Tattva-viveka
profession
Joseph Rael - June 9, 2007 2:06 pm
Hare Krishna.
My question has to do with my profession.
I work for the school district in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
I do pest control for the district.
As I have been aquiring more and more knowlege I have come to question
my job as an exterminator.
I realize that all life is precious to Krishna and I am now having a very hard time
perfornibg ny prescribed duties.
It's a little late in my life to change professions as I retire in 3 years.
Any sugestions?
Thank You
Philip Breakenridge - June 10, 2007 9:12 pm
I think it's good that you're showing concern for even the smallest of God's creatures, Joseph. Most people go through their daily lives without giving the taking of non-human life a second thought. After pondering over your dilemna, I'm unable to come up with a suitable reply. I can only share my personal experience.
I remember, when I was in university, I had to live in a decrepit basement suite in order to make ends meet. This apartment was filled with many different kinds of pests, both insects and rodents. The bugs and I were able to co-exist peacefully most of the time. Every summer, however, an army of ants would take over my kitchen. I hesitated several times before finally putting out ant traps, especially since the illustration on the cover of the box depicted a poor little ant being struck down by a lightning bolt. I balked at taking on the karma of destroying so much life, but, in the end, it was either the ants or me. Cooking in such a kitchen would have been unhygenic, and I was unaware of a more humane way of keeping the tiny souls out. As for the rats and mice, their droppings are very hazardous to humans, so I had to ask my landlord to take care of the situation. He chose to put out poison and traps, instead of opting for a more rodent-friendly solution. Had I owned the property, I would have looked into gentler alternatives.
My point is this: in the material world, sometimes we make compromises to get by. On the other hand, I can understand your concerns, especially since the chemicals and traps used in extermination are cruel and can be dangerous to the human-bodied as well. Perhaps you can silently chant the maha mantra as you go about your work, so that these beings have a chance at a better birth in the next life.
I hope a more experienced devotee has some words of wisdom to add. 
Syamasundara - June 11, 2007 3:50 am
Yes, without putting Krsna in the picture, this material world is just a continuous tragedy and chaos awaiting at every step we take, no matter in what direction. It just doesn't work, there is no harmony.
Examples are given that if there are cockroaches in the deity kitchen they have to be sacrificed for the higher cause of deity seva. Death is just a fact in this world anyway, sooner or later, better or worse.
But what if the cockroaches are in our house?
Sri Gita is very, very helpful in this regard. Many verses come to mind, like the whole series of verses in which Krsna says, "If you can't do that, then do this" taking it down a notch, as long as we engage in yoga. This is the world of compromise, jivo jivasya jivanam. You can get the best out of these 3 years left, by engaging in buddhi-yoga, karma-yoga, and ultimately bhakti-yoga; in other words you can draw inspiration from your predicament to detach yourself from action, to offer your actions and their result in sacrifice (the easiest translation of that is by offering part of your earnings to a transcendental cause), to reflect on what is death, the body, the soul, karma, tolerance, the doer, your dharma, and your eternal dharma, you can chant more intensely, as if to atone for killing on a daily basis, or so that at least the bugs are killed by a devotee
On a lower level, you can probably do good to animals in some way, I don't know, put out squirrel feed, or support preventive measures against pests, rather than killing them after they arrive, so as to counterbalance that. But really, if you are hooked to the spiritual stream, with the knowledge and devotion that derive from that, you don't have any other duties (good and bad karma tie you just the same way), and you are for sure much better off than any other exterminator out there who does what he does mindlessly.
SP's father would put a little bowl of rice grains in his cloth shop at night, so the mice wouldn't chew on his cloth and everybody would be happy. I was so charmed to read that.