Observations on Life and Death

**Angered Roach** · July 02, 2006, 03:23 AM

I had an interesting experience only moments ago, one that really made me think. If my post isn't a stunning example of grammatical correctness, it's late, i'm tired, and I still feel wierd about the whole experience. On the whole, however, it made me think.

I was walking into the kitchen for a midnight (4:00 in the morning) snack, and I heard a squeaking noise. My parents put out these sticky pad-type mousetraps, because they're more effective than conventional spring-loaded traps, and because they're safer around humans. Anyway, I look and I see two mice in one of these traps. One just looks at me and stares, knowing it's ultimately doomed position, unable to free itself with a much larger, likely dangerous being aware of it's presence. The other, and this is where it gets kind of gruesome, was apparantly trying to CHEW itself free. It was trying to gnaw it's legs off in a desperate bid for freedom.

I couldn't stand there and watch, so I grabbed the trap with a pair of tongs, took up a meat tenderizer, and went out on the front walk. I placed the trap and the mice on the ground, and brought the tenderizer down, killing each mouse in turn, starting with the one that had chewed itself free.

As I watched...well, here's where it gets worse...burst open and suddenly die by my hand, it really got me to thinking, about how short our lives are, and how one tragic mistake can end them. I chassed away an opposom and set the dead mice in the traps, went inside to clean up the blood from the mouse trying to chew itself free, and vigorously cleaned my instruments.

It was a very strange experience. Living in the city as I do, it's never been put upon me to look an animal in the eye before I killed it. I knew what I had to do, and I didn't hesitate for a moment to do it, but it was, altogether, strange.

Just me airing my thoughts. Anyone else had any experiences like this?

**Saint-Germain** · July 02, 2006, 03:27 AM

Moved! To! The! Ethos!

**Angered Roach** · July 02, 2006, 03:57 AM

Hadn't really thought it was ethos material, given that it isn't really a philosophical thread, but merely sharing an experience.

**Sam** · July 02, 2006, 05:24 AM

I have one thought, throw away the meat tenderizer!

**Saint-Germain** · July 02, 2006, 05:23 AM

Your experience did bring on a bit of philosophical musing, didn't it?

On topic: I've never had an experience like this. Sure, I've killed plenty of insects and spiders in my time, but nothing that Icould really ascribe human emotions or feelings to.

**Angered Roach** · July 02, 2006, 05:46 AM

Scalding hot water, plenty of soap, a rigorous scrubbing, and a run through the dishwasher with the anti-bacterial settings on. The tenderizer is fine. If anything managed to survive -that-...well, those germs are troopers.

**Amorphos** · July 02, 2006, 05:41 PM

I killed a frog the other day, my wife had closed the back door accidentally trapping its legs and crushed them. She asked if i would kill it so i grabbed hold of my wok and went to kill it, as i looked at it the poor thing seamed to know its doom was near and sadly somehow looked at me like a child. i then slammed the wok down instantly killing it, i was sad for it but the wok bounced really high and the frog followed it as if going for it's last leap, which at the time seamed funny. i think this was just my way of dealing with the strong emotion that this little creature had surprisingly brought out in me.

I have to say that there seams to be much more to such creatures than is first perceived – kinda like people shaped animals!