Confessions of a Dandelion Killer
OK, I admit it and I’m not proud of it. The rumors are true, when I was a little boy I used to pluck dandelions from the ground singing “Mamma had a baby and its head popped off” and then with a flick of my thumb the dandelion’s head would fly off of its stem. I know some of you are now reeling in horror so I will pause while you compose yourself………..
Why confess now after all these years? Well, after reading a report on The Dignity of Living Beings with Regard to Plants (PDF) I realized that deep down inside I knew what I had done was morally reprehensible and the guilt had become too much to bare. The report, published by the Swiss Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology, opened my eyes and allowed me to see that I wasn’t treating plants as living organisms that have worth and therefore rights that I trampled upon. An article by Wesley J. Smith in The Weekly Standard has a nice review of the ECNH’s report and in it he summarizes the ECNH’s findings:
A “clear majority” of the panel adopted what it called a “biocentric” moral view, meaning that “living organisms should be considered morally for their own sake because they are alive.” Thus, the panel determined that we cannot claim “absolute ownership” over plants and, moreover, that “individual plants have an inherent worth.” This means that “we may not use them just as we please, even if the plant community is not in danger, or if our actions do not endanger the species, or if we are not acting arbitrarily.”
I can see the pain and destruction I have caused. Now that I have gotten this out, I hope there is enough time for me to seek forgiveness. I know some of you may see me differently now (I can’t even tell you about the torturous “She loves me, she loves me not” episodes) but I hope that this won’t come between us. Let the healing begin.
photo credit: la bella rivolta
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I was looking for pics of dandelions on google images. I happened across your site. I love the graphic. Very sweet! Where’s it from? I also took time to read the post. I am going to have to read that report. Interesting stuff. Thanks for the nice web find. Gotta love the cowbell