I was leaving to go out one morning, I don't remember where, it doesn't seem important in the grand scheme of it all anyhow. I walked out the back door of my residence hall and there I saw the saddest of sights. A small, Carolina Wren as I would come to find out, lay dead on the back steps. I was deeply saddened by this, any loss of life is a sad loss of life as all life should be treated sacred, but I didn't know what to do. I started to walk past it but I couldn't bring myself to just letting it lay there indignant on the steps. So I put my things down and sat for a moment, trying to think of a way to pick up this poor bird and give it a proper burial. I finally settled upon going to the bathroom to grab a paper towel, I gently wrapped the small bird into the paper towel and buried it under a pile of dead leaves near by. I said some small words while I stood there, not being very religious I felt sheepish as I said a small concluding prayer at the spot, hoping the birds soul may find rest. The question I pose coming out of this story is this; why did I feel such a sense of responsibility to the bird whereas any other animal most likely would've passed it up or made it a midday meal. Why do we as humans feel, or in many cases not feel, this sense of moral responsibility towards the natural world?
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