| I have been on many web sites with similar block sections for announcing the passing a way of a particular fish or comments regarding the emotion it has caused. In many of those comments; I have seen, many times, people Openly apologizing for what -- they feel -- are stupid or silly reactions that the death has caused them to experience . I have been in this hobby for over 25 years . I have had many types of fancy goldfish ; in that time Span I have had to experience the death of a number of them . In a few cases during the early times; it was caused by an error on my part. The others; I can say, without doubt, I took all the measures necessary without consideration of cost Or how many hours I had to put into the effort to achieve success , to make them well again . Whether they died as a result of an error by me ; or a natural occurrence that could not be controlled (as was a unkind realization, on my part with the death of my first goldfish , that our modern world still had things I could not control through chemicals or other processes - that ther natural process still reigns supreme) my emotional response was always at the same level. From the start of my hobby to this very day ; I offer no apology to the times when I would show emotional distress and a small period of sadness - to every loss of every fish I had that passed away . Neither should anyone else feel the need to offer any apology for their emotional reaction . Unlike most others and the common misconceptions or knowledge regarding animals such as dogs are cats ; we, as a fish owners, inclusive under the term animal , do not have such luxuries. Broad misconceptions about their value , if nothing more than as an emotional attachment under the definition of a pet , can sometimes make us feel like we're outcasts. -- making many owners curtail what they would normally share in conversations regarding a pet dog or cat. As an example; what they experience (as owners of other pets offer in discussion) of the various idiosyncrasies involved in the day to day management of an aqua-puppy - Which I am sure many have rather unique fish attributes -- like my punch -- would be just itching to do. I provided, below, a link to one of my utube - AHhah - a perfect example of such an itch!!!!LOL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1c_s2nzHaQ To finely reach my point ; I stress to anyone, dealing with the loss their pet, to observe and experience their feelings without regard to the perceptions , you believe , would be given to others. If anything; the perception should be that you were a loving and caring individual; taking the responsibility of totally dependant , very unique, hard to care for, under-- researched (therefore placing the care and maintenance of the animal -- in many cases as a trial thru error learning experience in the lap of the new owner). the mere fact that our hobby, generally, requires a much higher level of maintenance and oversight , thus increasing the daily contact and interaction with our fish, tends to develop some form of bond; while providing a window into a unique, fascinating -- yet mysterious world covering over 2/3 of this planet -- governed by nature's rules and unsolicited unkindly human contributions. The perception should be that you are , deep down and basically, a human being; ingrained with values and respect towards other animals inhabiting this planet . It shows you are a responsible and compassionate human being that has a good soul.. Would it be so awful if every child in -- say a school setting -- had the opportunity to experience , first hand , the responsibility Issues in the care and practice of our shared hobby. If only to create -- early on -- the concept of responsibility and character to be used in other life activities . As well; to absorb some basic fundamental understanding of the marine world with this hands on experience. Maybe, just maybe ; humans would so readily disrespect other humans - let alone nature - at the levels we are experiencing in the current timeline . So to all of you who grieve over your lost aquapuppy I say; learn and grow from the experience, feel proud in the knowledge that, against all odds ; you have self-taught a prominent level of respect, responsibility, and a sense of values not found in a large portion of the population . Never deny nor suppress something you should be so proud, to own within, with no dollar cost to you. Now is that a bargain or what?
Eric
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