Hmm, something about me that you don't know? *ponders* You've got lots of nice things- have a bit of childhood angst :D
I am haunted by cruel things I did when I was a child (like 1st-3rd grade), mostly by asserting power over others when I felt I could. But the one I feel worst about is punishing a stray kitten that showed up at my house for scratching me by dropping it in the pond. He was fine- he was able to swim to shore, and we later rounded him and his littermate up and dropped them off at the pound, but to this day I feel awful for terrorizing the poor thing, for all that the cruelty was borne of frustration that the cat wouldn't accept my affection the way dogs did.
Between occasionally getting caught and later being on the receiving end of cruelty from others (thanks, middle school...), I figured out the empathy thing, made amends where I could, and in the process of doing so, figured out that being cruel was ultimately destructive and way less satisfying than making others feel good. It's also why I will always take time to pet a cat who doesn't run from me.
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Hmm, something about me that you don't know? *ponders* You've got lots of nice things- have a bit of childhood angst :D
I am haunted by cruel things I did when I was a child (like 1st-3rd grade), mostly by asserting power over others when I felt I could. But the one I feel worst about is punishing a stray kitten that showed up at my house for scratching me by dropping it in the pond. He was fine- he was able to swim to shore, and we later rounded him and his littermate up and dropped them off at the pound, but to this day I feel awful for terrorizing the poor thing, for all that the cruelty was borne of frustration that the cat wouldn't accept my affection the way dogs did.
Between occasionally getting caught and later being on the receiving end of cruelty from others (thanks, middle school...), I figured out the empathy thing, made amends where I could, and in the process of doing so, figured out that being cruel was ultimately destructive and way less satisfying than making others feel good. It's also why I will always take time to pet a cat who doesn't run from me.