My cat died over the weekend. Now, there’s a story behind this. My family has had, in it’s time, 1 dog (who somehow got outside and ran away), two lizards (my oldest son’s, they died of I’m assuming starvation), 1 frog (my middle son’s, also starved), a different kitten (feline leukemia), and Kunai, the cat in question. For the few days leading up to buying him, and even on the day we got him, I protested the whole thing. I knew that no one in my family was ready to handle a pet, this had been proven over and over, and I for one didn’t want to see another animal die. I was assured they would take care of it, which I knew wouldn’t last, and I allowed myself to be talked into it. He stayed in the house for a year or two, but after a while, he would take swipes at Liam, my middle child, with his claws. I don’t blame him, there were several occasions when Liam had to be disciplined for trying to hit the kitty. I mean, if I were the cat, I’d have swiped at him, too. Then, when he began pooping on the floor and getting into the trash, my wife decided he was to become an outside cat. I lobbied for him to stay and he did for a time, but the pressure from my wife and then even my children finally got me to acquiesce, and Kunai was put outside. I warned my family that putting the cat outside was a death sentence, but no one believed me. And last weekend, he died. There were no marks, so he wasn’t hit by a car or anything, I’m thinking he ate something that he shouldn’t have, but I can’t be certain.
My inaction in this case, contributed to the death of another sentient being, and I must carry that karma. I wanted to share this with you because “karma” literally translates as “action”, but I wanted to illustrate that our INaction can also have profound karmic implications. The story of Kitty Genovese is another example. She was attacked, stabbed numerous times, sexually assaulted and left for dead. About a dozen people were aware of some portion of the attacks (the attacker stabbed her twice, ran to his car, came back 10 minutes later and attacked her again) but only one witness called the police. There is a movie line from the Boondock Saints where a priest says, “We must all fear evil men, but there is one kind of evil which we must fear most, the indifference of good men.” So, it was with sadness and disappointment in myself, that I did not protest more strongly, or put my foot down and refuse to put the cat out side, that I buried Kunai, far, far, earlier than he should have been, but also at the only time he could have been.
I have since informed my family that we will not be getting another animal until everyone in the house is mature enough to take proper care of it.
My inaction in this case, contributed to the death of another sentient being, and I must carry that karma. I wanted to share this with you because “karma” literally translates as “action”, but I wanted to illustrate that our INaction can also have profound karmic implications. The story of Kitty Genovese is another example. She was attacked, stabbed numerous times, sexually assaulted and left for dead. About a dozen people were aware of some portion of the attacks (the attacker stabbed her twice, ran to his car, came back 10 minutes later and attacked her again) but only one witness called the police. There is a movie line from the Boondock Saints where a priest says, “We must all fear evil men, but there is one kind of evil which we must fear most, the indifference of good men.” So, it was with sadness and disappointment in myself, that I did not protest more strongly, or put my foot down and refuse to put the cat out side, that I buried Kunai, far, far, earlier than he should have been, but also at the only time he could have been.
I have since informed my family that we will not be getting another animal until everyone in the house is mature enough to take proper care of it.
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