What to say when one kills an ant?

[dontknwmucboutanythng]

Through out the days I have to kill a bunch of ants crawling around the kitchen counter.   I don’t know if an ant has soul, I hate doing this regardless.   I would let them be, but they would take over the house and I can’t risk contamination. It seems hypocrite to ask this, but what can I say to “ease” (for lack of better word) their passing.  I recall reading a story in incarnation research where a child remembered being a snake in his previous life.  Part of himself was in the snake and part of himself followed the snake around.  He said life was tough being a snake.  Anyway, thanks for your comment.

[Kar3n]

This is always tough for me too. I do not like killing anything. I even have a tough time pulling weeds from my flowerbeds.

 

I always apologize and ask forgiveness. I do not know that it does any good, but I do it anyways.

[Rickie]

The lion eats the antelope to sustain itself.  The whole circle of life thing.  The lion will chase off threats and if that doesn't work it kills. The lion doesn't kill just for fun and entertainment.  You are in a sense protecting your space  If you go on a rampage killing every ant you see then I'd worried.  

 

Having said that I try to avoid stepping on ants and other little critters, when I walk.  :-)

[wandelaar]

Indeed we sometimes have to kill animals to protect ourselves. Sometimes there are alternatives such as capturing the insect under a glass and releasing it outside. Or just let it be, if it can do no harm. That's what I prefer. But if I see no alternative I kill the insect as quick as possible.

[Marblehead]

The best they ever get out of me if I have to kill an ant is, "Sorry buddy."

 

The ants I have out front are not harmful so I do try to avoid killing any.

 

[Nungali]

I recently had an ant war .... again    .    yes, it was nasty , I used 'chemical warfare' , 'napalm' ... nasty stuff.

 

But they broke the treaty  ... okay , they broke  my treaty  with them .

 

Background ; they are 'jumping stingers '  ... are they are ferocious, they will  go on the attack, charge you, and jump at you. They sting can be painfull and some react and swell up.  A few weeks back some visitors got bitten at my outside 'picnic table', a nice shady spot in the garden that I been using for years , with no ants.  Then I had a training session, two guys turned up, then I got a bite on my ankle ( i used to it more than  most and just try to ignore it as often get bitten gardening - one can curse and hop around and go 'owie owie owie' ,  or just grit the teeth and keep going , the first method doesnt reduce the pain, so what's the point ? ).

 

But then another one higher up the calf, inside long pants, followed by another up at the back of the knee .  Since they appeard to be heading in a 'sensitive direction', and now realising I had  ants in me pants, I whipped them off, turned them inside out and shook them out.  At that oment a young lady turned up to train again ... stopped at the driveway and  ...  

 

Me;  " Hi . welcome to martial arts training, take you pants off and come on over ! "

 

Then later one of the guys wife's turns up with their baby, who is crawling around on the grass, as they often do in that spot. Lucky I remembered ;  " Nooo ... the ants ! "   They snatched up.  I dont like the idea of a baby being covered in stinging ants !   And I want to retain my spot !

 

The treaty was; they keep out of 'my space', and beyond where I mow grass, they are free to operate undisturbed, In return for that, They get they meaty type scraps, that dont go in compost, I lob them out past the mown grass.  If I hadnt been doing this, for 30 years, I reckon I would have an infest by now and they would have driven ME out. 

 

We had a converse here a while back, same things but about rats and mice in the walls and roof.

 

Anyway, I found their nest, right behind one of the  table chairs .  It wasnt pretty, I spare the details, they are gone now, took about 2 weeks all up.   Then I made a special food offering 'across the border' . 

 

Inside I have many types of ants. I usually ignore them; keep the sugar and honey done up tight . They help to remind me to clean the benches, sometimes 'oil ants' invade the butter, so I make sure that is in a good container , the get in even the clean fry pan, but thats just a rinse out before use  ( they go down sink, along pipe and end up in garden).

 

If a stinger or bull ant comes in, they get squashed .  So I guess it depends on type of ant and risk to people .

 

 

I want to have at least one space here where kids  (and me )  can roll around the grass and look up to the clouds. But I also want other spaces where people dont mess with the wildlife.

 

 

[Try]

According to Buddhism, you can do good deed (e.g donation) under the deceased name, hoping them to rebirth in a better condition. This is usually done for deceased relative but I don't see why it won't work for other living being as well. Just pray and hope for the best.

[Aetherous]

Think if that was you being squashed for the sake of convenience. Maybe a mightier creature than humans will come around and decide to squash us, just because we're not supposed to be here according to it.

There's always another way. It might take some deep thought and ingenuity, but I'm sure you can solve the problem of ants existing in your home without continually having to kill them.

