Thanks for the link, he explains things really clearly! I'll have to check out the other videos when I get home, and shall try that meditation tonight as well. I think my biggest problem is while I can intellectually understand that and, to some extent I can even fool myself into thinking that's what I believe, when I look deeper I find that this still isn't the case. Maybe it's an issue of separating the act from the person. When I say they did it for amusement, that is what they told the police when questioned about it, and were laughing as they explained it, still finding it funny even after the animal had to be put down. The act itself would not have been an impulsive thing and would have required some thought and planning before hand. I pity that they don't seem to understand the consequences of their actions but I don't pity that they will eventually feel the consequences... if that makes sense. It's sort of hard to describe when the feelings themselves are conflicting. I generally find it easy to feel compassion for the vast majority of people, it only seems to be things like this that set me off. I will try the meditation though, and let you know how it goes, see if I have any aha! moments. Thanks