The Others: Sacred, Forgotten, Misunderstood
AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." ― Mahatma Gandhi
"Because we have viewed other animals through the myopic lens of our self-importance, we have misperceived who and what they are. Because we have repeated our ignorance, one to the other, we have mistaken it for knowledge." ― Tom Regan
"We patronize the animals for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err. For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they are more finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other Nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendour and travail of the earth." ― Henry Beston
Thoughts of pets and of beasts
From the time I was little, my pets played an imperative role in my understanding of non-human animals, and the same is true for countless people across the globe who share their homes with dogs, cats, reptiles, rodents, and birds. For many, the relationship one has with their pet is as important as familial relationships and friendships. In this way, cultural significance has accumulated for several species, namely the domesticated dog and cat, and some sacredness has even evolved that informs morality regarding how we treat these animals: laws are made to protect pets against abuse and neglect, we cannot consume the meat of these animals, and veterinary medicine have been developed to protect our furry loved ones from sickness and pain.
Clear differences can be seen in other cultures where domesticated pets have overall less importance, such as in Muslim cultures where dogs are seen as unclean creatures that do not belong in homes. Another extreme example may be in China, where the annual Yulin Lychee and Dog Meat Festival is held and thousands of dogs are tortured and consumed. Thoughts of such an event cause uproar in Western societies for obvious and important reasons, with petitions and GoFundMes made in attempt to stop this event and save the lives of the animals it affects. It seems there is a general agreement that we, as humans, have a moral obligation to help dogs across the globe. However, many of the people spreading awareness about the festival continue to consume cow, pig, lamb, chicken, and turkey meat on a regular basis, despite the incredibly low standards for practices of animal farming used in the United States indicating that those animals are almost certainly abused and mistreated up until and during their slaughter. What makes us see these situations differently?
This question requires complicated answers of nuance and refined examinations of beliefs across the globe and lifetimes--answers that I cannot provide nor know myself. What may be certain, though, is that most people in the Western world hold intricate and at times hypocritical views of non-human animals. While dogs and cats are cherished, many other species are okay to eat or even meant to be eaten. To most, wild animals are exclusively dangerous, mysterious, and dirty, and humans are separate from and superior to all other animals.
Some movements like vegetarianism and veganism--with support from environmentalists, animal rights activists, health fanatics, and celebrities--have recently challenged some of these beliefs, and ecological studies and conservation movements have given us a better understanding of the ecological value of biodiversity, benefits of protecting wild species, and appreciating how each animal has a special role in the ecosystem. While one might consider these beliefs to be ultra-modern, these alternative ideas find their roots in ancient cultures from across the globe. It seems that while one way of thinking persists in our time and culture, there may be wisdom found in examining our beliefs by placing them in a cultural context to make sense of our downfalls, deceits, and strengths that are encompassed by our views of the rest of Animalia. Perhaps a certain sort of power could come from examining the breadth of beliefs that are held across places and timelines, and thus, a brief overview on how animals were and are treated in different cultures could give us insight on the possibilities of human-animal relationships
Thoughts of animals throughout time and place
Jainism
The oldest practice of non-violence towards animals can be found in the principles of Jainism. As early as the 6th century BCE, Jainists have been practicing vegetarianism and teaching that harmlessness to other souls is the highest form of spiritual practice. It is believed that they even carried brooms to gently sweep worms off of paths to avoid accidentally harming them. A stance of total non-violence, or ahimsa, was born out of the beliefs that all living things are connected through a universal, inherent soulfulness and that every form of life is sacred to the Universe. To further this ideal, animal hospitals are said to have cared for every creature that needed help, no matter the species or case. The widespread, species-independent value that animals play in this religion is one of the most important pillars to the people who practice Jainism.
Eastern Philosophies
Hinduism and Buddhism have similar ideas about animals, believing that they are souls with inherent spiritual value. These religious beliefs informed how animals were treated in societies that practice these religions. Vegetarianism has been widely practiced since the 3rd century BCE, in accordance with the same doctrine of non-violence, but not all think animals rank equally among humans. However, their interpretation of reincarnation explains that souls endlessly travel through many different bodies over eternity , and any human soul could later be born into an animal, and vice versa. Fundamentally, humans and other animals are connected by the spiritual journeys that unite every being on this planet. Specific animals hold positions of special sacredness, such as cows, who, in sharp contrast to western cultures, are protected by beliefs that the animals are of the utmost holiness. Milk is still consumed and plays an important role in ceremonies, but eating beef is something largely foreign to devout Hindus. For other animals, though, these religions are not opposed to the use and consumption of them, so long as there is a clear and necessary benefit to humans.
