The Tiniest Rescues and the Building of Compassion

Published October 30, 2009 @ 06:15AM PT

I have a habit of not only rescuing the insects and arachnids I encounter but also, if there's a camera handy, photographing them obsessively (one of many reasons that getting a good camera and learning how to use it is high on my to-do-when-I-have-money list), and this post and the images in it stem from that.

I've been fascinated by these tiniest of animals for years, and transporting them outside or out of harm's way brings me a form of peace, albeit passing, that I don't quite know how to explain. There's something about those quiet moments of gently gathering the little one up, of peering at him and the wondrous details of his delicate body, of carefully moving him to safety, and of watching him go on his way that oh-so-briefly stops the world around me.

Of course, we can't live without causing any harm. Just being in this world means that we're going to disrupt and cause death to the tiniest animals on a regular basis as we go about our day-to-day lives, even when we don't mean to and try not to. But in those moments when we have a choice, we can choose to let them go, to let them live another day. And the times I get to make that choice soothe my soul a bit and momentarily bring me peace even on the otherwise most difficult days.

And sometimes I think that if we could get people to change the way they look at bugs, this world overall would be a gentler, more compassionate place for all animals. After all, if we were to teach our children to be respectful and appreciative of even the smallest, least-like-them animals -- the animals it would be easiest (and most accepted-by-society) for them to hurt and kill -- wouldn't that lay some groundwork? If we taught them to observe bugs instead of kill them, to learn about them rather than fear them, wouldn't that make it even more likely that they would pause and consider how they view and treat larger, more-like-them animals too? I can't say for certain, but I'd like to think so.

I'm writing about this today after just having retrieved some of my photos from a friend's borrowed camera. A little over a week ago, I took a green pepper from the fridge to use for dinner, a day or two after my mom had pulled it from my parents' garden and sent it home with me. I didn't notice the hole in it before I started cutting off the top over the sink, and when some goop sprayed out at me during the cutting, I had a gross-out moment and quickly started rinsing out the vegetable with the sprayer. Several seconds passed before I looked down and saw a caterpillar in the drain. Luckily, I had to endure only two or three seconds of guilt and half-panic, thinking I'd killed him, before he started wiggling. So Mr. Paper Towel and I helped him out of danger and ferried him outdoors. The wet, gloomy, overcast early evening wasn't the ideal setting for documenting his release, but hey, at least I had a better-than-mine camera on hand this time. And watching him scoot off into a sea of green leaves made my day. I don't expect seeing the photos of this to make your day, but I hope it at least makes you smile. Happy Friday:

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Comments (12)

This DID make my day! What a lucky little guy. I'm glad you were able to relocate him safely. I bet he enjoyed hanging out in that pepper, though!

Posted by Shannon Davis on 10/30/2009 @ 07:55AM PT
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Do you feel the same way about cockroaches and flies?

Posted by Thomas Berg on 10/30/2009 @ 08:24AM PT
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bug off

Posted by Michael A. Weber on 10/30/2009 @ 08:36AM PT
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I do. The Texas-sized ones.

And mosquitoes, too.

Do you want me to share some first-person, real-life stories about befriending them, Thomas?

Posted by Olivia White on 11/01/2009 @ 07:49PM PT
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I smash cockroaches :D

and tomato worms dont hold a very high standing in my eyes either. they eat my plants.

Posted by Lyrah Flyesong on 11/04/2009 @ 09:00PM PT
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Hey Lyrah,

You might enjoy "Kinship With All Life" by J. Allen Boone. He learned from any animal who walked or crawled or flew (or swam?) into his life how to peacefully coexist with them. Oftentimes, that meant letting them know, in a kindly way, that they needed to set up house other than in his. And they always did, because they didn't want to disturb his place and his peace anymore than he did theirs. How did they communicate, you ask? By thought alone, which is the most powerful force on earth when it is based on unselfish, mutual respect.

It's a handy skill to develop -- this loving your neighbor talent, this doing unto others art. I've watched myself grow spiritually and morally through my interactions with bugs, and it's a satisfying feeling, though I'm still very much a work-in-progress.

Posted by Olivia White on 11/05/2009 @ 04:01PM PT
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Lyrah..what is it you expect the insects to eat?

Very ignorant comment...but very typical.

Posted by Michele McCowan on 11/06/2009 @ 09:44AM PT
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I really enjoyed your story and keep them coming. The photos are excellent!

Posted by Kellye Robinette on 10/30/2009 @ 03:00PM PT
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I remember a blog post a few years ago about watching ants marching in your yard. This is quite possibly one of my favorite blogs of yours to date, beautiful pictures now rivaled by these caterpillar pics!

I do try to teach my son to respect even the smallest bugs he encounters, and you'll be happy to know that it does serve to foster respect for all life. Doesn't necessarily stop the "freak out" factor of things like cockroaches, but at least he's starting to get into praying mantis & crickets! Baby steps, right?!

Posted by Lisa Smolen on 11/01/2009 @ 10:45PM PT
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Love the post!

I help out at our local library, and have taken on the custodial job at night to help out since they lost their janitor this year.

I keep a jar on the cart that reads "insect transportation and relocation jar- thou shalt relocate". We have an insect called a Box Elder that spends the summers living inside the building. There are dozens of them each week. Close-up, they are beautiful and have very pleasant attitudes. I put the jar down next to them and they walk right in. Very trusting. The people in town think they look like tiny roaches, but they look more like fireflies and have red under their wings. They can fly (but not very well) so they are usually found walking around the floors looking for the nearest window.

The former custodian used to vacuum them up and kill them as he found them. As I do my rounds, I collect them in the jar and at the end of the shift, I take the jar outside to the nearest grassy area and let them go. I cannot save them all, it only takes seconds to pick them up instead of vacuuming them into their deaths. They are hard to see at times, and people do step on them, but most of the ones I find are at the windows just trying to find a way out. They do not want to be inside the building any more than the patrons want them there, but all they need is a little assistance in getting out. That's what we are here for. (Montana actually has a town named after the insect)

There is no need to kill something just because it is small or in the way. Every living thing deserves a chance at life, no matter the size.

Yes, the staff thinks I'm a little "out there", but they now leave the insects alone instead of squashing them, and if the Box Elders make it to closing time, they get the priviledge of being relocated to the great outdoors before morning.

Posted by Michele McCowan on 11/02/2009 @ 10:00AM PT
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I love the post too! It's true, if people could identify and respect the most alien of creatures: the insects; maybe we would stand a better chance at having compassion for all.

I'm familiar with that feeling of peaceful benevolence when rescuing a "creepy, crawly" - For me it's an opportunity to recognize and acknowledge that "yes, I am a good person!". "Bug rescuing" is a very private thing... Usually no one is around to "notice". And if you did (or didn't) most would not care. That's where the beauty of the act is... It's just for the good of doing good. Yes, the kindness to a bug is quite profound!

Posted by Bea Elliott on 11/02/2009 @ 10:15PM PT
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But human babies before they are born are certainly...compassion for all. Well, wgo could be pro-choice/abortion in this cae..

Posted by Brian Earley on 11/06/2009 @ 06:45PM PT
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Stephanie is an independent animal rights advocate, a vegan, a tree-hugging environmentalist, and a freelance editor and writer. She lives in St. Louis with an aging corgi-lab and an adolescent rescued pit bull.