Humans over Animals

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Let’s start this entry with a couple of statements that everybody can agree on:  All life has value.  All life is precious.

I think we’re all still on the same page.

Where we’re clearly not all on the same page is in how to assign relative value to different forms of life, and here I mean to explain to you why human life and our interactions with each other are — and must be — more important than animal life and our interactions with them.

Before I go any further, allow me to say this:  I harbor no hatred of animals or of those who care for them.  If I did, I probably wouldn’t get along with the half-dozen of my friends who work as veterinary assistants and technicians.  So, although I may not possess the same fondness for critters that my friends do, if you think that I’m being anti-animal by assigning more value to humans than to animals, then you’re being intellectually dishonest.  That’d be like saying, because I choose Ranch dressing over Italian dressing, I’m being anti-Italian dressing.  No.  I like them both, but I value one over the other.

So then, why would I make this comparison?  Because I’ve observed the behaviors of people who don’t make the same distinction that I do, and I’m disgusted by many of them.  I see those who have no problem reducing humanity to its carnal desires, producing and consuming media filled with all sorts of depravity.  I see those who religiously oppose medical testing on animals, who scoff at the idea of sacrificing animals to save human lives.  I see people who try to substitute animal relationships for human relationships — attempting to replace their children, their friends, their spouses — with their pets.  And I listen to those who insist that human beings are no better than animals, as evidenced by sexual drive, territoriality, or general selfishness.

These people are confused.  Some of them are flat-out wrong.  And I think they, like the rest of us, should be reminded of a few fundamental principles:

Human beings know when not to give in to their nature.  Animals don’t.

     Animals have no concept of self-restraint or decency.  Humans are better than that.  Animals act predominantly on instinct, making decisions according to what feels good and what feels bad.  Human beings do not act on feelings alone; they are guided by the knowledge of what is good for them and good for others, and they know when not to make decisions based on emotion.  Yes, there are times when it is appropriate to trust your gut feelings, and even to allow your emotions to get the best of you.  But there are plenty of times when that is not the case.
     First of all– Constantly yielding to instinct makes you selfish.  For example:  If you never hold your tongue when you think you’re being treated unfairly at work, you’ll never learn to rethink your way of doing things, nor will you learn to compromise in order to do what’s best for everyone on your team.
     Secondly– Constantly yielding to instinct makes you jaded.  If you never refuse a drink, you’ll either get bored of alcohol or you’ll need to down a lot more of it to produce the effect you’re used to.  The same can be said of desserts, video games, roller coasters, sex– basically all forms of pleasure or excitement.  If you don’t recognize when to stop, then you’re not going to be able to enjoy anything for any prolonged period of time.
     And, most importantly, constantly yielding to instinct makes a person lose respect both for himself and for other human beings.  Case in point:  Those who produce and those who watch reality TV.  Both groups exploit the human desire to be shocked.  One plasters raw emotion on the television for all to see, and the other laps it up.  Those who enjoy watching people treat themselves and others in despicable ways in order to win some sort of prize know very little of human dignity.  Human beings do not need to be reduced to their lowest common denominators in order to find out who becomes ‘leader of the pack’.  Seriously– If you know just how much money someone would have to pay you in order for you to stab a friend in the back, then you’re telling me, that’s how much money your relationship is worth.  If you know just how much money someone would have to pay you in order to eat a bowl of worms, then you’re telling me, that’s how much money your self-respect is worth.  Decent human beings realize that both friendship and respect are priceless.  Those who can’t make that realization sicken me.

There are countless problems that only the human intellect can solve.

     …problems like those encountered in chemistry, architecture, physics, mathematics– the list goes on and on.  If not for the ingenuity of engineers like Edison and Tesla, we would not enjoy all the conveniences of electricity.  If not for the efforts of companies like Bayer and Pfizer, many of the animals that we look after would not be alive today.  Let’s face facts:  If not for the human brain, our world would be a much colder, harsher place in which to live, for both humans and animals alike.
     Which leads to a question– Should you risk an animal’s life to save a human’s life?  A single animal life for a thousand human lives?  A thousand animal lives for a single human’s life? It’s a touchy subject, I know, but let’s be honest– Humans take care of animals; it doesn’t work the other way around.
     Human beings are the stewards of this planet, charged (by God, by Mother Nature, or whoever you like) with the care of all living things.  I’ll bet you can think of a few animals that are far better off now, perhaps alive, because a particular human being is around to care for them.  So I say, if animal lives must be risked in order to provide human beings with a greater quality of life (by fighting Alzheimer’s) or even life itself (by fighting cancer), then so be it.  Human beings should be priority one, for to benefit humanity is to benefit all creatures over which humanity has dominion.
     And for the record– I don’t agree with risking the lives of animals for comforts like cosmetics.  That is wholly unnecessary.  I’m talking life vs. life, not life vs. luxury.

There is no substitute for human interaction.

     No human-animal relationship can hope to replicate the intimacy between a husband and a wife, the laughter shared by coworkers, the understanding between friends, the apprenticeship developed between a teacher and a student, or the pride a parent experiences as his child becomes an adult.
     You can’t hand down life lessons to your dog.  You can’t convey your bad day at work to your cat.  As hard as you may try, you can’t bring your pets to understand or empathize with your life.
     Now, this may sound like common sense to some, but there are those who distrust people in general, who avoid certain types of interactions in the interest of escaping disappointment, who recoil from relationships with human beings, who offer their affections to animals instead.  Why do they do this?  Because they believe their pets will be more loyal to them than any human being could be.
     You might think I’d disagree, but I don’t.  Animals dwarf human beings when it comes to loyalty.  On the other hand, I do still think that a person would be better off with a human friend.  Instead of arguing that point directly, though, let me ask this question:  Since when does anyone deserve so much loyalty?  If you kick your dog, he’ll be back for dinner.  Wouldn’t it be fair if he could say “to hell with this guy” and get his food elsewhere?
     If you act like a jerk to a friend, he has every right to hold you accountable for your behavior.  He could turn his back on you, or he could choose to forgive you.  Either way, you must face the consequences of your actions, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll turn the other cheek.
     Running the risk of losing a friend prods us to be polite and work through our differences.  And in doing so, it strengthens our relationships with each other.  The most satisfying relationships are those that are built on understanding, forgiveness, and compromise– none of which a human being can share with an animal.

There are plenty of other traits that place human beings above the rest of the animal kingdom, such as…

(1)  Only human beings are gifted with the ability to choose between right and wrong.  Only we can pass our collected knowledge of virtuous behavior from generation to generation, and only we possess a conscience that defers to an authority that is greater than ourselves.

(2)  Animals can be satisfied or unsatisfied, but only human beings can be happy.  Only we can give ourselves a sense of purpose.  Only we can assume long-term goals and be optimistic about our lives. Only we can give our lives meaning.  Only we can have faith.

(3)  Only human beings can appreciate art and culture.  Only we can appreciate the beauty of God’s creations.

(4)  From a Judeo-Christian point of view, only human beings were created in God’s image.  As we are the creatures that most closely resemble God, humanity’s superiority is implied.

So do me a favor:  Before you choose a new cat over a new boyfriend, remember what your own species has to offer.