How to deal?

Rabbit Talk  Forum

Help Support Rabbit Talk Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Rabbitdog":oe7bcn6o said:
Save the empathy for humankind.


I don't like most humans .... Cant say that about my animals. I can spend all day with them and never get frustrated , irritated or have to read about one of them committing some heinous act.
 
Ramjet":3l4b7jrw said:
Rabbitdog":3l4b7jrw said:
Save the empathy for humankind.


I don't like most humans .... Cant say that about my animals. I can spend all day with them and never get frustrated , irritated or have to read about one of them committing some heinous act.

Good point!
I concur. ;)
 
Rabbitdog":2nx3683h said:
Save the empathy for humankind. Beasts have no ability to reason and feel what you and I feel. They are animals.

I totally disagree with you. First of all, humans ARE animals. We're all just mammals, the same as any other. Other species, even 'lower species', but particularly warm blooded creatures, have the capacity and ability to suffer, grieve, have compassion, love and share most of the emotions (if not all of them) that we do. It's not only been proven, scientifically, over and over again (the research is out there, feel free to look) but it simply makes sense biologically. Emotions are necessary for survival.

We can pretend it isn't true to make it easier for us to use these fellow creatures for our own benefit, but that doesn't change the reality of it. It's ok to harden yourself to do what must be done, I just prefer that people admit what they're doing and give a little respect to the lives they are taking.
 
Syberchick70":3dv0j8df said:
Rabbitdog":3dv0j8df said:
Save the empathy for humankind. Beasts have no ability to reason and feel what you and I feel. They are animals.

I totally disagree with you. First of all, humans ARE animals. We're all just mammals, the same as any other. Other species, even 'lower species', but particularly warm blooded creatures, have the capacity and ability to suffer, grieve, have compassion, love and share most of the emotions (if not all of them) that we do. It's not only been proven, scientifically, over and over again (the research is out there, feel free to look) but it simply makes sense biologically. Emotions are necessary for survival.

We can pretend it isn't true to make it easier for us to use these fellow creatures for our own benefit, but that doesn't change the reality of it. It's ok to harden yourself to do what must be done, I just prefer that people admit what they're doing and give a little respect to the lives they are taking.


The only real difference (mentally) between us and the rest of the animal kingdom is critical thinking .... and I often wonder if animals do it better than a lot of us humans cause we are always doing something stupid.
 
Ramjet":3fztkis6 said:
The only real difference (mentally) between us and the rest of the animal kingdom is critical thinking .... and I often wonder if animals do it better than a lot of us humans cause we are always doing something stupid.

When I was a vegetarian I got into a pretty deep investigation of the real difference, mentally, between humans and other species of animals. In the end, there were very few differences I could find. Other animals wage war, create art, protect their families, nurture their young, even form interspecies relationships without our intervention. They engineer complex structures... I seem to remember finding some difference(s), but I can't remember what it was now.
 
to be honest I was a big baby when I started I would go to the store while my hubby and his hunting buddies butchered. but then I decided I needed to lay hands and thank the rabbits before the butchered, then I wanted to look away but be near it finally I can help butcher. I try to calm the rabbit and say thank you your short life cycle will help me have a longer life cycle. I want the rabbit to know we are both part of the cycle. now I feel bad if I eat meat that wasn't raised by someone I know. I call it farmatarian, I don't like grocery store meat that lived and died by machine. we are all energy and when an animal is killed by machine the energy dissipates instead of going into the person butchering and the person eating it. is it hard to kill, of course, even the most seasoned hunter friend said it would be disrespectful to the animal if he didn't feel bad for killing it. but as a meat eater I want to not be a "meat-hypocrite". anyone eating meat should know it was once an adorable animal, I tell ppl your big mac had a momma. my coworker with a mouth full of baconator from wendys said ew you raise meat rabbits thats gross I don't even think of meat as something that was alive. my goal is to no longer be one of those ppl. growing up my mom always said "i'm a meat-hypocrite if I had to butcher my own meat i'd be vegetarian" well i'm not a vegetarian so I better get used to butchering, I think I would want a sheep or goat or something bigger so that one killing can equal more meat (1 sheep vs 15 rabbits lol) but my tiny city yard says rabbits and quails only (killing quails is weird cause they twitch like chickens they still try to boc while in the bucket of heads weird! ) <br /><br /> __________ Thu Apr 09, 2015 9:22 am __________ <br /><br />
3mina":14cbj7zz said:
I really don't care for dispatching but if I want to keep having two week old kits around then I have no choice
yes! love this, my whole life I wanted to be surrounded by baby animals but I worry about over population so for example I never had kittens in my house all my friends did but my parents taught me about how there was too many strays, when I found hobby farming I thought perfect I can be surrounded by baby animals and not have to worry about contributing to over population
 
