Counter-culture Journals (文革)

Counter-culture Journals (文革)

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

RIP the Big Guy


He has been one of my favorite pets now for about 27 years. I got him right before I met my wife. He grew from a salamander larva I bought in a fish bait store and raised him to a land living pet.
I had four of these pets until a little over a year ago. Within a few months all but my last salamander died. I was beginning to believe he would outlive me. But sometime yesterday he died. He was losing his appetite and losing weight. I knew he was running out of time and he finally did.
It is the nature of living things to die. I had this pet longer than he was supposed to live in the wilds. I only hope he got some happiness out of living in his cage with his friends for all these years I had him. I never gave these guys names because they can’t hear or read. After they all died I gave them names so I could mark their graves. Since this was the largest of my Salamanders I just call him “The Big Guy.” He was a tiger salamander, our official state amphibian. For a small animal he probably had more intelligence than some of our political leaders, especially Rep. Todd Tiahrt.
His name in Spanish was El Grande Mui Macho, In Chinese 大的人, in Russian Большой человек, in Korean 사람 in Hindi बड़ा आदमी.

Words of comfort for the dead and mourners;


"All men, aware of the wretchedness of life, suffer for their whole lives in trouble and fears, telling false stories about fear after death." - Democritus,

"Living is transformed into dying, lifeless matter is transformed into living beings. I propose that when people over the age of 50 die, a party should be held to celebrate, for it is in inevitable that men should die- this is natural law." - Mao Zedong

“Dying for the sake of the people has even more weight than Sacred Mount Himalaya; dying for the capitalists, feudalists, and reactionaries does not weigh more than a goose’s feather,” - Angkar Padevoat

“Why do the people make light of death?
Because those above them make too much of life.....
The people have simply nothing to live upon!
They know better than to value such a life!" – Lao Tzu




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