Today I'd like to share a story my human once told me. It is something that happened 20 years ago. It's a short sad story, but also an example of how societal conditioning forms our thoughts and actions and how we can change.
It was the middle of the night. While driving back home with his friend, suddenly, out of nowhere, a sheep appeared on the road. At a speed of almost 100km/h, my human couldn't avoid and hit the poor being.
Even before they got out of the car the sheep somehow managed to drag herself off the road and into the nearby bushes. They couldn't see her but could hear her painful bleats. However, he told me, that wasn't something they were upset about as the main worry was the damage to the car.
The poor being who experienced a horrible shock was probably slowly dying in agony and all he was thinking of was the damage to the car. He said he also felt anger towards the sheep and, in his head, in a way blamed her for the damage.
How can that be? How can a car, a thing, be more important than a living, feeling, sentient being? It's simple, we're conditioned that way. From an early age, we learn to treasure material possessions and even worship them in some way. We give them meanings they inherently don't have and some even become status symbols.
On the other hand, we also learn that other living beings are at our disposal so we can do as we please with them. Some are then considered pets, some entertainment (Circus, Zoo), some livestock, etc. Just think of the word "livestock". Live...stock, it's horrible. To me, it’s a sign of a complete lack of respect for the being.
My human has learned a lot since then and completely changed his ways. He also helped me write this ;). The animals are not on this planet for us, but with us and there's a place for all. They are not some nuisance that we tolerate for our own “benefit”. Just watching them being themselves on their own terms can bring joy to our lives. No violence, no abuse, no exploitation.
In every meaningful way, they are way more similar to us than we care to admit. In any case much more than a car. We might not be the same, but we’re equal. Please treat them with respect.
Stay kind ❤
1 month ago
