The Animal Kingdom
Is more civilized than humankind.
When we call someone an animal, it’s usually in derogatory terms, and that’s how little we know about the animal kingdom. Nature is more civilized than human beings.
Animals live well-ordered lives, and they rarely deviate from that. Look at the precise yearly migrations. They instinctively know when it’s time, and they always keep to the same routes.
Altruism isn’t just an idea to them, they live it. The young and elderly are cared for and protected by the whole group. When one dies, they mourn together.
Animals don’t even know the concept of selfishness, because everything is shared. They lead each other to water and feeding grounds.
When one starves, everyone starves, because the abundance of prey isn’t kept secret. Nobody hides food away from others. That’s a human habit.
Borders and demarcations of ownership don’t feature in their lives. Nature belongs to all of them, and they never take more than they need.
Animals neither rebel against their own kind nor force their wills on each other. Everyone works together for the good of the group.
They are profoundly sentient beings, and those of us who have had the opportunity to get close to wild animals can attest to that fact.
If you think they have no souls, then you haven’t seen lions or elephants react with joy when they are reunited with humans who cared for them as orphans. After years of absence, they remember and can’t contain their excitement and happiness.
The animal kingdom doesn’t discriminate, you are either food or friend. Regardless of your bank balance, in nature, there is no distinction.
Namaste
The hawk doesn't hunt. Just waits. Hunger and patience meeting in the same body until something moves below. Predation is beautiful. We pretend it isn't because we're prey pretending to be predators. (Something I never published, but this made me think of it.)
We've built this whole mythology around human civilization being superior, but we're the ones with genocide and greed and cruelty for cruelty's sake. Animals kill to eat or defend territory. We kill for ideology and profit.
Agreed, Rea. Humans are the cruelest of animals.