I killed a duck

[LPC]

Ecthalion, I haven't visited this forum for a while and only saw your thread just now. I agree with all that the Noble Knight and Tobi have said. You are clearly a very compassionate and caring person, who understands the spirituality of all creatures.

I understand your feeling of guilt, but it is not necessary. As others have said already, you could not possibly have known or predicted that the ducks would take off right in front of you. Perhaps you could have driven more slowly, but that is the only thing that occurs to me. But even then, a slower speed might not have been enough to have saved the duck.

The duck at least had a speedy passing over, without protracted pain. There are much worse ways to pass over.

Please do not worry about what happened to the physical body afterwards, either. Upon passing over, the physical body is discarded and is no longer needed.

I am delighted that you have such a caring attitude towards all animals. Blessings to you for that!

Thank you for your kind words LPC. Blessings to you my friend.

[linen53]

Originally Posted by Ecthalion

Why should I feel guilty for accidentally killing an animal when meat eaters are intentionally responsible for thousands of animal deaths yet feel no guilt whatsoever. Still, I can't help it.

Ecthalion, we do eat meat and we are responsible for all the duck meat we eat. Please don't say we don't feel bad for ending the life of a living creature. We do. It ruins me but it has to be done. And I'm not alone. There is not one person who does this kind of work that enjoys it.

I realize you don't understand the nature of killing animals or eating meat. And that is your choice. I'm not here to argue the pros and cons with you. I'm just suggesting there is more to us, on the other side of the bridge than you think.

My ducks live in a clean environment. They are free-range but come in at night in a safe duckyard that no bear can climb over or fox can dig under to get them and I also have two livestock guardian dogs to keep them safe from predators. My ducks have a good life. I've seen some farms where their poultry live in pitiful conditions. Mine get the best grain available and I go out 4 times a day during this nasty cold weather we are currently having to take them fresh hot water to drink.

I think of you (seriously, I do) while I am watching a tv program on Natgeo titled Life Below Zero. These people live in Alaska in extreme temperatures and conditions. There is no way they could survive as vegetarians. They eat meat 3 meals a day. They hunt and they utilize the entire animal. Nothing is wasted. And they thank the spirit of the animal for their sacrifice.

Those on the tv program all say the same thing. They look for a clean kill. In other words quick and as painless as possible.

My intention is not to attack you for your beliefs. And I see in your bio you are an animal rights advocate. So am I. I cannot stand the thought of animal abuse. I just want to show you the other side of the issue.

Thank you for your thoughts Linen.

I do understand your point but for me the thought of eating an animal is out of the question. I do not need to. I do understand that for people living in extreme conditions eating meat may be essential for their survival. Thankfully neither I, nor most people on earth, live in such conditions.

I do not judge those who eat meat (although I may sometimes sound like I do) but I will argue the point with those who say my beliefs are wrong.

[linen53]

No, no, no! I'm not saying your beliefs are wrong. Your beliefs are right for you. I just wanted you to fully understand that we take it seriously. Being duck owners and my husband who has been a hunter all his life we understand more than most people that going to the grocery store and picking up a package of meat means that an animal has had to die.

In regards to the harsh living conditions in Alaska and other areas, utilizing the whole animal they harvest means warm winter clothing and mukluk boots made from the hides of the animals. And also their short growing season means they rely even more on the animals for survival.

So funny that you say thankfully neither I nor most people on earth, live in such conditions. The people who live there are there because that is their choice. They love that extreme. They love the wilderness. The high ended survival. I sure couldn't live like that.

So now when I read your strong posts against meat eaters I will know that you do have a niggling of understanding. Thank you.

[Gem]

Originally Posted by linen53

No, no, no! I'm not saying your beliefs are wrong. Your beliefs are right for you. I just wanted you to fully understand that we take it seriously. Being duck owners and my husband who has been a hunter all his life we understand more than most people that going to the grocery store and picking up a package of meat means that an animal has had to die.

In regards to the harsh living conditions in Alaska and other areas, utilizing the whole animal they harvest means warm winter clothing and mukluk boots made from the hides of the animals. And also their short growing season means they rely even more on the animals for survival.

So funny that you say thankfully neither I nor most people on earth, live in such conditions. The people who live there are there because that is their choice. They love that extreme. They love the wilderness. The high ended survival. I sure couldn't live like that.

So now when I read your strong posts against meat eaters I will know that you do have a niggling of understanding. Thank you.

I don't think many people have lived in the wild, so they have value systems for their environment. It's unfortunate that the duck has died, but of course cars kill a lot of animals on the road and the collective cars kill so much through oil production and pollution...

Originally Posted by linen53

So funny that you say thankfully neither I nor most people on earth, live in such conditions. The people who live there are there because that is their choice. They love that extreme. They love the wilderness. The high ended survival. I sure couldn't live like that.

I say 'thankfully' because I do not have to kill animals to live. I am truly thankful for that

Originally Posted by Linen53

So now when I read your strong posts against meat eaters I will know that you do have a niggling of understanding. Thank you.

I understand full well Linen.
I ate meat quite happily for thirty years before I realised exactly what I was doing. Nowadays the thought of eating meat turns my stomach.
I do not have a problem with those who eat meat - after all I was one myself for a long time. I only have a problem with those who say that it is wrong not to eat meat and, unfortunately, there are many who say just that.

I have no argument with you Linen and I know that you have no argument with me.
Many blessings to you.

Originally Posted by Gem

... cars kill a lot of animals on the road and the collective cars kill so much through oil production and pollution...

That is only too true but that is another issue.
Mankind causes such destruction to the natural world. Human presence on the planet is causing mass extinctions on a geological scale.

[jeremy67]

Ecthalion, no blame or guilt can be attached to you for what happened. You had no way of knowing or predicting the events that occurred.

Time and again on this forum we read about people who have had bad things happen to them, and the accepted wisdom seems to be that it was part of their journey or that they needed to learn some kind of spiritual lesson. Well, maybe it was part of that duck's journey to have it's life on earth ended prematurely. You may have played an important part in helping its spiritual development.