How does one balance a commitment to nonharming with the common-sense urge to protect ones family? Ahimsa and saucha.
Here’s the thing: bugs are gross. I respect their place in the order of things but…blech. They aren’t welcome in my home. I try using repellent pest control, to keep them from even coming around, to prevent that unfortunate scream-and-smash reaction. But sometimes they find their way in, and crossing that line leaves a little chemical something on them that causes a quick death. I feel horrible about it but I can’t just let them run around. I can’t risk my 2-year old coming across a disease-carrying little critter.
So what’s the solution? What’s the compromise? How do I keep my home clean and pest-free without bringing any badness into it? I’m open to suggestions. And no, just shuttling them peacefully out when they come in is not an option. Unfortunately. We have a lot of woodsiness around our house and year-round warm weather. I would literally spend my whole day escorting bugs outside and washing my hands until they were raw if I tried to do it that way.