Native Peoples of America and animism
Beliefs of many Native American tribes and ancient communities around the world centered around animism, in which they understood the world through the perspective of every single object having a spirit. Not only did humans have a sense of spiritual purpose but so did every deer, bird, insect, tree, rock, and river. The lifeforce of the planet was found in every being, alive or not, and these beliefs lead to a morality of constant respect for the natural world and the creatures in it. For many Indigineous Peoples, animals had a mystic way of knowing about and interacting with the world around them, and there was always something to learn by observing their ways of life. Beyond that, animals held symbolic cultural significance, as many tribes considered animals as spiritual guides and totem animals. When animals were killed for food, it was viewed as a sacred sacrifice, and the spirit of the animal was blessed and thanked as the body was respected and utilized to the fullest degree to honor the creature.
Egyptian thought
Ancient Egyptians are famous for their admiration and worship of cats, but they also believed certain Gods manifested as other animals or took half-animal forms. A divide remained between certain species, however, as many animals were used for food, practical purposes, or killed in sacrificial offerings. Sacred animals, such as cats were intrinsic to their culture, and they believed their feline companions were connected directly to the goddess Bastet. The best treatment of cats and other sacred animals was expected of everyone in that culture, and people who killed a cat could be sentenced to death.
Greek philosophies
In Greek cultures, there were opposing ideas from leading philosophers on how other animals should be treated, with one extreme being found in the work of Aristotle who believed non-human animals had no inherent spiritual values but were incredibly useful for humans through meat, milk, and materials. Controversially, some scholars say Pygathors was a vegetarian and believed that animals were sacred spiritual equals, in line with more Eastern philosophies. Widely, though, the treatment of animals was not of great concern to many ancient Greeks.
Roman thought and biblical implications
In contrast to the more positive view of animals, some religions and cultures held far more anthropocentric views of the animal kingdom. In ancient Rome, no thought was generally given to the welfare of other animals, and exotic animals were often made to fight each other to the death. While some Romans may have had pets, a status symbol was made from eating meat, and there was no regard for the treatment of animals that were consumed. Ancient Christainity held a belief that humans are the most inherently valuable and spiritual form of life on this Earth, taking philosophy from the Arisototlian view. While the Bible outlines some specific rules of morality regarding animals, for the most part, the beliefs remain that other animals were placed on this Earth for humans to consume, use, and profit from and they lack the souls that humans have.
Thoughts for today and the future
In the United States, which finds the most influence from Judeo-Christain and Greco-Roman cultures, we find beliefs that align most with those cultures. Thus, we might be able to begin to understand how the ideas commonly held now might’ve developed and who decided which animals would have inherent value. With a foundation of anthropocentrism dominating culture even through present times, non-human animals seem to have a general lower intrinsic value to our society, with a few exceptions to those we choose to open our homes and hearts up to.
Despite some views that may contribute to less appreciation of non-human animals, many of us feel viscerally connected to the animal companions that we do have in our lives. For as much as we teach them, love them, and protect them, we intuitively understand, through having those bonds for ourselves, that pets can and do return the favor. There is an unmistakable beauty in these connections that span lifetimes and impact individuals in monstrous ways. Are these feelings that remain encapsulated, like leaves in ancient sap, giving value to the lives of only certain species we keep safe? Is there perhaps some ancient understanding that all animals remain connected in this cosmic journey, or is your dog and the bond you share really unique? What may be learned from reexamining the thoughts and lives of ancient others, whose beliefs have been largely buried in the West, yet remain prevalent for people around the world?
Whatever one feels in response to such questions, an individual rises to genuine power when inner values are reflected in behaviors and practices. While science has been largely biased towards anthropocentric beliefs, the more we learn about animals and the natural world, the more we have to redefine what it means to be human and what it means to be an animal on this planet. When Jane Goodall first observed chimpanzees using tools in 1960, science had defined man as the sole tool-user, and after a closer look into reality, we had to literally change the definition of a human being. The Father of Evolution, Charles Darwin, declared and confirmed more than 150 years ago what many ancient cultures understood through mysticism and held as sacred beliefs: that all life is connected, we now know, through evolution from a single common ancestor. What else have we yet to learn about the ways other animals live? How can we better understand what it means to be one of the 8.7 billion species of life on Earth?
Perhaps the answer lies within something familiar--the bond that can form between species when given proper space to grow and time to nurture. Spending time with our pets, we learn everything about them, and in such, gain a sympathy and an empathy that reaches over and through the branches of the tree of life and finds a more common ground. How many bonds have yet to be made with animals big and small? What virtue can we find in thoughtful, open observation and a commitment to learning what it might be like to be another, different animal being?
What can we open our eyes to if we just look a little closer?
Still, there is a constant choice to be made, to choose morals thoughtfully and our actions evermore wisely. Indeed, to question our beliefs entails an honest reflection of not only why we behave the way we do, but why we think the way we do, and how we can help actualize the vision we have for the future of ourselves and other beings in the world.