Having Mercy?

[Shohei]

Hiya folks
I Had abit of a sad weekend and wanted to share a bit just to get it off my mind/chest w/e.
Saturday night i hit a small skunk with my larger of the 2 cars. I was going the speed limit (which is 80km/h) and watching for eyes but unfortunately for a small skunk I did not see him in the middle of the road. I hit him full on with the car and I new the end result. The following day I told my wife about it and on our drive to pickup our daughter i saw the the little fellow. as we passed i saw his foot move

I went back and sure enough he was alive but barely and in bad shape couldn't move any thing in the back end and was bleeding.

Now the worst thing ive had to do in a few years for sure. I will spare you the details but i had to put an end to its life and i felt/feel horrid. I used to be a vegan ( i still follow a vegan diet and lifestyle but the label implies too much for me and is long- different story) and i have had many years with out killing another being (on purpose - i know i have stepped on ants etc)

I know there is much more suffering in this world and tougher decisions to be made. For me this was a hard one. Its been a while since I broke down and this did it.

For me the answer was clear as that was how i was raised. If its suffering and you cannot help... help by ending its suffering and fast. Would it have been better to let it live out the remaining bit of its life? For me no... but how about you? My wife tried to comfort me with "it was a very compassionate thing to do" i still don't feel that way.


Gassho
Dirk

[Jundo]

Re: Having Mercy?

Hi Dirk,

I feel you did what needed to be done, and you showed an good heart by even going back and taking the action you thought needed taking. Of course, it is for your own heart to work through the meaning of this for you.

I hope you will raise this again in our Precepts discussion, which is just starting. We will be on the Precept of avoiding the "taking of life" in a couple of weeks. Many of us have had to put animals "to sleep".

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1150

Gassho, Jundo

[Dosho]

Re: Having Mercy?

Hey Dirk,

You did the right thing and were more decisive than I probably would have been in a similar situation. That doesn't make it easy, but the right thing rarely is easy.

Thanks for sharinf your experience.

Gassho,
Scott

[Hans]

Re: Having Mercy?

Hello Dirk!

Sometimes the best thing we can do in a certain given situation is break a precept. There are so many situations in life, where we'll find ourselves trying to get a stuck wheel out of the mud. There are many solutions to such a situation, yet all of them will involve a mess/getting covered in varying quantities of mud. There's always a solution, just not always a nice one. That doesn't change the fact that we should still make it our aim to pursue a state of being pure/untainted. We can only give life/reality itself our best shot and live with the consequences. Reality is not ideal, it is what it is....but before my writing becomes too zenny, let me just extend a virtual hug.

Gassho,

Hans

[Longdog]

Re: Having Mercy?

hi Dirk

Knowing you couldn't help hit it doesn't make it easier I know, but putting it out it's misery, horrible as it would have been, was the best course of action.

_/_ Kev