Be Different; Don't Have Kids

Young Groundhog in Love

I mean don't bring them into this world.  People who adopt, whether humans or animals, and are exemplary adoptive parents, are heroes because they give a home to someone who needs one.  People who adopt human children, as far as I'm concerned, "clean up someone else's mess," which means they pick up the ball after a biological parent has dropped it (so to speak).  I have very strong feelings about biological parenthood.  I have never impregnated a woman, and therefore never brought someone into this wicked world, and I am very proud of that.
Why do so many people bring other people into this world?  This planet has been plagued with brutality and misery from the beginning.  The strong and vicious have been preying on the weak and timid from the get-go.  What must we deal with in our lifetimes?  Pain, bullying, intimidation, ridicule, humiliation, insults, job loss, threat of violence, threat of horrible fates like becoming paralyzed, sickness, disease, injury, deterioration of mind and body as a result of old age, death of friends and loved ones, and, ultimately, one's own death.
Uh-uh.  Not good enough for my kids: my kids that don't exist.  I refuse to bring my kids into this world.  So many things could happen to them.  As children, they could be abducted, raped, tortured, and murdered.  It has happened to many children.  Why would I bring them into a world where this horrible scenario is a distinct possibility?
Because I'm not selfish enough to do so.  I suspected that the reason why many people become biological parents is because they are selfish.  Perhaps they are unhappy, and they feel a cute little baby will cheer them up or give them a reason to live.  Then there's the reason that, unsolicited, was presented to me at my workplace.  A coworker asked me if I had kids, and I said no.  Then she asked me if I wanted to have kids, and I said no.  Then she asked me, "Don't you want to have someone to take care of you when you get older?"
There it was: selfishness on display.  According to my coworker, I should have kids for my sake, not theirs.  They should have to suffer in this hateful world until it's time for them to take care of me.  I disagree with such a notion.  That's why it's obvious to me that I care more about my (nonexistent) children than ANY biological parent cares about their kids.   
Overpopulation, what a problem.  Oil will run out at some point and so will clean drinking water.  People who can't even support themselves are bringing children into this world, that, of course, they can't support.  The more people there are in this world, the worse it is for the animals who share it with us.  We knock down more wilderness, driving the animals who live there out of their homes, so we can build more buildings for ourselves.  Meat-eaters will raise more meat-eaters, insuring that animals will continue to be enslaved under concentration camp-like conditions.  We take everything from them: a chance to live natural lives, follow their natural instincts, and be content, their freedom, their lives, and their dead bodies.  We have created a nightmare world for Earth's animals.  Even if everyone suddenly gave a damn about animals, became vegan, and demanded that all livestock be freed immediately, it obviously couldn't be done because road kills would increase exponentially. 
Granted, my own experience in life colors my attitudes about life on Earth.  I have been afflicted with depression and OCD.  I am the result of a teen pregnancy, and my father had left our little family by the time I was two years old.  But when approximately one million people commit suicide worldwide every year, I'm not the only one who isn't happy as a clam.  If you really want to have a kid (or a pet), and you're willing to do whatever it takes to be an exceptional parent, I implore you to adopt.  It really is the right thing to do.        

My Squirrels

Is that a squirrel penis, or is it a vagina?

