Quote:
Originally Posted by troymc
...I am not a Buddhist - but I avoid unnecessary killing. I will carry a cricket outside instead of killing it; open a window to let out a fly instead of reaching for a flyswatter. But I don't even go to the lengths which the Buddhists do. I have not felt any major twinges of guilt when cleaning my windshield...
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I will carry insects out of the house if possible, and save them from drowning when I find them in the pool, but I have no qualms about killing a biting insect. If they don't harm me, I try to protect them when I can, but like you, I don't go to the extremes that Buddhists or Jains do. But I do respect their efforts. If it's an insect that only stings in self-defense, I will try to help them also if I come upon them in distress. I don't believe in killing for the sake of killing. Peter Singer has raised some good arguments for not eating meat, and I have tried to cut down on my consumption, but I don't think humans do as well when they abstain from meat altogether. That being said, I think we have a responsibility to ensure that animals raised for consumption are treated humanely as possible.