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RE: When They Won't Play With You
I rescue severely abused cats and kittens. Many people will argue with me and say animals do not have reasoning and understanding, and although they do not understand why they are hurt or abused, they understand it is not right. And they suffer as much as we do...
I recently finished doing a Degree in Psychological sciences and one of the areas i focused on in some of my work was based on animal intelligence, feelings and consciousness, etc. There is a book, only published in 2016, which makes observations on the matter you may be interested in taking a look at to support your argument:
Are We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are?
By Frans de Waal
Our understanding has evolved in this area, however some still think in the "old ways". this book may enlighten some of these people. Then again some will refuse to accept the new data because its "new age riff raff". realistically its just science :)
Thanks for the recommendation, I am ordering a copy!
I grew up on a horse ranch, and we had chickens, peacocks, a doberman and cats. Even as a child I could sense each animals consciousness. And each animal on the planet- not only domesticated, possesses a unique and complex personality. I honestly believe it's very dominating and masochistic to think nothing but humans have intelligence and feelings.. Especially when there is scientific proof as backing.
No problems, always happy to expose people to data which is of interest to them :)
Sounds like you had quite a variety of animals to interact with when growing up, would have been fun to experience that i imagine. I have always been able to connect with animals on "that level". i have had various encounters with animals at a friends place and they will say things like "they don't let anyone touch them" and 30 min later im cradling the animal like baby. I think we can all do this, its just if we choose to acknowledge the animal as a sentient being and connect with them at that level.
Many people treat animals like a possession, "i own it" and "its mine" attitudes. As you mentioned, its a very ego based form of thinking. This is what creates that kind of disconnect between pet and person. Some people go their whole lives not knowing the animal they live with. If we could all learn to develop a relationship with the animal and not treat it like the latest trinket to accessorize with the world would be a far better place for all of us. But us humans... we evolve quite slowly, lol.
You are so correct...
My oldest son came home just this week and hugged his cat. He looked at me and said, "Mom, I can't imagine how people can think their pet is not part of the family. What is wrong with them?"
He then proceeded to tell me a bunch of kids were talking about how they "get rid of" their cats and dogs after they grow up and aren't "fun" anymore. It seemed like the common thing to do- like it was normal. They were chatting about it in a dismissive attitude...
This disgusts me on a very deep level.
Yes, unfortunately we live in what i call "The Disposable Era". We have been socialized to get rid of something at the slightest inconvenience, the next better thing is only a swipe away. again this is driven by ego and the "want" and "own" perspective. it is quite unfortunate for the animals involved and i pity those who lack the ability to have empathy and compassion for other beings.
That being said I take solace in knowing that some of these animals end up in the care of people such as us and those commenting on our posts who are willing to do what is needed to bring peace back into the animals lives.
You and I need to get together in chat, we share so many ideals... Are you on Discord yet?
I call it "Throwaway Society" and as a relationship coach, I use it to refer to the state of marriages...
Not too long ago, when something was broken you fixed it.
Now? When it's broke you throw it away. Including marriages and families...
No im not sure what Discord is, lol. i keep my net footprint as small as possible so i have FB, youtube.... and that is about it, lol. well steemit now too :P
Yeah i totally get you, hence my reference to swiping. Do you know of Kintsugi ? it is a Japanese art form of repairing with gold as it gives the piece character and history making it more valuable.
the modern push for consumerism has removed this way of thinking for many, but some do exist who believe in this way of thinking.
I have not heard of this yet.
The ancient arts, simply just ways of doing things, are so much better than the modern ones...
One of my dreams is to have a real rescue home. So far it's been in my humble home, so I can only take in so many. I want a house with a couple acres to take in horses as well. I even created a gofund me! I will accept veterinary interns who will both learn and have hands on experience with not only the medical- but with the important aspects of the heart. My children call our little rescue Rehealth. Reheart. Rehome. <3
The shelters here euthanize so many, and I can't save them all in my tiny rental :(
Its nice to have those kinds of dreams, gives you something to work towards and is a shift towards ones own autonomy and not just conforming to the "fit the mold" scenario we are forced into through the societal construct.
what i am hoping to head towards is building a self sustaining property on some land out in the bush lands of the central coast of Australia and not have to pay for anything (well for the most part, the gov. always wants their pound of flesh). take in some unloved animals of all kinds, and we dont eat our friends so no eating the animals. lol.
Lol!! We don't eat our friends! I love that!!!
Yours is similar to mine :) I wish you luck!