I suppose they have become my squirrels.  "My" squirrels certainly doesn't imply ownership.  As far as I'm concerned, sentient beings cannot be owned in any way, shape, or form.  I mean "my" in the same sense as my friends or my children.  If they didn't before, they know where I live now.  I have named the one who doesn't hesitate to approach me whenever she sees me: Sammy.  Sammy the squirrel works on at least a couple of levels.  I believe it is a good name for a squirrel, and even though I refer to her as a female, I have no idea what the sex of any of these squirrels may be, their genitals are probably quite small, and Sammy can be a name for a boy or girl.  In fact, there is a young woman at my place of work whose name is Sam.
Yesterday, I came home from work, and, as I was approaching my building, they descended upon me.  Sammy came closest, while two other squirrels kept their eyes on me, albeit from distances which they were comfortable with.  I didn't have any nuts on me, but there were some in my apartment that had been earmarked for my squirrel friends.
"Just wait right here," I said to Sammy.  "I've got some nuts inside, and I'll come back out with them real soon."  When I came down the stairs of my building, I noticed that a squirrel, probably Sammy, was perched on a rail that was just outside the front door.  This lofty position probably allowed her to peer inside the window to look for me; I believe that is what she had been doing.  She had waited for me!  This time I had pure, inside-the-shell pecans for them.  As she saw me approaching, she left the rail and retreated a bit to the sidewalk.  I tossed one to her.  She immediately seized it and hopped off to enjoy it, presumably before any of the other squirrels could try to take it from her.  After all, they are as wild as they are cute.  So I tossed another pecan to the closest squirrel.  Unfortunately, the other one went after it as well, and there was a very brief skirmish which caused one or both of them to squeal.
"Don't fight!" I yelled at them.  Both of them immediately froze when I did that.  I didn't want to scare them, but I certainly didn't want them to hurt each other, especially over the nuts that I had given them.  I yelled so loudly that my voice echoed back to me.  I resumed tossing nuts to them.  They both received one and promptly left the area, much the way Sammy had done.  I stood there for a few moments with my open nut bag until I realized that this feeding session was pretty much over.  The only squirrels in sight were hopping off with pecans.
After some research on the Internet, I concluded that I could expand the variety of nuts I'd been giving them to include pecans and hazelnuts.  I had given them hazelnuts the day before.
This business of squirrels being aggressive toward each other over the nuts I'd given them has had me concerned from the start.  Then I recalled that I'd witnessed plenty of aggression between squirrels before I ever fed one.  They're wild, and some of them are bullies.  I suppose every species has its bullies. They'd rather take from another then go out and find their own, which is rather like the way that many people are.  This has always been a brutal world, and it probably always will be.  Logically, being aggressive is how many animals instinctively survive.  The nuts that I feed them probably aren't going to turn them into Mother Theresa's, but they probably won't turn them into Adolf Hitlers either.      

     

Squirrel Sugar Daddy

It's a hard life to love.

It's hard to tell one gray squirrel from the next.  I know that at least one of them recognizes me: maybe more than one.  It must be so hard for her to approach me.  One of those times, I looked at her and realized that her poor little heart seemed to be beating out of her chest.  She must have been going against her instincts.  Her instincts tell her to fear the giants.  But she knows a gentle giant: me.  I told her how brave she was.
A squirrel approached me and was transfixed by my nut-throwing hand.  Her eyes followed it everywhere.  I grabbed a handful and tossed it.  She advanced as I was in the act of throwing.  As a result, she was showered with (pure) walnuts.  As a few of them struck her back lightly, she tensed up a bit, perhaps she even let out a little pee-pee or poo-poo, but she soon recovered and feasted.  I feed them almost daily.  I admire them.  I've even seen them foraging in the pouring rain.  They are tough survivors.  I'm quite conflicted about feeding them though.  I've seen them act aggressively toward each other: seemingly over the nuts that I left out for them.  They're even cute when it comes to aggression though.  They tend to advance and pounce toward their prey, who usually gets out of the way just in the nick of time (they seem to be hyper-aware).  For some reason, this reminds me of chess (knight takes pawn).  I tell myself that they'll be aggressive toward each other anyway.  One day I was walking past a restaurant, and I heard a noise that got my attention.  I looked to my right and saw two squirrels leap at each other and collide in midair, which was accompanied by a horrible battle cry.  This happened in a dumpster area, so I suppose they were fighting over food garbage.  I never forget that they are wild, and they live by a different set of rules than we do: none.   

Squirrel Obsession

This squirrel hasn't been shot through the eye; it's just the lighting.

