A number of people these days view animals as nothing but toys, an object for entertainment so that their children can play and kill time with. Are people losing their sight or did the “toy stores” run out of toys all of a sudden and so parents had to run out to a pet store and adopt a pet just to maintain that smile on their children’s faces? Or is it some trend now to substitute inanimate toys with live furry ones? And who cares if the children abuses, mistreat, torture, or even kill those animals? It’s JUST an animal, right? After all the only reason parents bought that pet is so that their kids can have “fun”, true?
Last time I checked animals have a soul and are psychological beings. So why mistreat them?
Is it because they are incapable of fighting back so humans take an advantage of it?
Is it because that we humans are more powerful and superior and so that gives us the right to walk all over them?
Is it because humans are immortal and animals are not so it doesn’t matter to harm them now?
Or do some people obtain some kind of “sick pleasure” from it?
The animals that humans ill-treat have a life of their own that is significant to them. Animals “share” the world with the humans and they have every right to be in this world and reproduce just like all humans do. Every human is considered as an independent individual, with rights and moral worth. It would be unethical to violate any human right, such as respect- the right for each person to be treated with respect regardless of their age, sex, race, nationality, wealth, and status. Any argument that explains that every human deserves respect also implies that animals have this same right, and have it equally.
In spite of the differences between humans and animals they are both psychological beings with several similarities, such as the feeling of pain. It is impossible to justify the act of harming or killing a human because simply all humans have the right to be treated with respect and mercy. So why are animals treated differently? Just because they are incapacitated creatures that does NOT give humans the right to treat them in any cruel way their heart desires.
There is a little comparison between babies and animals I would like to elaborate on. Babies are helpless, we all agree on this, right? They can’t defend themselves verbally or physically yet no “sane” human abuses a baby when he/she cry their lungs out all night long. No “sane” human throws a baby out into the street because they are too tired of nurturing it. No “sane” human neglects a baby when he/she does not feel like it or is fatigued to do so. No “sane” human forgets to buy food for a baby. No sane, compassionate, merciful, loving, and caring human would do such a gruesome action. So I find myself frequently wondering why some humans mistreat their pets or animals in general.
If animals really don’t have immortal souls (as I have heard recently) so aren’t we compelled to make their life here on earth be as great as possible since this is their only chance? Do we vent our anger on them because we know they can’t fight back and it is easier than dealing with humans/issues? Do we do it to attain a sense of “fake power” and gain some bliss by being a charlatan?
I live in a country where animal rights do NOT exist what so ever. I have observed innumerable dead cats on the streets of Kuwait. I have seen quite a few situations in which kittens were nearly killed by some crazy drivers. And I know many people that simply throw their pets out into the street when they got bored of taking care of it. All humans have endured a time with no air conditioning in the heat of Kuwait, the feeling of thirst and hunger, and it was not a nice feeling was it? So why do we persist to inflict such pain on animals and disregard their presence?
PS: I’m not saying everyone maltreat animals; there are some benevolent people out there.
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