I have no doubt that animals reason and feel emotions to a certain extent. However, this doesn't make them human and I feel by anthropomorphising them we do both them and ourselves a disservice.
 
gardenbunny":1iktvz23 said:
even the most seasoned hunter friend said it would be disrespectful to the animal if he didn't feel bad for killing it

I totally agree.

gardenbunny":1iktvz23 said:
my mom always said "i'm a meat-hypocrite if I had to butcher my own meat i'd be vegetarian"

I'm basically the same way. I eat meat, but I don't NEED it. If I had to kill my own, I would probably just go without. If I can find someone else to 'do the deed', I'll be willing to take the animals to them for the dispatch (and hopefully processing the meat, but I THINK I could do that part myself if I needed to). <br /><br /> __________ Thu Apr 09, 2015 10:03 am __________ <br /><br />
alforddm":1iktvz23 said:
I have no doubt that animals reason and feel emotions to a certain extent. However, this doesn't make them human and I feel by anthropomorphising them we do both them and ourselves a disservice.

It's true that anthropomorphism can be a bad thing for all involved, but mostly because it causes people to relate to other animals on a level the animals do not understand and it leads to 'killing with kindness' or even people becoming frustrated that their animal doesn't understand (want or need) what they're trying to do with it.

We don't need to treat other species like humans to be respectful of them. As their caretakers, it's our duty to understand what their needs are and fulfill those as well as we can, within reason.
 
Thank you all for your opinions..The people on this board are all a caring and respectful group to both human and animal..I feel that this is a circular discussion as we have had it before in multiple threads..The final outcome being that if one is extreme on either side one will loose focus.. and runs the risk of becoming a fanatic..

My purpose in starting this thread was just to find out how others deal with the ..guilt (?) of taking a life.This is the first one that seemed to want to interact, I have dispatched critters that I have had for years and not had that kind of reaction (on my part)...I was not trying to "humanize" the doe...My brain just kept wanting to revisit the experience....,it was amazing. :?
I feel that anyone in their right mind realizes that animals are not human, and even if you do not have a "belief system" you know that humans are higher than animals That is not to disparage animals they can be quite complex in their thought processes, not everything they do is instinct. But humans do posses the ability to think critically, I do not believe that animals posses that ability.I doubt that my dog ever wondered what his purpose in life was...or pondered the vastness of the universe. :lol:
This experience has strengthened me, made me even more respectful of the beauty and wonder that is creation. :)
 
Well said Katie!
However, I must try to make this one additional point. If one believes that people are just another animal in the great cycle of life, then you must apply that philosophy equally among species. In other words, one cannot possibly justify mass killings of cockroaches or mice or fleas with pesticides while holding true to the belief that we are all animals on equal footing and value. If I must have compassion for the hog/cow/rabbit/chicken that I slaughter; if that animal's life is so precious then why is it acceptable to mass destroy those animals upon which society places less value (think ticks, lice, mosquitoes, rats, stink bugs)??? Sorry, but as Dr. Spock would say "Your position is simply not logical".
But thankfully, we don't all have to agree to still remain friendly with one another on this board. I must apologize though, as I actually expected a bit of hostility for my original post. You folks rock!!!
 
