When my cat died of cancer in my arms a couple of years ago I went into full depression mode for a whole month, with the months after that being incredibly hard to live. I felt like an empty shell. Felt nothing, wanted nothing. My whole existence meaningless, and I just wanted to find a pit and permanently lie in it. My career counselor(at the time) just told me "Have you ever thought about it being just a cat?".
I just.. Died inside, thinking that this woman is supposed to be the caring, understanding and thoughtful type. The type that is meant to connect and understand people. I am sorry, but what if I said "If your child died, should I have the same right, and say "Have you ever thought about it being just a child?"". Granted, a pet is not the same as a child, but the same principle still stand. You're trampling, nay, stomping hard on someone else's emotional connection/position. How.. Thoughtless could you possibly be?
You have no idea how much.. Anger, frustration, and other kind of crap was bubbling inside me that day. I wanted to either beat the shit out of her, leave after screaming at her, or scream at her, beat her up and then leave. Luckily I managed to control my sheer emotional rage at the time, and got myself a new counselor. I don't condone violence in any way, shape or form except for in self-defense. But this woman. Fuck. How ignorant, arrogant and lack of basic respect for someone else's emotional/position can you possibly have? I complained to the counseling firm she worked for, and she got fired the week after. Apparently she's been this emotionally disconnected for a while, and was kind of ruining it for other people as well.
Uh. Sorry about the rant/vent that isn't exactly related. I've mentioned it previously on the forum.