DO NOT KILL

"Do not kill". But how can one not kill, when murder may be necessary for saving not only your own life, but the lives of others, relatives, people in general? Moreover, why not kill both malicious animals and peaceful creatures, if their death is necessary for the support of people's lives? But moreover, do we have any possibility not to kill snakes, rats, mice, different reptiles and insects? We can't make a step without killing a living being. So that's why nourishment without killing is an ungrounded fantasy.

It is often said, but a strange thing, nothing better than these arguments show the fairness and moral obligatoriness of the commandment "do not kill", how true This reasoning is. It is absolutely true, that it is difficult not to kill in defense or for food, but it is also true that it is difficult not to kill reptiles and it is quite impossible not to kill insects. All this is true, but the aim of any moral activity is not in reaching the total perfection, but in getting closer and closer to the perfection. Complete perfection is only God's feature, but a man can only try to reach perfection. That's why the reasoning that if we can never be free from murder, the commandment "do not kill" can't be a moral guidance, � such reasoning is either a deception or a rude de-fusion- In any moral activity and in the following the commandment "do not kill" the point is not in reaching the total perfection, but only in getting closer and closer to it: to kill as few as possible living beings, obviously, first of all, people, then those closer, more relative to people, then less relative to man creatures, who can call in us a living sense of compassion, and then insects, and then even plants,

The further man goes up the staircase of compassion to other creatures the better it is for these creatures and for the man himself.

CEN NOT BE SILENT

I would like to have a clear, not dimmed look at our life from outside, with eyes of a personplace, where every, who was brought up and lived In a one lives in peace, love and friendship - both people and animals, countries and peoples, where there are neither wars, nor religious prejudices, nor other- madness of our world. Wouldn't this person be frightened, wouldn't he cry in horror, disgust and fear, wouldn't he try to change our world and to show the mankind that madness, which we don't consider as such our prejudices, delusions and habits, which should have remained in our history long ago. There are so many wild and Immoral things penetrated in our life, that all of us shouldn't close our eyes, and at last, should look attentively, listen attentively and ponder over those most shocking and obvious contradictions of our life, which are not compatible to the moral laws and virtues, accumulated by the mankind for the fast 3000 years. Instead of raising all the forces, all the power of all moral doctrines saved by mankind against war and universal armament, all the planet day by day, year by year, not only does not reduce military potential, and what is more important - the amount of victims, born by war, but on the contrary it promptly increases both aggressiveness of military conflicts and fatal results. The sable-rattling and quite a logical outcome, in which there won't be either the winners, nor the defeated.

Nobody doubts any more that the mutual armament and the preparation for war will bring the world to the catastrophe. But the man still spends vast means on armament and constant destruction of the counterparts. There is no doubt that though all the world is against war, but nevertheless the antiwar propagation almost isn't conducted. If the mankind spent only a tiny part of the means that go to the preparation for war, on the struggle with mili- tarization, all of us would soon see the fruits of this activity. In our educational institutions it is necessary to teach not military, but anti-military preparation. The trying of comprehension of vital values of fanatical false patriotism, constant conducting of congresses, symposiums and conferences, devoted to the struggle for peace and complete interpretation of these assemblies by mass media, criticism of the war -industrial complex and overthrowing of an honorary profession of the military man into a rank of not esteemed and not prestigious, worldwide distribution of the best philosophical works, which would tell the truth about war and carry out propagation against war - all this would give the results in the nearest years. Our aggressiveness would be replaced by wisdom and tolerance. And the moral principles would take place of our bellicosity and rage.

But still, the human society should carry out struggle not only against war, but against destruction of one another. How much foolhardiness and perverted concept about morals take place at present. Though at this century we learned to launch the space ships and to drop nuclear bombs, but forgot how to build shelters. Our pensioners, like stray dogs, competing with them , are searching for food in garbage tanks.

First of all it is necessary to feed hungry people, on an example of civilized countries, where they distribute free meals just on the streets, and then to build churches and to decorate our cities. I am sure, that the true good and charity should go there, where it is worst of all, to those who really need it. Our primitive weakness , which is often not hidden from the society, is undoubtedly far prejudice of the past , and it must be not only eradicated, but to mocked and to be criticized. This and religious contradictions, between various beliefs, often lead peoples, both to wars, and to mutual hatred; and illiterate, barbarous and wild attitude towards animals, who are treated by us like things and our attitude to them like to inanimate things drives me in despair.

I am sure, that hunting for the sake of entertainment, sports, rest. merge v>/ith nature is not an animal instinct of a predator who is catching a victim,

I am sure, that corridas, fiestas, fights between animals assembling huge crowds of curious people, is nothing, but enjoyment by the picture of murdered and tortured animals.

I don't believe, that modern women dressed in clothes made of killed animals, like a cave-woman had ever actually realized what they were really putting on.

I don't believe, that man should be completely illegible in choice of food and eat everything and everyone without analysis and preference. We shall make the first step in solving this problem, when any form or kind of life will become for us tabu.

I don't believe that the problem of stray animals should be solved with the help of poisons, electric current, pounding, shooting up, traps and other not less refined methods of murder.

Even today, even now all of us can easily give up many harmful habits, errors, prejudices, 'More of all I am frighten and upset by the level of education In the problems of universal ethics of reverence to life surrounding us. There is no doubt that the introduction of new disciplines, like bioethics, antiwar propagation and ecological consciousness into the system of education can change our consciousness, our behavior, our ideals and values of life. And principle " don�t do anybody that you don't want them to do with you " should become the main leading vital guide-

I don't believe that the scientific and technical progress, is influenced by our unrestrained needs, aspirations and desires, has rejected far back and perverted moral values, by reducing vital ideals and concepts to very narrow and close frameworks, in which only a wild man feels well.

I shall never believe that the warindustrial complex will dictate, decide, supervise and move not only the destinies, lives, but also the development of civilization on the planet. The development under its leadership will inevitably lead not only to a catastrophe and destruction of mankind, but also of any life' on The planet Earth.