Rabbitdog":1esnbfo9 said:
Well said Katie!
However, I must try to make this one additional point. If one believes that people are just another animal in the great cycle of life, then you must apply that philosophy equally among species. In other words, one cannot possibly justify mass killings of cockroaches or mice or fleas with pesticides while holding true to the belief that we are all animals on equal footing and value.

Well, I don't believe that it IS ok to make any being suffer unnecessarily that is capable of suffering, when there are other reasonable options available. I don't think it's ok to deliberately pull legs off of insects. I don't think it's ok to dehumanize OURSELVES, while we are capable of compassion.

Rabbitdog":1esnbfo9 said:
Sorry, but as Dr. Spock would say "Your position is simply not logical".

It would be MR. Spock. Dr. Spock was a guy who wrote books about raising children with compassion, back when people liked to pretend that children, animals and minorities did not have the same capacity to suffer as white, 'civilized' adults... talk about irony. ;)

But when you speak of logic, let's not forget the logic of people having a need to eradicate certain pests. If we were doing it simply for entertainment, it would be cruel. To not have compassion for creatures whose lives you take is a true disservice to humankind and in fact, may strip us of the one thing that just might set us apart from the other species on this planet.
 
I agree with you, Syberchick, about the need for compassion and respect for all living creatures. There are times when we may need to exterminate pests or take animal lives for our needs, but it should never be done with enjoyment or even indifference. Anything less than respect and compassion compromises our own humanity.

I feel I should point out, however, that Rabbitdog is most likely referring to the character Spock from the original Star Trek series, a Vulcan renowned for his logic, rather than Dr. Benjamin Spock who wrote about child-rearing back in the early baby-boomer years.
 
MaggieJ":1tdt0p07 said:
I feel I should point out, however, that Rabbitdog is most likely referring to the character Spock from the original Star Trek series, a Vulcan renowned for his logic, rather than Dr. Benjamin Spock who wrote about child-rearing back in the early baby-boomer years.

Oh, I understood that, but as I pointed out, that would be MISTER Spock, not 'Dr' Spock. A common mistake. ;)

(The Spock on Star Trek was never a doctor, as far as I know. The doctor was McCoy)
 
Syberchick70":qs7o5jxv said:
MaggieJ":qs7o5jxv said:
I feel I should point out, however, that Rabbitdog is most likely referring to the character Spock from the original Star Trek series, a Vulcan renowned for his logic, rather than Dr. Benjamin Spock who wrote about child-rearing back in the early baby-boomer years.

Oh, I understood that, but as I pointed out, that would be MISTER Spock, not 'Dr' Spock. A common mistake. ;)

(The Spock on Star Trek was never a doctor, as far as I know. The doctor was McCoy)

You're absolutely correct, Syberchick! :D

I think I read that post too fast and missed that. :doh:
 
Rabbitdog":1lnqxy12 said:
If one believes that people are just another animal in the great cycle of life, then you must apply that philosophy equally among species. In other words, one cannot possibly justify mass killings of cockroaches or mice or fleas with pesticides while holding true to the belief that we are all animals on equal footing and value. If I must have compassion for the hog/cow/rabbit/chicken that I slaughter; if that animal's life is so precious then why is it acceptable to mass destroy those animals upon which society places less value (think ticks, lice, mosquitoes, rats, stink bugs)??? Sorry, but as Dr. Spock would say "Your position is simply not logical".
But thankfully, we don't all have to agree to still remain friendly with one another on this board.

