July 14, 2006

Previous: July 14, 2006

The cat works hard

Ok, it’s ten after six am. I left home this morning at one, got my papers about two, and dropped off 780 on both routes. I have to go get 273 Sunday firsts in about two and a half hours, and I will be covering much the same ground that I just did on the south route.

Am I a dedicated employee or just stupid? I would choose dedicated- it sounds better, but a sneaky voice in the background is telling me that I’m stupid. I’m gonna ignore that one, and just do my job.

For most of the last year, I’ve had a bunch of blank cd’s, so I finally began burning some to listen to as I drive around. The one I burned last night was 74 minutes of good shit (of course) and I listened to it one and a half times, then turned on NPR to listen to the headlines and interviews. I had good sales on the Friday papers I dropped off yesterday – the war in the middle east – not ours, but Isreal’s has sold a lot of papers. Above the fold, a picture of a bombed out Lebanese building dominates the paper.

What I think is this: An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

The latest issue of Playboy (yes, I have a subscription. For the articles, not the impossibly good-looking and well endowed women) has a piece called "Why we fight", 25 short interviews with people from all walks of American life on why we’re fighting in Iraq. Jane Goodall, the chimpanzee lady (a famous researcher) say that chimps and humans are not really all that different, that chimps have warfare too and are as brutal and as unfeeling as humans. The difference being, she says, that we are capapble of empathy and can choose whether or not to act on our animal urges.

Life is choices, and we often choose poorly.

I didn’t join the Navy because of the Soviet "menace". I joined because my friend from high school was joining and I was afraid I’d miss something good. And, I needed a job. I purposely picked something that did not involve killing people. Yes, I ran the engines on a warship, so indirectly, I could have been involved in something I do not believe in – but taking a life, any life, is not my call.

I used to kill stuff. Birds, small woodland animals, snakes. I no longer do that. It was "fun" to shoot things. Challenging. Not easy – definately not as easy as you see on tv or in the movies.

One of the best shots I ever made was this one, and I am no longer proud of it: I shot a hummingbird out of midair from fifty feet away with a .357 magnum revolver. It was not an easy shot. It was quite a feat – you kow how small and fast hummingbirds are – and how small a .357 bullet really is, don’t you? It was a spectacular shot.

It was a sin.

It was perhaps the greatest sin I have committed. I am not longer proud of it, but rather deeply ashamed. I try very hard not to kill things now, with the exception of fleas and things that sting.

Wasps scare the bejeezus out of me.

When I drive, there is no way to avoid killing the insects that fly into my windshield, but I feel a little bad anyway.

I will defend myself if necessary, yes, but I will not go out of my way to end a life. It is not my place to do so and I lose kharma points.

God knows, we need as many of those as we can keep.

I guess maybe I’ll lie down for a bit and rest my eyes before I work again. I have the night off and don’t work again until Sunday night/Monday morning. Monday afternoon, I’ll go get that job ap. for the school bus driving job, and I’ll spend Sunday rewriting my resume to fit that job.

Typical tired Cat babbling…

Perhaps.

There are things to atone for.

*****

Ana Rose

July 15, 2006

Awwww…. how sweet that you have such a value for life. I admire that a lot. And even though that hummingbird shot was pretty darn incredible…. wow…. it was still an innocent life that was taken. I understand why you would feel ashamed now instead of proud. But a lot of men would never have that change of heart. Did anything in particular happen to change your ways of thinking about life?

Hi my dear Cat..sorry it’s been awhile, but I most definitely had to smile at this entry. And I think, my friend, you are well on your way to earning back your kharma points with your realizations. ~the feline~ 😉

TheWoodsprite

awwww….well, but you learned something from shooting the hummingbird. You’ve become a gentle-spirited person toward other living things. If only all people did! I would like to live in a war without war or ANY form of fighting, but it’s not gonna happen. It might be in ‘Our’ nature, but overall it’s not in human nature. hugs, Weesprite

Hi! I have always sides withthe animals. My husband used to go shooting when I first went out with him, but stopped when I cried after he killeda cute little rabbit.Later he took up hunting with a bow and arrow, in a club full of people who did it.I painted huge pictures on cardboard of african animals for them to practice on. But I was sad even watching them shoot the pictures…especially a

huge antilope. Some boys joined the club, and I would stand and say to them, aww, you wouldn’t really kill a beautiful animal like that would you? They’d hang their heads, and say, oh, dad would want me to.So they’d aim and shoot their arrows and get their bulls eyes.Thankfully that club disbanded after a while, and I learnt to stick up for what I believe in and only draw or paint pictures …

things I agreed with, instead of going against what I believed in.

Hey, can I just add this point of view? Um, If you feel sorry for anything you have done wrong in the past, you don’t need Karma points to get to heaven, rather, all you need to do is simply accept the fact that jesus came here and died on the cross in your place and mine.he id this so Fathger God can, and will forgive you.When he forgives you , he wipes the slate clean, as though that incident..

never happened. He has the power to wipe the slate on your whole life if you feel you have been sinning non stop all of that time. But ther eis one little catch. After you ask for forgiveness, Jesus would like you to fosake the those sins, not go back to them and keep commiting them over and over.

But the good news is… He doesn’t expect you to do this in your own strength. Rather he offers you a wonderful gift.A gift of Some of his spirit–Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit is a poweful thinking feeling being, who lives with God.He is just a sloving, and kind, and beautiful as Jesus. he can come into us, into our hearts and minds and stregthen us so we can victory over all of the devils temptations

.. So when you feel the urge to do something you know or feel is wrong, but haven’t the stregth to stop doing, he moves inside you to prevent you from doing that thing. I can tell you, it takes a heavey weight off you mind, knowing he is there morning noon and night,to help you live a better more righteous life!So..No Karmah point needed! You get forgiven for free, and ….

you recieve heaven as free gift.Then al the good things God would like you to do are done by the strength of Holy spirit living in you. God saves you wholly. I think of as being like the pinoccio story.We go from acting and being like dumb puppets, to being made into real children by the father who made us.Instead of a fairy giving the life and the power, our heavenly father bestows this gift.

Sorry if this note is a bit long….The end.

Spoo

woman in the moon

I’ve never heard of anyone shooting a hummingbird. Another notch in the incredible Cat resume.

sylverling

i want to learn how to shoot. i don’t want to learn how to kill things. there’s a difference. *nod*

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee has a similiar message. But that was some pretty awesome shot! I have always felt that way about life. I usually only kill things on accident, like mosquitos when they sting me. But I would leave them alone if they didn’t attack me… you know how it is.

iamshe

Wow! A hummingbird? That is impressive, yet sad. I’m glad that you no longer find your challenges in killing things :).

Linette

I just had to use spray to kill a bunch of wasps that set up housekeeping in my shed. I am deathly allergic, carry an epi-pen in case I am stung. When I opened the door, a cloud of them swarmed out. 2 main nests and several little ones. I felt really bad, but…we can’t afford for me to be incapacitated right now. Linette

Holy_Smokes!

July 16, 2006

I don’t like killing anything, but I do think I am doing the world a favour if I kill a cockroach.

i guess i have the same reaction as other noters: impressed that you’ve hit a hummingbird out of mid-air, and relieved that you don’t take pleasure in it. hm, i don’t think you’re stupid, but you may want to think about whether this is the right thing for you to do for yourself and are you avoiding something by sacrificing yourself? i know how this is, staying with a job too long. hugs, cat.

LightButHearty

July 17, 2006

I don’t encourage Mr. LBH to hunt as many people do here. He loves animals too so it isn’t a big deal for him to refrain. I “catch and release” spiders and other insects…even wasps and bees if I can.