Bug Families

When I was little, I didn't like to kill bugs. Actually, I didn't like to kill anything ... bugs, snails, worms, bees. I have always been very sensitive, but don't give me too much credit. I wasn't sparing the little critters because I didn't want them to die, exactly. I was sparing them because it was very obvious to me that if you kill one, then all of its friends and family will have to come gather around the body for the funeral, and that is just trouble. I was sensitive enough to know that bugs had friends and family who would of course come to the funeral, but I was not sensitive enough to consider that the bug itself would want to live and so on and so on.

Today I sat down during nap time ready to work. I felt a sense of peace that I wouldn't have to get up 5 or 6 times to let the cat out because we do not have a cat anymore. (Don't tell Tim.) But all of a sudden 2 flies started swarming me. Dear me. That is not cool. I worked very hard to ignore them. I knew I was not in a good position to give 'em a good swat. But then I felt empowered, and I stood up. I grabbed a nice hard object...mass media history textbook. I waited. Finally a fly attacked my ear, and I followed it. It handed on the sliding glass door right next to its friend. They couldn't have been in a more perfect spot, and I couldn't have had a more perfect weapon. It rocked. SLAM. DEAD. I texted Tim immediately to share my joy, and he called right away for the details.

But then in happen. The funeral. There are 5 more bugs flying around.

I am humbled. Poor bugs. I don't have the heart to kill these funeral goers. They remind me of death. They make me sad. They remind me that somewhere inside me I still believe that all animals can think and that they all feel pain the way I do. You'd think that more people would figure that out. If not about animals, you'd think we could at least figure it out about each other.

Don't hurt people. Even if you hurt. Don't hurt people.

And never step on snails. That's just gross. And not very nice. And as you all know, it doesn't leave you with fewer snails in the end at all.