this makes me sad
Posted by carmenmichelle on Jul 09, 2007 · Member since Apr 2005 · 233 posts
in my pre-vegan days, i fished, a lot
from the time i could walk until, well, 3 years ago (wen i turned vegan) i fished
this makes me so sad now...
all the fishies that i killed
i brought living things harm at one point, and despite the fact that now i don't--and i do what i can to protect all living things--i still did at one point, and i can't change that. :'(
how does one not dwell on their past transgressions against nature?! :'(
That's an easy one. We've all done our fair share of harm, but we don't now. It's behind us... look forward to what is still to come for you and think about how much you're doing now!
dwelling on & feeling guilty about anything you did years ago is a waste of time & energy. there's no reason to beat yourself up over something like that. no matter how guilty you make yourself feel, nothing will change the past. instead of focusing on things you did in your past that you can't change, focus on what you're doing to be a better person in the future. don't put yourself through that.
You were thrown into that lifestyle and that mindset -- as you said, before you could walk. Where there's no choice, there's no blame. You managed to pull yourself out of that way of thinking, that's what's important -- that's what makes you the person you are, not the stuff you were socialized into doing before you even got your bearings here on earth.
along with what everyone else has said...
Our mistakes from our past can allow us to learn how to become a better person. Maybe if we hadn't made the (now regretable) choices we did in our past we wouldn't have become the wonderfully caring people we are becoming now. How can we truly appreciate things when don't know any different way of being? So we've learned from our past and made ourselves better, stronger, more enlightened people. :) It can go individually and also on large scale thinking. The important thing is that we continue to be open to learning; evolving; becoming better.
we still do harm to many things
do you kill bugs, use bug spray, drive cars, use rubber,
i think the important thing to do in your life is to be comfortable with the amount of minimal damage youre causing, and the key is you be comfortable with it, not anyone else...because its your life and your choices
we still do harm to many things
do you kill bugs, use bug spray, drive cars, use rubber,
i don't kill bugs...even scorpions and spiders i slide under cups, on sheets of paper to freedom
i do drive a car, but, now that i'm back in nashville, (the city/downtown area) i'm walking more to the store and getting a bike to ride to work....but,yeah, rubber is really hard to cut out of one's life..
it just makes me sad
the state we live in,
we're killing, destroying the very earth we were blessed to inhabit
we're not taking care of it,
it isn't going to be able to take care of our future generations
how have we gotten to this state where we so flippantly destroy life and not bat an eyelash otherwise (or at least the majority doesn't)
life is so prescious: human, animal, plant, etc
and yet, we're not only letting it slip thorugh our finger tips, we're forcing it down through them, to fall an un-heeded death
Yeah I think Adam raises good points -- even though I think it's important not to let guilt weigh us down, it's also important to recognize that each of us trades our own convenience/pleasure for the suffering and death of animals. When we drive cars, when we use electricity from polluting plants, when we buy products that require pollution and destruction of wildlife, when we buy produce harvested with destructive machines rather than picked by hand... every one of us does this, and it's the same type of thing that omnivores do with their diet -- we do less of it, but we still do this. We even do it when we don't need it by any stretch -- as when we use computers and electricity to view vegweb. I don't mean this as a downer, or as a reason to lump a ton of guilt on ourselves, but it is important to remember that we've got a long LONG way to go.
in my pre-vegan days, i fished, a lot
from the time i could walk until, well, 3 years ago (wen i turned vegan) i fished
this makes me so sad now...
all the fishies that i killed
i brought living things harm at one point, and despite the fact that now i don't--and i do what i can to protect all living things--i still did at one point, and i can't change that. :'(
how does one not dwell on their past transgressions against nature?! :'(
I think everyone is right, sometimes you just have to let stuff from your past go. If you feel like you need to do something to repent for your actions try to figure out something you can do to help your new fishy friends! Like go help clean up a lake, or river. That might give you the feeling like you are truly reversing your prio actions, but don't beat yourself up. we are all in the same boat!
Well said, Capture. I agree-- find a project to improve the lot of some overlooked animals and you will find peace through work for their welfare.
And I agree with the rest of the respondents... you mustn't dwell on it. Life is full of learned lessons, and you are a good person! Would you be the SAME good person without all the steps in your journey? Probably not quite.
Hugs!
You are one person doing what you can to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Be proud. I commend you as many others would.
We all have regrets and for you to stand up and be sorry and take action against a wrong is inspirational and empowering. You are an example to others and I thank you.