Not saying it's unacceptable to ever kill anything...but I think this becomes a little problematic when we hate doing it, yet excuse ourselves for doing it. Don't do what you hate and know to be wrong. It's a negative action to do it, and rather than trying to put some money in the good karma bank as a way to selfishly make up for it, I think it'd be better to try anything else other than killing them.

Find the way they enter, and seal it up. Attract them to a spot where they get trapped, then release them. Etc.

Or just do what's easy and kill them...but at least understand the implications of the act.

[wandelaar]

You have to draw the line somewhere and can't save every animal or even plant if you want some time and energy left to live a life of your own.

 

17 hours ago, Kar3n said:

I even have a tough time pulling weeds from my flowerbeds.

 

Same with me, for however you look at it, it's killing a form of life. But as Rickie said there is the circle of life thing. The world as it is is not of our own making. If we don't want to live (and probably die) as a saint we can't completely avoid killing or harming other creatures. Even if we dislike it.

[doc benway]

19 hours ago, dontknwmucboutanythng said:

Through out the days I have to kill a bunch of ants crawling around the kitchen counter.   I don’t know if an ant has soul, I hate doing this regardless.   I would let them be, but they would take over the house and I can’t risk contamination. It seems hypocrite to ask this, but what can I say to “ease” (for lack of better word) their passing.  I recall reading a story in incarnation research where a child remembered being a snake in his previous life.  Part of himself was in the snake and part of himself followed the snake around.  He said life was tough being a snake.  Anyway, thanks for your comment.

 

 

In the Bön tradition of Tibet, there is a mantra known as the Great Mantra or the Ma Tri.

It invokes the names of six emanations of the male and female deities of Bön, Tonpa Shenrab and Sherab Chamma.

Each of the six emanations is an enlightened manifestation appearing in one of the six realms of samsaric existence to ease the suffering of sentient beings and help them to achieve a good rebirth.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 18, 2018 by steve

[Stosh]

Its just some ants. If you still need justification, consider that they kill things in their space too. 

[wandelaar]

2 minutes ago, Stosh said:

Its just some ants. If you still need justification, consider that they kill things in their space too. 

 

That's right. Killing one creature saves the lives of other creatures that would otherwise have been killed by the creature you killed. Good and bad are inextricably mixed up. Absolute goodness is impossible in the world as it is. Taoism recognizes the world as it is. That makes Taoism more rational than other religions that make ethical demands that are impossible to satisfy.

[Stosh]

Oooh,  Agreed. 

[silent thunder]

Life feeds on life.

 

Through the process of decay in the gut, decay nourishes life.

 

We are all food for something.  Those at the bottom are consumed and used by the prime predators, when the primes fall to age or sickness, they nourish the smallest and least in the chain through decay and the components of their bodies return to the soil to nourish again.

 

Right and wrong are simply mind stories based on what our family and culture instruct us is normal from birth to about the age of seven.  The Dao treats all as straw dogs.

 

I grew up hunting birds every weekend in the Fall, to fill our freezers for Winter.

 

Being sensitive, it was always a dichotomy for me.  Simultaneously experiencing elation at a successful hunt, while having strong compassion for the unwilling sacrifice demanded of the prey.

 

My compassion drove me to perfect my skills, to make a clean, headshot kill to alleviate suffering.

 

For myself, where there is malice, or joy in the infliction of pain in the process of bringing death, this is abhorrent to me.  But I have long since lost my guilt for consuming life, or ending lives to protect my own or others.

 

None of us are outside the cycle.  We will be consumed soon.  In every moment of what we call life many cells in our body are decaying as other grow.

 

We ourselves are a microcosm of decay feeding growth within the Tribes of the organs of our bodies, just as plays out in the nature around us, to which we are intrinsically connected.

 

On Monday, I was stabbed five times in my abdomen by a surgeon, who through those incisions, removed several portions of my large intestine that were corrupted.  His assault brings me new health, vitality and longevity... along with a healthy dose of discomfort.

 

In the end, intent is key for me.  We have every right to slay and be slain.  It's nature.

Edited April 18, 2018 by silent thunder
big thumbs make many spelling errors on small keypads

[Yinja]

Or

 

"If you believe life can be killed than dont kill but if you can see that life cant be killed.."  

 

Cant remember how exactly and who said it. 

[rex]

I get ants in my kitchen. It usually starts with a few scouts, then if they find something the rest turn up en masse. I don't kill them or lay down poison but remove their incentive by keeping all food, waste food and crumbs etc. (especially anything sweet) from work surfaces and areas where they go.  They soon disappear. A few scouts may keep patrolling (mainly early morning/late evening) but soon even they reduce when they don't find anything.

