Nobody taught me the respect toward the animals. Even not my parents. They come from a small village in the country, where the animals are considered and treated as inanimate, not-sentient objects. As it occurs anywhere in the world, some children had fun in killing and torturing animals just to watch “what it happens”.
Chickens, rabbits, ducks, pigs, were bred to be killed, skinned and eaten. It was almost a daily show when my grandparents did it to their animals. But with the time, by myself, without that nobody taught it to me, I started to feel that all that was a crime, and from inside of me it began to come up a sense of respect toward all animals. I guess it was part of my DNA.
To all the primitive anthropocentric people who thinks that the animals deserve less respect than the “human” people, I say that it is exactly the opposite. There are actually some objective reasons, why the animals intrinsically deserve more respect than the humans.
The first simple reason is that an Homo Sapiens has the capability to understand more easily why he/she is feeling pain, when it happens. For example, if while you are walking, the first person you encounter on the street punches you in the face without reason, yes you feel a lot of pain, but you can explain it rationally. As “intelligent” Homo Sapiens, you know that there are around so sick or idiot Homo Sapiens who can punch randomly other people without reasons.
If you encounter an animal and you kick it, it feels a lot of pain, as you would feel if someone would punches you in the face, but they are not able to explain why they are sorrowing. You are not a their natural predator. The animals understand pain only in relation to the activities of their predators or natural enemies. They can explain and understand why they would feel pain, if they are got bitten by a predator or if they run in a fight with a natural enemy. But they can’t understand and explain why pain should come from the Homo Sapiens. The humans are not a their proper natural predator. They can’t understand and explain why some Homo Sapiens hurt them without reasons, and other don’t. Feel pain without to know the reason, make it even more painful. It is like if someone hits you in dark room, without reason and without to can see it. Therefore, never hurt an animal, unless it is attacking you seriously, and you can’t escape.
They are our parents
When I look at any animal, even an insect or a spider, I never forget that every animal is a complex and very specialized inhabitant of the Earth. I call all them our ‘Biosphere Companions‘.
Every animal we see, has reached its form and perfection, millions of years before the Homo Sapiens came.
The cetaceans live with their present form since 45 million years, undisturbed until we came, making of them lamp oil and polish paste for shoes, almost up to their extinction. Ironically, the discover of fossil oil saved them, temporarily.
Crocodiles look practically the same since 250 million years. They are true veterans of the biosphere. They lived together with dinosaurs and survived to several mass extinctions. Despite their primitive characteristics, crocodiles are so efficient in catching food, that they didn’t need to change substantially during that long time.
The ‘harmless’ starfish doesn’t change since 450 million years.
I never forget about these facts. I have a great respect and admiration for all the other species, because I see our whole biological history, reflected in them. All them are actually our relatives, more or less close.
When we see a rat, we should always remember that 220 millions of years ago, we looked exactly like it!
modern mouse Morganucodon (our common ancestor)
We, the Homo Sapiens, came only 0,3 million years ago, starting to harm everything.
I admire deeply all the other species for their specialization level and their individual skills, which we will never can reach.
They have the Right to continue to live undisturbed, like before we came, or at least we should limit our negative impact on them, the more possible.This the attitude that an intelligent specie of ‘Human level’ should hold.
Parents should teach to their children, that when they find an undesired insect indoor at home, they should pick up it gently and bring it outside, instead to mash it respectless. One glass and one paper sheet is all what is required to pick up gently an insect. It would be also a funny and constructive pursuit. To read more about how to pick up and relocate insects, visit this page.
How to pick up a spider or an insect (video)
A spider walking on my hand.(video)
I have also no problems to let spiders to climb on my hand, if they are not venomous of course 🙂 In summer I put them on the pots in the balcony, and in winter in the stairways of the building, because outside, they would die.
It is also good to don’t trow outside all the spiders you find in your home, because they eat… insects!
If an ant invasion would occur in my kitchen, I would collect all the ants and I would bring them somewhere else outdoor in a proper place.
There is actually never a valid reason to kill an animal, unless it is trying to attack you deadly, and you are not in condition to can stun it temporarily.
There is actually only an animal which I kill… mosquitoes, when they try to sting me. But it is not a fun for me.