That is what it has become.  It is Thanksgiving, which is just another day for me, except for all the reminders of what a horrible time it is for turkeys.  So as most people continue to think of animals in terms of food (A guy at the supermarket leaned in front of me rudely to grab a turkey while I was browsing the veggie burgers, which made me want to hurt him, but I didn't.), I'll still think of them as my brothers and sisters (the animals, not the human meat-eaters).  I am obsessed with squirrels: particularly those that live around my apartment building.  They are my friends and neighbors.  I have made a regular habit of getting pure, unsalted walnuts for them when I'm shopping.  I'm worried about them because another harsh Rochester winter is just around the corner.  I just recently became aware of their nests.  I did not realize that they build tree houses out of leaves and other found materials.  I noticed that one even appears to have a plastic bag attached to it.  Was that intentional?  I have no idea.  Anyway, I must feed them.  They need extra fat to keep them warm during winter.  How impressive that these nests have withstood truly windy days.  I saw a nest on the ground near a sidewalk, though.  My heart sank.  I inspected it and found no animals, living or dead, in it, which was when I began to breathe again.  I assume that had been a squirrel's nest, though, and that he or she must have had to construct a new one: poor thing.  I certainly hope that no animals were in it when it fell.
But what do squirrels do when they are in their nests?  I hope that they only sleep, eat, and possibly masturbate there (and perhaps count their nuts), otherwise I imagine it would be quite boring.  Perhaps I'll start a business that will provide services and products specifically for squirrels, with an emphasis on leisure (nest) time.  Maybe I'll take some pictures of squirrels that are considered "hot" by other squirrels and post pinups on nest walls while the inhabitants are out foraging.  I can also imagine a cable network that is just for squirrels, which they can watch on tiny, battery-powered TV sets.  One channel will focus on the aforementioned hot squirrels, another on memorable squirrel fights, squirrels having sex would be a no-brainer for another channel, and a channel that showed the proper ways to forage and build nests would be of interest to young squirrels who are getting ready to enter the real world (By the way, what doting parents they must be!  I've never, ever seen a tiny squirrel.  So I assume that they are kept safe and protected by one or both of the parents while they are juveniles.).  And I've seen footage of at least one squirrel water skiing.  That, and other atypical squirrel behavior can show them what sort of limitless potential they all have.  I imagine it could be quite inspiring.  Perhaps I'll call it the Inspiration Channel.

Squirrel Addendum

Tail first

I saw a variety of squirrel that I had never seen before.  I was walking through my apartment complex, and a white squirrel ran across my path.  He had a tan spot on his back.
I believe one of the squirrels who forages on the grounds near my apartment recognized me.  I was taking out my garbage, and she stared at me intensely.  Then, much to my surprise, she followed me.  I kept looking behind me to check, and there she was: staring at me and hopping after me.  Perhaps she was the one that I tossed a whole walnut to.  As soon as I did that, she took off after it and seized it between her paws.  I kept telling her that I had no nuts on me, but she kept following me.  I had been in a very depressed mood until that point.  Her cuteness cheered my up considerably.  I always have to remind myself, as bad as my depression gets, I should live to help animals; they need it so badly.  I need to remind myself of times like this one; I noticed a snail, with a beautiful yellow shell, who was slithering into a large parking lot of a shopping center, where she would have most likely been crushed.  I picked her up and gently placed her into a grassy area where water would have been easily accessible to her.  

I Love Squirrels

Another lovable squirrel.