 

 

[thelerner]

A girl I went out with had this philosophy.  Go through life doing the least harm.   I think it made her an unusually kind person, she was also vegetarian.  I'm not that good.  Like most I tend to make decisions based on my own comfort and convenience.  A bug doesn't bother me outside, I won't bother it.  Outside I'll move to accommodate a bug or animal.  

 

Inside, not so good.  A bug's pretty lucky if I do catch & release.  My point.. I don't know.. I think the world is lucky to have people like my old girl friend (& Aetherous) around as an influence to do better. 

 

When we kills things and feel nothing, it seems we've closed off a piece of our heart. 

[Songtsan]

IN the tune of the Pink Panther theme song, sing, "Dead ant, dead ant, dead ant dead ant dead ant!"

[silent thunder]

5 hours ago, Songtsan said:

IN the tune of the Pink Panther theme song, sing, "Dead ant, dead ant, dead ant dead ant dead ant!"

You Sir... win the internet today in my humble opinion!

 

LMAO!

[windwalker]

When ever I see dead things whether accidently caused by me or not I always offer this 

 

AMITUOFO,  no more nor nor less then you.  May we meet again 

in the river life. 

[Nungali]

19 hours ago, Aetherous said:

Think if that was you being squashed for the sake of convenience. Maybe a mightier creature than humans will come around and decide to squash us, just because we're not supposed to be here according to it.

There's always another way. It might take some deep thought and ingenuity, but I'm sure you can solve the problem of ants existing in your home without continually having to kill them.

Not saying it's unacceptable to ever kill anything...but I think this becomes a little problematic when we hate doing it, yet excuse ourselves for doing it. Don't do what you hate and know to be wrong. It's a negative action to do it, and rather than trying to put some money in the good karma bank as a way to selfishly make up for it, I think it'd be better to try anything else other than killing them.

Find the way they enter, and seal it up. Attract them to a spot where they get trapped, then release them. Etc.

Or just do what's easy and kill them...but at least understand the implications of the act.

 

 

Ants ... ants ....   you cant seal up a house to eliminate ants !    Even against mice ... my neighbour tried it, he is a builder and carpenter and meticulously fussy .... made the whole place mouse proof ...   one day he comes through the (spring loaded) mouse proof screen door and I ; "  A mouse just ran in. "

 

"What ? "

 

" A mouse, I just saw it, it was hiding near that shoe and as soon as you opened the door and went in , it zipped in after you before the door shut . "

 

Little buggers ... they learned that trick pretty quick ! 

[Nungali]

7 hours ago, Earl Grey said:

From the Parliament of Trees chapter of The Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore:

 

”There is no good. There is no evil. Aphids feed on plants. Ladybugs feed on aphids. Ladybug corpses feed the soil from which the plants grow to be eaten by aphids again. Where is good? Where is evil?”

 

Considering this ^  it appears the only 'karma fee' food is fruit ;  it wants to be eaten, to disperse its seed , it was made to be eaten or composted , that was the intent and purpose  of the plant producing it .

 

 

 

[windwalker]

54 minutes ago, Nungali said:

 

Considering this ^  it appears the only 'karma fee' food is fruit ;  it wants to be eaten, to disperse its seed , it was made to be eaten or composted , that was the intent and purpose  of the plant producing it .

 

 

 

 

It's a cycle there is no inherent good or bad about it. Destructive and constructive events are the same in that they are without intention.

[Rocky Lionmouth]

1 hour ago, Nungali said:

 

Considering this ^  it appears the only 'karma fee' food is fruit ;  it wants to be eaten, to disperse its seed , it was made to be eaten or composted , that was the intent and purpose  of the plant producing it .

 

 

 

 

But then you havent considered the wider implications of making a deuce on the toilet, thereby flushing those precious and innocent seeds away with their chance of being disseminated. Or perhaps you go in the woods and thereby voided my playful comeback?

 

 

I’m a vegetarian since 18 years now, but i stopped being strict with it a few years back. Not because i feel bad for animals (i do!), but because i hate veggies and want to hurt them with my teeth. 

Edited April 18, 2018 by Rocky Lionmouth

[thelerner]

31 minutes ago, windwalker said:

 

It's a cycle there is no inherent good or bad about it. Destructive and constructive events are the same in that they are without intention.

I can't help thinking that there's more.. or less harm in eating decisions.   undoubtedly it makes me hypocritical, yet I'll make weak attempts to do less harm.  Like.. I don't eat veal cause its been caged and has had a poor life.  I'll buy cage free eggs, cause they're still a cheap protein.  I avoid types of fish that are in danger of being over fished. 

 

I also avoid animals in terms of intelligence, ie I avoid people, dolphins, chimps, elephants, parrots.. in favor of dumber animals.. people, fish, foul etc.,