Tough Decisions

photo credit: Nick Franchi

Out of all the tough decisions we must make in this world, one of the most difficult is to have a pet put to sleep. No one wants to do this. But no one wants their beloved friend to suffer either. Perhaps believing there is no death makes this easier, do you think? I read an interpretation of the commandment “thou shalt not kill” which said it actually meant “thou cannot kill”. I rather like that one! The energy which we are continues on forever, although perhaps not in the form we like to imagine. Reincarnation, life continuing in another form, a different plane of reality, an alternate universe — well, we have many ideas of what the afterlife may hold — or not! And so what of humans? Is this decision all right for dogs but not for me? More people are accepting the alternative of right to death laws which have been enacted in some states. Death seems as individual as life, and I’m not sure there is a blanket answer for what is right and wrong. But I know what feels right, and I hope to not be frightened of it.

“In the illusion of death, mortals wake to the knowledge of two facts: (1) that they are not dead; (2) that they have but passed the portals of a new belief.” Mary Baker Eddy