I know you are just having a little fun, :pokeeye: But I do not believe that I said that people are just another animal..My belief is that man was created separately and with the duty to have dominion over the beast and fowls and every creeping thing.We are to subdue them thus making them our servants.Man having the capacity to reason what is and is not appropriate for each of the animals in his charge is to do no undue harm. I do not believe that harvesting an animal is undue harm. I believe that there are folks who have insects that work for them (Beatles that clean bones) these same people I believe would not hesitate to exterminate cockroaches in their home.That is a health issue not an issue of compassion. I also believe that compassion is not a logical emotion.Man was not created to be a strictly logical being...Logic is from the brain, compassion is from the heart.
 
katiebear":2mgkxjzy said:
I know you are just having a little fun, :pokeeye: But I do not believe that I said that people are just another animal..My belief is that man was created separately and with the duty to have dominion over the beast and fowls and every creeping thing.We are to subdue them thus making them our servants.

I believe his comment was directed toward me. I did say that man is just another animal, but I'm not going to get into a theological debate in this forum. I'll just stand by what I said and leave it at that. ;)
 
You can have compassion and respect for animals without anthropomorphism. Every animal has a different level of thought, and emotionally they are a lot more id than ego.... so yes, they feel some emotion. They're just not necessarily the human emotions some would assign to their actions. I don't like unnecessary pain or killing, but we're talking about insects that would threaten our own food source and animals that are our food source. That's not indiscriminate torture or destruction of the species. That's the food chain. Minimize the suffering, and go on about your business.
 
Rabbitdog":1kemat7j said:
Well said Katie!
However, I must try to make this one additional point. If one believes that people are just another animal in the great cycle of life, then you must apply that philosophy equally among species. In other words, one cannot possibly justify mass killings of cockroaches or mice or fleas with pesticides while holding true to the belief that we are all animals on equal footing and value. If I must have compassion for the hog/cow/rabbit/chicken that I slaughter; if that animal's life is so precious then why is it acceptable to mass destroy those animals upon which society places less value (think ticks, lice, mosquitoes, rats, stink bugs)??? Sorry, but as Dr. Spock would say "Your position is simply not logical".
But thankfully, we don't all have to agree to still remain friendly with one another on this board. I must apologize though, as I actually expected a bit of hostility for my original post. You folks rock!!!

I disagree I accept that we are all part of the same cycle but we are not the same. rabbits have a shorter life cycle and thus help my longer life cycle, cockroaches have a super short life cycle especially in my house. everything has its place. respecting and recognizing something has value in the larger picture doesn't mean I have to think of them as sacred or equal. I've often told vegans they shouldn't wash their hands because if they think chickens and cows are our equals then they should respect the millions of germs they kill when they wash their hands. I try to see the whole cycle and where we are in it, bugs suck inside the house but inside the quail run theyre good but still have a shorter life cycle than my quail do <br /><br /> __________ Fri Apr 10, 2015 10:48 am __________ <br /><br />
Syberchick70":1kemat7j said:
katiebear":1kemat7j said:
I know you are just having a little fun, :pokeeye: But I do not believe that I said that people are just another animal..My belief is that man was created separately and with the duty to have dominion over the beast and fowls and every creeping thing.We are to subdue them thus making them our servants.

I believe his comment was directed toward me. I did say that man is just another animal, but I'm not going to get into a theological debate in this forum. I'll just stand by what I said and leave it at that. ;)

true we must avoid a religious debate on here, everyone has their own mental path they go down to get to the place where they are comfortable with breeding or they just stop breeding (I've gotten some cheap hutches from ppl who thought it'd be fun and then quit) whatever got us to where we are we are a community of ppl who breed and no one on here is evil or torturous to animals so we're all equal in that way :D
 
Rabbitdog":1mpc3z3n said:
But thankfully, we don't all have to agree to still remain friendly with one another on this board. I must apologize though, as I actually expected a bit of hostility for my original post. You folks rock!!!

I must say that I am very proud of our group here at RabbitTalk. :bow:

I posted in the Mod Forum that this thread was one to watch, as I expected some :fireworks1: myself. :oops:

Once again, everyone here has proven themselves to be civil and polite adults sharing viewpoints without resorting to belittling remarks or outright hostility.

:thankyou:

Rabbitdog is right- you all are awesome! :clap:

So awesome that us Mods may find ourselves out of a job... *sniff!*
 
Back
Top