A Letter About Compassion from Kurt Vonnegut and an Update from Moi in NYC

(Kurt Vonnegut and his dog)

Hello and Greetings,

From the land of Hurricane Sandy.

I was in NYC when it hit last night and nothing much happened in the area where I was. I was even kind of hoping the power would go out or a branch would fly up and hit the window but nothing. There were amazingly powerful winds that ripped the flag to shreds outside my window. We lost internet for a bit but it was kind of a let down because I had it on my phone. However there were sadly many scary fires which I was kept up to date about through fb, and flooding, but on the bright side, so many thrilling pictures of flooding surfaced on the internet. I hope the rats survived (everyone here seems worried about them even though they hate them) and got to higher ground. I have seen rats climb up the wall in the subways on a pipe so I hope they did that.

Today I took a walk around the brooklyn bridge to lower manhattan and there was no real flooding anymore. The waters have receded. It was really cool seeing everyone milling about and no lights on. All the stores were closed. It reminded me of being in France during the month of August when everyone was on “les vacances”. (vacations).

I am reading a wonderful book right now which reminds me of that My Life in France by Julia Child–it is about her discovering her passion late in life when she moved to France. The only thing which could make this book better is if Julia had somehow been aware or been taught that all the veal and foie gras she was so passionately preparing came from animals who suffer and feel pain. I don’t really understand why some people don’t put two and two together.

Which brings me to this wonderful letter I found on this blog I love called Letters of Note. It reprints beautiful letters from mostly well known people. Today’s was by Kurt Vonnegut, and it was backing his son, a conscious objector to the Vietnam War.

(Kurt Vonnegut with his Lhasa Apso, Pumpkin)

I love what he says in this letter about his distaste for people who find it “easy and reasonable” to kill. Most people feel this way about humans, but forget to extend their compassion to animals. You can tell he was an animal lover.

Without further ado….. (bolding mine, for fun):

November 28, 1967

To Draft Board #1,
Selective Service,
Hyannis, Mass.

Gentlemen:

My son Mark Vonnegut is registered with you. He is now in the process of requesting classification as a conscientious objector. I thoroughly approve of what he is doing. It is in keeping with the way I have raised him. All his life he has learned hatred for killing from me.

I was a volunteer in the Second World War. I was an infantry scout, saw plenty of action, was finally captured and served about six months as a prisoner of war in Germany. I have a Purple Heart. I was honorably discharged. I am entitled, it seems to me, to pass on to my son my opinion of killing. I don’t even hunt or fish any more. I have some guns which I inherited, but they are covered with rust.

This attitude toward killing is a matter between my God and me. I do not participate much in organized religion. I have read the Bible a lot. I preach, after a fashion. I write books which express my disgust for people who find it easy and reasonable to kill.

We say grace at meals, taking turns. Every member of my family has been called upon often to thank God for blessings which have been ours. What Mark is doing now is in the service of God, Whose Son was exceedingly un-warlike.

There isn’t a grain of cowardice in this. Mark is a strong, courageous young man. What he is doing requires more guts than I ever had—and more decency.

My family has been in this country for five generations now. My ancestors came here to escape the militaristic madness and tyranny of Europe, and to gain the freedom to answer the dictates of their own consciences. They and their descendents have been good citizens and proud to be Americans. Mark is proud to be an American, and, in his father’s opinion, he is being an absolutely first-rate citizen now.

He will not hate.
He will not kill.
There’s no hope in that. There’s no hope in war.

Yours truly,

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

From the educational and beauteous blog letters of note.