What would you do?

[z00se]

In trying to more deeply understand peoples interpretations of love, I'd like to ask in a forum where most people have an interest in cultivating love some hard questions and check out variance in the answers....

 

I wonder if you think it's ok to kill rats when they are in plague proportions (knee deep in your back garden)?

Would you ever put down poison if your house was infested with ants.

Would you fumigate (or get somebody else to) if termites were eating your house and making it unsafe to live in? Or would you just try to sell it to somebody else?

 

What would us spiritual people do in these situations   How loving would we be to these pests, or even.... enemies?  If a dog was run over and whimpering while really messed up, would you shoot it to put it out of it's misery or leave it in pain, perhaps for hours, until it's last breath?

 

Would you be cruel to be kind? Would you be kind while inflicting cruelty? Or do you see it differently?

 

Would you try to avoid the truth and not answer?

 

Thanks for your time

[SeekerOfHealing]

Your body have no problem killing all the poor cells who attacks you in flu and other infections.

[Brian]

Cruelty is found in intent rather than action. Examine motivation and then act appropriately. Love the rat and the termite and the injured dog even when you determine the proper action is one others might not understand. Dispassion is not malevolent.

 

See also the current thread on the sage & straw dogs.

[z00se]

Ah both fantastic answers. Thanks, I like them and will use them at some point

[thelerner]

I try to get rid of them (ie kill them off) before they get to plague like problems. 

Truly the best way is to seal up the house, not leave out food scraps.  In the garden don't plant too closely, use complimentary plants that do double duty, raise the garden bed so water flows away without stagnation. 

 

With experience and skillful means we can take action before things get out of control.  It is possible for the wise to live in this world doing very little harm, because they do so much preparation in advance.   They love there garden and know its cycles and processes thus anticipating and countering problems before they begin or seeing such problems early, can take gentler measures to correct them.  

[Teddy]

If someone or something attacked me or endangered me, I would defend myself, and that might involve hurting the attacker. This applies to rats, termites, people, viruses etc.

 

In your example about the dog, shooting the dog would be the kind thing to do wouldn't it? ... Not the cruel thing. There's no such thing as 'cruel to be kind'. There's kindness and there's cruelty. I try to be kind.

 

If I'm attacked, I am kind to myself and I defend myself.

[Pilgrim]

In trying to more deeply understand peoples interpretations of love, I'd like to ask in a forum where most people have an interest in cultivating love some hard questions and check out variance in the answers....

 

I wonder if you think it's ok to kill rats when they are in plague proportions (knee deep in your back garden)?

Would you ever put down poison if your house was infested with ants.

Would you fumigate (or get somebody else to) if termites were eating your house and making it unsafe to live in? Or would you just try to sell it to somebody else?

 

What would us spiritual people do in these situations   How loving would we be to these pests, or even.... enemies?  If a dog was run over and whimpering while really messed up, would you shoot it to put it out of it's misery or leave it in pain, perhaps for hours, until it's last breath?

 

Would you be cruel to be kind? Would you be kind while inflicting cruelty? Or do you see it differently?

 

Would you try to avoid the truth and not answer?

 

Thanks for your time

I would like to invoke the Obi Wan Kenobi clause:

 

The answer depends greatly upon ones point of view.

 

I have read romantic stories of Zen Masters who when robbed were thankful that the thief also took their cloths.

 

My Thoughts: it must have been summer time, when winter has fallen with a blanket of snow then show me your acceptance.