I love squirrels: don't you?  If not, why?  They are cute.  Grey squirrels have little ears, a white belly, and a big, bushy tail.  They can walk and run, but they seem to prefer to hop.  There are several squirrels living on the grounds of my apartment complex.  I have fed them several times with pure unsalted nuts.  The first squirrel to discover the nut pile gets very excited, eats some, then begins to bury the excess nuts.  I love the way they eat: sitting on their haunches.  I threw a peanut to one, and he immediately got to work: spinning it with his paws while using his teeth like a can opener on the treat.  I realized that I probably shouldn't feed them directly like that, though, and I don't think I'll do that anymore.  They shouldn't lose their fear of humans.  All animals should distrust and fear humans to some degree considering how we have treated them throughout history.
There seems to be no shortage of people who bitch and moan because they put food out for birds and squirrels take some.  What do these people have against squirrels?  What did a squirrel ever do to them?  I've never seen squirrel poop, but I've certainly seen plenty of bird poop (much of it on my car and sometimes on my clothing).  Birds make much more noise than squirrels do.  Some birds sing sweetly; some are very repetitive when it comes to the sounds they make.  I'm not saying the singing of birds bothers me; they have the right to sing if they want to.  I just appreciate the squirrel for not being a loudmouth.  I only recently discovered that squirrels vocalize.  I heard what sounded like a bird, looked out the window, and saw a squirrel.  I didn't think that she was making that sound, then I realized that the noises were synced with the movements of the squirrel's tail.  The other day I passed a squirrel who was making some sort of a call as he perched on a tree branch.  I stopped and looked at him.  He saw me looking, then stopped his call as he stared at me.
"Go on, don't stop on my account," I said to him.
But he looked at me as if to say, 'I can't do it while you're staring at me.  Go away.'
So I walked on, and he went back to his call.
I got up one morning and saw what appeared to be a flash of fur right outside my window, so I went closer to investigate.  A squirrel was doing a tightrope walk on a power line.  Was it really necessary for her to do that, or was she doing that just for the fun of it?  I wonder.  At any rate, she made me laugh, and that's always a good way to start the day.      

The Bald Vegan

The bald vegan eats neither bunnies nor baby groundhogs

I want this to be a fun blog, but I can't help trying to make a difference in the lives of animals.  They need so much help.  People continue to be completely outraged by the (human) holocaust.  Unfortunately, countless animals have been enduring their own holocaust for many years now, and still it continues.  And if you're offended that I'm comparing the plight of animals to the holocaust, then you have offended me, because you obviously think that the lives of people matter, and the lives of animals do not.  I wouldn't say the following about anyone who's physically or mentally handicapped, dealing with a major disease like cancer, elderly to the point of being hopelessly set in their ways, or children.  So this is for everyone else; anyone who eats meat is either ignorant or selfish.  You're either ignorant of the suffering that you are causing in the animal world, or you know about it, and you just don't care, which would make you selfish.  Virtually no one needs to eat meat.  Therefore, the eating of it is a selfish and destructive act.
It's even more selfish when you consider what Peter Singer wrote in his classic Animal Liberation.  This one piece of information blew my mind.  If everyone stopped eating meat, we could end world hunger.  Vast amounts of acres are taken up by food which is grown for pigs, cows, chickens, etc.  If we ceased to intentionally bring these animals into this world for the purposes of our consumption, then all that food that would have gone to the animals can now be used to feed hungry people.  I'm not suggesting starving the existing livestock.  But if most people stopped eating meat, it would greatly reduce the demand for animal flesh, so less animals would be brought into the world to eat the staggering amounts of food grown for them.  This makes the extra food available for human consumption.  Obviously, we could easily control animal populations by separating males from females.
I really don't anticipate posting recipes and stuff like that.  I'm pretty sure there's plenty of that around anyway.  Besides, I don't cook.  I just heat things up.  I'm sure I'm coming off like a jerk to some degree, but I can't help it.  I've seen the footage of animals suffering, and I've read books about it.  It angers me to know that so many people could help put an end to it, but they obviously don't care.  The animal rights movement has been going on for a long time now, and I suppose that people have been against animal abuse as long as people have existed.  But we've always been too small of a minority: too easy to ignore or ridicule.  Change is necessary.  Minorities, women, and gay people have all had to fight for the rights that they should have had in the first place.  Animals, especially food animals, don't really have any rights and they are not able to fight for them.  Those of us who would fight for them need to be strong and persistent.  Baby steps are not enough.  Baby steps are what have been made for over a hundred years now and the animals are still trapped in hell.  If you eat meat, then I implore you to become a vegetarian.  It's not just good for the animals, it's good for your health.  Omitting eggs from your diet is the next easy step.  Giving up foods that have milk in them was the hardest part of becoming vegan for me.  I prefer milk chocolate to dark chocolate and I love the flavor of mozzarella cheese.  But vegans have many delicious options to choose from.  Besides, if you're an adult, shouldn't you have some discipline when it comes to what you eat?