One camper was concerned that we were killing something that is a part of nature. This is, of course, and important consideration. The first thing I reminded the campers of was that the string beans they had been chomping on were just as alive only a few moments before. Secondly, potato bugs are not a native insect and they eat a crop that we are trying to grow. If we (humans) were not interfering in the natural system at all, our garden plot would still be old growth forest. Instead it was once cleared for pasture, and we opened it up for a garden. We have killed trees, and grass, and weeds, and all the bugs, bacteria, and other creatures that lived on them so that we could plant crops that will feed us. To keep these plants alive, it often takes more killing: insects, weeds, and diseases. Eventually, we will decide to kill our crops so we can eat them. Farming and gardening, whether you are raising crops or livestock, always involves having to kill something. It is the circle of life that enables us all to eat.
All of this said, I do not take killing lightly in the garden. That camper was right, those little bugs are alive. I know that it is my own desires (for tomatoes and eggplant) that make it so he can't live or I can't eat. These are the choices made every day, by every farmer. What is important, I believe, is that we think about the choices we are making, we think about that bug, and his life, and recognize that him getting squished helps me to eat, and for this be respectful and grateful.
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