Jake Sully: Hey, wait a second! Where are you goin'? Wait up! Just, hey, slow down! I just wanted to say thanks for killin' those things...
[Neytiri hits him with her bow]
Jake Sully: Aah! Damn!
Neytiri: Don't thank. You don't thank for this! This is sad. Very sad only.
And, the majority of you Witches and Pagans are reading this, thinking, "I TOTALLY GET HER," because you are connected to nature; you consider animals, plants, rocks, etc.. as our kin that have just as much right to be here as any human (if not more-so, given how poorly we treat our planet).
Does that apply to all creatures for you or just the ones you like and think you understand?
All animals are dangerous.
You do get that, right?
If an animal is cornered, it will defend itself to the death, if necessary. You would, too. This applies to those beautiful domesticated animals you cherish like children, as well.
Fido and Fifi are even more dangerous than most wildlife, because you let them into your home and you completely let your guard down. Then, one of them bites your child or a neighbor's kid and gets put down by authorities and you cry your eyes out in mourning over that loss.
You see the carcass of a dead animal by the side of the road. What do you do? Do you, at the very least, feel sad that the poor creature was killed by a car? I would bet that the majority of you say, "Yes!" I'm also willing to bet there are some of you who may pull over and at least spread tobacco over the carcass or move it off the road... some of you may say prayers. But, at the very least, you feel that pain and loss, and honor the spirit of the animal.
Today, I saw the following on someone's Facebook page:
"When I was pulling into my drive way this morning, there was a decent sized copperhead stretched out on the gravel. I had a moment of...holy crow how do I park my suv, get out of it, and get something to kill it with before it gets away..... Wait for it ... yea.. took a minute to realize I Was In My car! One squished copper head...check!"
So, let me get this straight. You saw an animal in your driveway. It is potentially dangerous (as are ALL animals), and your immediate thought is to find a way to kill it before it can get away from you?
Let's try it this way:
"When I was pulling into my drive way this morning, there was a decent sized feral cat stretched out on the gravel. I had a moment of...holy crow how do I park my suv, get out of it, and get something to kill it with before it gets away..... Wait for it ... yea.. took a minute to realize I Was In My car! One squished calico cat...check!"
OR
"When I was pulling into my drive way this morning, there was a decent sized dachshund stretched out on the gravel. I had a moment of...holy crow how do I park my suv, get out of it, and get something to kill it with before it gets away..... Wait for it ... yea.. took a minute to realize I Was In My car! One squished dachshund...check!"
You can choose any animal (including human) in there, and then come tell me about how I'm being too harsh in judging this person. This person claims to be protecting family members, and is highly upset that I called him/her out on this. Protecting family doesn't mean killing another animal "before it can get away".. that's murder, not protection.
If you live around wildlife, it is YOUR responsibility to educate yourself on your neighbors. Snakes are the most vilified creatures on the planet (don't get me started on spiders). Snakes are HUGELY BENEFICIAL to the environment. That includes poisonous ones!
Snakes don't like you. They don't want to be around you. A copperhead's first protective instinct is to strike out.. he/she does NOT try to kill or even maim.. they aren't trying to waste their precious venom on you. They want to get away from you.
Do you know why rattlesnakes rattle?? It's a WARNING that they are there and they want you to LEAVE!
I'm sick to death of hypocrisy by people who lay claim to earth-based spirituality and witchcraft. This was MURDER. This person killed an innocent creature out of fear and ignorance, and he/she was applauded by others who believe that snakes are evil creatures who deserve to die.
Even after I sent a link that educates on copperheads, the facts continued to be distorted and ignored. This person lives in North Carolina. Here's an excerpt from the NC State Cooperative Extension:
"North Carolina has the dubious distinction of the most venomous snake bites of any state in the U.S. Many of these bites could be prevented by avoiding the snake instead of trying to kill it or pick it up.
Avoid Copperhead snakes!
Allow it to go on its way undisturbed.
Copperheads bite more people in most years than any other U.S. species, but they also have the mildest venom. University of Georgia Professor Dr. Whit Gibbons is conducting research to learn why copperheads inflict the most bites."
And this little gem:
"All the snake species tested have had the same initial response to human presence. If given the opportunity, they escape--down a hole, under a ledge, or in the case of cottonmouths, into the water. Escape is even the standard behavior of enormous diamondback rattlesnakes, which will immediately disappear if they have enough warning before they think a person can reach them."
So, if you're going to claim to follow an EARTH-BASED Spiritual Path, open up shops that cater to this, start sites that specifically TEACH this... then, get your act together.
To that person, I say: "What happened today was SAD; VERY SAD ONLY. It was not something to brag about. And, because I stood up for the victim, you don't have any right to play victim yourself, because you think I judged you too harshly. You boasted about murdering that snake. You did not honor his spirit, his life, or his right to be here. You took his life and gave no value to that life. You live with that now."
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| photo credit: wikipedia |
I'm going to honor the spirit of Snake today, and particularly that of an innocent copperhead who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, who may have assumed it was safe because a witch lived there.
~eor~