We’re no better than the animals

Killing is a matter of degree. If we see a mosquito getting blood from our arm, we are going to slap it.

If we wake up at night and go into the kitchen, turn on the light and see cockroaches scurrying all about, we are going to put out some kind of poison spray.

If we see mouse droppings on our kitchen counter, we are going to set some mouse traps.

Maybe you have deer, groundhogs or rabbits eating up your garden.

The nature of things are that we have many animals that eat grass, and we have many animals with big, sharp teeth that eat these animals. Most of us know that big fish eat little fish. All through nature there is a life-and-death struggle. Animals kill in order to have something to eat, to survive.

Then here we are: human beings. We need to eat to survive. Is it a cliche to say that we don’t think about killing when we bite into a juicy hamburger, but somebody killed that cow so that we could have that burger. How about that piece of fried chicken or a couple of pieces of bacon? That chicken, cow and pig gave their all so that we might eat.

What I don’t understand is why man kills man. From the beginning of time man has been killing his own kind. And for what reason? Someone doesn’t like another’s ideology or wants something another person has and are willing to kill him to get it. What goes on in the brains of people willing to strap on a bomb and blow themselves up along with innocent people they don’t even know, or people who take weapons to “soft targets” and shoot people? Where is the logic?

I guess we are no better than other animals — and maybe worse. Bill Bartlett, Valley Lee