Spiders/ahimsa

[Guest guest]

Gary, that was my statement, don't blame poor Amy.

 

As long as one doesn't use as an excuse the rationale that you can't avoid

harming other living things as an excuse for not doing what you can to avoid

doing so I can accept all of this...including spiders in my mouth while I sleep.

Maybe I will eat garlic before bedtime and then they won't like the stink and

avoid crawling in my mouth. And I believe that if you reread my original post I

made it as a statement with the tendency of a Jewish person to add a question

mark at the end... " No matter how hard one tries how can one live totally in line

with the idea of doing no harm? " I certainly know that every piece of furniture

in my house most likely harmed some sentient being even if it is just the glue

that holds it together. Gandhi pointed that out as a matter of fact. However I

do believe as Gandhi said below:

" Whatever you do will be insignificant and it is very important that you do it. "

Mohandas Gandhi

linda

 

Gary Mattingly

 

 

--- Amy <sandpiperhiker wrote:

 

> In wanting to preserve life one ends up

> seeing how one must not participate in

> the destruction of it through one's own

> actions. ...

> No. No matter how hard one tries how can

> one live totally in line with the idea of

> doing no harm? Amy? ~PT~? Shawn? Bron?

> Anyone? Maybe that is a question for the

> new year.

>

> I don't believe you can, Linda. You'd

> still be eating spiders in your sleep.

 

I agree. When you walk, you step on things.

When you sleep, you roll over on things,

small things but they are there. You

unknowingly swallow things. Anything

created through manufacturing may have

somehow harmed something.

 

Even if you go off and totally live off

the land (which I think is a very, very

difficult task), you still are harming

something directly or indirectly. It's

just the way of things. The best one

can do is to think about and consider

one's actions and try to live as in

balance with everything else on the

planet as one can and still . . . live.

 

Every once in a while I try to think about

pantheism, that all is one. " The universe

as a divine body is " in " the divine soul,

rather than the reverse (Plato). Posits that

deity is a divine organism that is inclusive

of lesser organisms. God is more than, and

includes, nature and humanity, and therefore,

contraries must be united to express truth. "

So, if we're all one, the facets may change

but all remains. However since I'm not

sure about this I'll try to do what I can

to be nice to all of those other facets.

 

Gary

 

 

[Guest guest]

Hi,

 

I'm not blaming anyone. Actually I thought

I was agreeing. I also agree that you shouldn't

use the difficulty involved as an excuse. Do

what you can, no matter how small. Great quote

from Gandhi. Thanks!

 

Gary

 

--- linda <lindai81 wrote:

 

> Gary, that was my statement, don't blame poor Amy.

>

> As long as one doesn't use as an excuse the

> rationale that you can't avoid harming other living

> things as an excuse for not doing what you can to

> avoid doing so I can accept all of this...including

> spiders in my mouth while I sleep. Maybe I will eat

> garlic before bedtime and then they won't like the

> stink and avoid crawling in my mouth. And I believe

> that if you reread my original post I made it as a

> statement with the tendency of a Jewish person to

> add a question mark at the end... " No matter how hard

> one tries how can one live totally in line with the

> idea of doing no harm? " I certainly know that every

> piece of furniture in my house most likely harmed

> some sentient being even if it is just the glue that

> holds it together. Gandhi pointed that out as a

> matter of fact. However I do believe as Gandhi said

> below:

> " Whatever you do will be insignificant and it is

> very important that you do it. "

> Mohandas Gandhi

> linda