My dad didn't get any pleasure from it except for the pleasure of knowing that this was food that would go towards feeding his children, myself included. The animal didn't last very long after he made the first cut. But the problem with a pig is that it's skull is pretty hard and if he had tried to shoot it with the only varmit gun we had at the time, a .22 caliber. The bullet would have ricocheted off the animal's skull causing even more pain. The only effective and quick way was a cut across the jugular. The animal was suffering from a bum leg that my father had tried to splint up several times before because the other pigs were fighting each other and this pig hurt it trying to get away. Was it better to leave the pig to live it's life in pain or end it relitively quickly.
As for your no compassion for animals statement, that is totally bogus. My dad spent many a cold night making sure the cattle were alright and was very religious around calving season to make sure the coyotes kept away from the baby calves. He was very well versed in animal husbandry as both a farmer and a rancher. He is one of the most compassionate mans and treated his children well, I never ever saw hit hit any of us children or my mom, EVER. He bent over backwards to make sure we had pleanty of food and clothing. He may not have been a mushy feel good, I wanna be your friend, fluffball that you see in the cities these days. He cared for us all very much and he showed us by providing and teaching us about life. He taught his children about life and didn't sugar coat a damn thing and I am a much better person for it.
Do I lack compassion and empathy? No, I most certainly do not lack compassion or empathy, my friends know that I am a real deal genuine person. When I say I will help them with something I actually do it even if it is a major inconveince to myself. I know that talk is cheap and actions speak much more that mere words. I am always the first one there to pick up the pieces of other people's shattered relationships and emotional problems. I am a compassonate person who is very dependable, a lesson I learned from both my parents.
The main reason i got this reaction is that most of the people on this board grew up in clean sterilized city environments. They never have to see the life and death struggle that nature shows itself to country folks every day. You see a dead rabbit and you are like, "OMG teh poor little innocent bunny wabbit died, let's have a pet funeral for it." A country raised person goes, "Well, that is one less varmit to feed on the crops." Country people are more versed in the savage reality that is nature. City people think that nature is this Disney utopia that it is most certainly not. Nature is a vicious savage beast, remember this next time you buy a pre-processed sterilized burger at Mickey Dee's.
All I can say in response is a big "Amen".
