Questions about Life and Balance

This is my most recent blog post, it was mentioned to me that I should start it as a discussion to get input...

I believe that no "one life" is more sacred or better than any other.

Is this wrong? Well not to me it's not, but does society raise us to believe that it is?

The other day I got into a debate with a dear friend of mine, about this. She could not believe that I take spiders that are in my house, upon my hand or paper, and let them go outside. I have done this since I was little. She asked if I had ever gotten startled and killed one accidentally, Well of course I have, but I always feel bad about it when it happens (was my reply)

I believe that everything serves a purpose (Yes even the cockroaches for which man can find no purpose, just because we do not understand their purpose, does not mean that they have no purpose) I know that not everybody agrees with my opinions, but Yes, I am the person who would argue that murderers are a necessity, does that mean I like it? Of course not, but necessary to keep the balance never the less. They say that vicious crimes (such as murder) are higher than they have ever been, so is teen pregnancy.. Coincidence? Or perhaps the growing rate or births is being counteracted, by the growing number of women who are unable to get pregnant... oh yes, but then they came out with artificial insemination, and fertility drugs, don't even get me started on the "Octomom" I'm not claiming that I know how everything is counteracted for balance, I just have ideas.

Anyways.. Sorry it's been a while since I've "vented" ... I don't believe that my life is anymore important than a spider, lady bug, or cockroach's. Just because my brain is larger, more "sophisticated" and I act more on "logic" .. supposedly .. rather than instinct.. my life still has no more value. If I save ten lives, If I have a million dollars, If I kill people, or if I am a bum, If I am a flower, tree, or plant, a shark, fish, or coral; It doesn't matter, a life is a life.

If no one ever killed anyone else, so the only deaths were accidental or natural, would the world balance itself out fast enough before almost all the trees had been cut down, to provide more housing? If everyone on the earth became a vegetarian or vegan in order to "save the animals" would the earth become like other planets, and possibly run out of oxygen? (eventually of course) Could too much Good, End the Human Race? If Ten people get saved today, do Ten people die next week or month BECAUSE the ten people got saved?

I don't know, and I don't claim to... but it is interesting to think about...

Thanks for reading!

~Moon Goddess~

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Miss Skully - The Cat's Meow on April 21, 2009 at 11:59pm: For every "good" there is a "bad". If people only died accidentally or naturally, the world would be even more over-populated. Hence, more good = more bad. We need people to get murdered. I know that sounds harsh, but.. really. Without the deaths like that, the world would be even more over-populated.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Moon Goddess on April 22, 2009 at 12:11am: I totally agree, hence the over-population would in turn cause the need for more housing and consumption of natural resources. Thank you for your input!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Miss Skully - The Cat's Meow on April 22, 2009 at 12:50am: Anytime. =]; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Miss Skully - The Cat's Meow on April 22, 2009 at 12:50am: Agreed. =]; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Moon Goddess on April 22, 2009 at 1:00am: That is very true, Health Care is something that should have been mentioned, so is technology.. One day they will start (If they havn't already) actually using cryogenics. They will freeze people who have diseases or people who pay them enough money so that they can wake up in the future. That's not Natural!! How would that effect the balance of life? I know that money is a necessity to live in these times... but seriously can we look just past the dollar bill for a minute.. Please! I do not doubt that the "end of the world" is coming probably sooner than we think, and the human race (I feel) is at fault, if we keep going the way we are, it may be the only way to restore the balance. It seems like Mother Earth keeps sending messages (Natural Disasters) and yet no one listens! (or at least the world as a "whole" doesn't); ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Fred in the Green on April 22, 2009 at 5:52am: Moon Goddess, you might like to look up the JAINs and what they believe. They are very similar to Buddhists, in some ways, but more extreme in their deference to other life-forms. Routinely the paths of the monasteries and temples are swept, gently, expressly so that no insects are crushed by people walking.
And their leader had a thing about onions. We all have our foibles (except me, of course, obviously. ;-) ).

Sadly, every breath we take denies breath to someone else. If we stand in the sunlight, we may be denying light to a plant that needs it. The food we need may well deny it to another. The ordure we produce ... may have all sorts of unpleasant consequences.

It is up to us to minimise those consequences.

The I Ching says:

"As the bee takes the essence of the flower and flies away without disturbing its beauty or fruit, so let the sage wander in this life."

In other words, minimising your impact on the enviroment, on other people and other creatures, is the intelligent thing to do. Sure, enjoy yourself, but not at another creature's expense.

And is that not what we mean when we say:

"An it harm none, do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law."; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Moon Goddess on April 22, 2009 at 1:07pm: My beliefs do not follow a specific religion ... as my beliefs do not, and probably will never, exactly match a specific religion. I will not make myself try to believe something that I don't, this is not to say that my beliefs don't change, because they do, I am always open to new ideas, and ways of thinking, and I am very glad that you suggested that I check out Jainism, It sounds interesting!! The truth is half of my beliefs probably come from multiple religions, because a lot of religions share a lot of the same ideas, and also have major differences. I consider religion a title. A Christian believes that everything in the bible actually happened, and they all throw the bible in your face right? No, that's not true, which is the way I feel about myself, A lot of my beliefs follow the pagan religion, but not all of them, So I name myself nothing, other than privileged to be here, and partake in these conversations!!

Thank you for taking the time to reply!! I have enjoyed it!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Moon Goddess on April 22, 2009 at 1:07pm: I agree :-) Thanks!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Lea on April 22, 2009 at 1:29pm: Sounds like you and I think very much alike, I too always put the spiders and other bugs out the door back into the world where they belong, we've even caught the geckos here and put them back outside... I hate having to swat flies, it makes me feel awful but sometimes I have to especially when the kids leave the door open thinking our house is a barn.

Life is life, there will always be killing and death is the natural order. I remember telling someone once that a friends death taught me to always treasure every day of my own... Amber Alerts, well if that particular child had not been abducted and murdered then who, other than her mother, would have gotten this entire country on board with "Amber Alerts" she was only 9 yrs old and it was horrible but maybe that was her purpose in life, to die so that other children might be found unhurt and live? This is how I think.

Blessings of the Day ~!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Moon Goddess on April 22, 2009 at 2:19pm: I'm glad you brought that up! Terrible things can lead to great things, and great things can lead to terrible things, this is the cycle, I don't always like it, but I have learned to appreciate it!!

Thank you for expressing yourself too!!

~Moon Goddess~; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Morning Dove on April 23, 2009 at 9:55pm: Perhaps as limited by the human condition, we can not know weither any thing or event is "good or "bad". We are just not omniscient enough to see the BIG big picture to make that call.

Dove; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by SalixKat on April 24, 2009 at 3:03am: Perhaps as limited by the human condition, we can not know whether any thing or event is "good or "bad".

I don't think events are necessarily "good" or "bad". Most things I think are neutral. Often, what makes something "good" or "bad", in my view, is the intention behind it. For instance, natural disasters aren't necessarily "bad", at least not if you're looking at it from a good/evil point of view...but the results of a natural disaster negatively impacts the lives of the people/plants/animals around it. On the other hand, the intentional killing of a person or animal could be either good or bad, depending on the circumstances.; ▶ Reply to This