started my first "real job," there was this "old guy" (he was then my age now!) named Herbie who sort of took me under his wing. Really nice salt-of-the-earth mountain gentleman. I had Sunday dinner with him, his wife and their two children one time.

 

I'd known Herbie and his family for about two years. His family was at a church picnic one Sunday with the whole congregation. They were gathered at the preacher's home and the whole gang of kids were playing all sorts of harmless games, including riding around in the yard on an old electric golf cart.

 

There was little traffic on the old country road at the edge of the property but the kids were staying well clear of it. Until, that is, tragedy struck.

 

For some reason, on one lap around the yard, Herbie's nine-year-old didn't turn and, at that same moment, a dump truck came around the bend. Herbie, his wife and their 11-year-old daughter watched in horror, along with the rest of the church congregation, as Herbie's son drove the golf cart directly in front of the dump truck.

 

The results were as one might expect and the funeral was one of the most heart-breakingly traumatizing experiences I have ever witnessed.

 

 

 

I haven't seen Herbie or his family in nearly 20 years but Herbie still teaches me about life.

That is just fucked. Herbie sounds cool, though.

[Rocky Lionmouth]

I really don't want to go into further details. Very brutal. Beyond imagination.

 

Ok no problems, sorry if i overstepped.

 

 

[Rocky Lionmouth]

So...When I started my first "real job," there was this "old guy" (he was then my age now!) named Herbie who sort of took me under his wing. Really nice salt-of-the-earth mountain gentleman. I had Sunday dinner with him, his wife and their two children one time.I'd known Herbie and his family for about two years. His family was at a church picnic one Sunday with the whole congregation. They were gathered at the preacher's home and the whole gang of kids were playing all sorts of harmless games, including riding around in the yard on an old electric golf cart.There was little traffic on the old country road at the edge of the property but the kids were staying well clear of it. Until, that is, tragedy struck.For some reason, on one lap around the yard, Herbie's nine-year-old didn't turn and, at that same moment, a dump truck came around the bend. Herbie, his wife and their 11-year-old daughter watched in horror, along with the rest of the church congregation, as Herbie's son drove the golf cart directly in front of the dump truck.The results were as one might expect and the funeral was one of the most heart-breakingly traumatizing experiences I have ever witnessed.I haven't seen Herbie or his family in nearly 20 years but Herbie still teaches me about life.

 

Wow, thats horrible, i cant even begin to anything.

[BearlyTao]

Love that story but I'm not sure where you're getting at with it.

Don't worry about the dead, just do your tail dragging.

[silent thunder]

"if everything that ever lived is dead

and everything that is alive is going to die...

where does the sacred part come in?" George Carlin

 

I wrestle with the concept of the sanctity of life daily.

Mostly, including my own, I occupy a space where I don't inherently see any life as all that important.

It's just life. There's nothing personal about it, but what I create for myself... and yet, I'm alive and capable of making these distinctions which is a natural part of the process of life... so as of now, value does exist at least for me.

 

So in reply to Mr. Carlin I answer... 'from personal perspective'.

 

Without relative perspective, all life is a straw dog and has no value aside from function and raw organic compounds that will be decomposed and reconstituted without emotion or hesitation.

 

There is nothing personal, nor tragic in this, until I form connections and emotional attachments.

 

No one drives around with bumper stickers that say "I brake for advanced Melanoma" or "save the tumors". (again credit to Mr. Carlin) The value of life is completely relative and dependent on the observer and their perspective.

 

That said... some life to me is as sacred as sacred can possibly be, to me.

This in no way, will change it's eventual demise and decomposition, but it will, in the interim, add untold value, depth and beauty to my life experience while I share the connection with it.