The Killing Guilt

[loripo]

Originally Posted by Meta menardi

Weeks later, walking through a supermarket, I stood on the edge of some plastic strapping. The sound was so similar, I apologised.

I think you have to be of a certain generation to apologise about anything these days and this did make me laugh

[Susie]

Me too. I don't know about being of a certain generation though, I have backed into trees and apologised more than once. Then again, I like trees.

[Amoeba]

Everybody has accidents like that unfortunately.

It's the worst being a kid and trying to protect a centipede from some other nastier kids. Then when it upsets you, the adults treat you like you're crazy or being a whiny nuisance.

I remember one nice man who was there took me aside and told me that it wasn't shameful to cry at the centipede's death (despite what the other members of staff said), that all creatures deserve respect and to ignore whenever anyone says otherwise.

Thankfully, I haven't encountered many of the "oh, it's just an insect, grow up!" types, but they show up every so often...

[2dogs2000]

We all have accidents as regards stepping on snails etc. A few months ago my daughter was going round a roundabout and nearly hit a mouse. She was worried about the mouse and went back round the roundabout to check on it. Guess what? She actually ran over it the second time round. How she didn't crash I don't know as she is very sensitive about these things.

[Gaina]

Originally Posted by loripo

I think you have to be of a certain generation to apologise about anything these days and this did make me laugh

Hey, I say 'thank you' to the cash machine when it gives me money.

If you accidentally send a creature shuffling off this mortal coil, a good way to reset your Karma is to catch any house flies that come in and set them free. I caught a blue bottle this morning that had been stuck in the living room all night and opened the window only to have it fly straight into a spider web across the window!

Fear not! Disaster was averted when I pulled him back in by the silk and untangled him and he flew off happily. He's probably in a birds gullet now but at least that's nature at work and not human interference.

[Digit]

“Should just have left it alone dad” was the retort I received from two not-so impressed children!

Old Joke!
There's a bug happliy minding its own business chewing on a blade of grass when suddenly a Cow dumps on him.
Gasping for breath he finally manages to climb clear, just in time to be eaten by a Magpie.
The Moral?
'He who drops you in may not be an enemy, and he who gets you out may not be a friend!'

Roy.

[Merrow]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels horrid when they stand on a snail

[TeresaW]

During the summer, we have our door open just to cool things down a little, and it was a particularly humid evening so the door was open for a while longer than usual while we wilted inside.

However, when I did shut the door, it was to hear the familiar crunch. A snail had crawled over the step and was just making it's way indoors when I errr...interrupted it.

I felt awful!

[hammock monkey]

I found a poor rabbit in its last stages of Mixy and decided to put it out of its misery. The death rattle it let out chilled me to the bone - still does when I
think about it. I felt guilty that I'd killed it, but also later on that our species had created such a disease.
'bit depressing for a sunday morning, sorry about that!

[ChrisR]

Originally Posted by hammock monkey

I found a poor rabbit in its last stages of Mixy and decided to put it out of its misery. The death rattle it let out chilled me to the bone - still does when I think about it.

Well, you definitely did the right thing. It's one thing to feel collective guilt that humans created mixy but at least you stopped it suffering any more.

On the subject of snails, I too hate treading on them ... that sickening crunch under foot on the way to the freezer ... eww

Over the course of 20+ years of driving I have managed to avoid quite a lot but a Fox once ran out in front of the car ... in another car I crested the hill to find a baby Muntjac in the way ... and a rabbit would have been fine if it hadn't stuck its head up to check my car out (I think it had mixy anyway!) ... and it's still a mystery how the mummified Robin got into the radiator grill. Hmm, it sounds like it must have been carnage out there but maybe it's just because I live in the country. At least I didn't hit any Hedgehogs!