And His Woozies and Birdies and Fishies and Creepies and Crawlies and Growies.
There are common themes running through all religions. One of them is the treatment of the animals that share this planet with us. All of the major religions of the world encourage us to show kindness towards our fellow creatures. But you don’t need religion to have a spiritual awareness that it is the right thing to do.
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Every act of cruelty towards any creature is contrary to human dignity. Pope Francis
We share DNA with every living thing on this planet.
A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, but even the compassion of the wicked is cruel. Proverbs 12:10
14th Dalai Lama
Dr Martin Luther King Jr
- chicken 60%
- fruit fly 60%
- banana 50%
- mushroom 33%
Due to lack of research on nonhuman DNA, these figures are uncertain. They are only guesstimates. In researching this story I was surprised to find out how much DNA we share with plants.
We are connected with every living thing on this planet. We are family. We share the same home.
I relate so much to my cat because I’m 90% cat myself. My cat is 90% human. Neither one of us craps on the carpet. But I love dogs too. Cats share 82% of their genes with dogs.
I come from a family of animal lovers. I have been around many cats and dogs over the years. Each one had it’s own unique personality just like us.
Growing up in the Midwest I worked for a small farmer during the summer. Besides bailing hay, I worked with hogs and dairy cattle. He was very particular about the well being of his livestock. And he did this for reasons that had nothing to do with money, he was simply a good man. This is why the conditions in which animals are kept on these big factory farms disturb me.
I have waged wars of extermination against mice, cockroaches, and bedbugs. Any mosquito that lands on me dies. Every animal has the right to defend itself and its’ home. But I don’t hate them. They are just trying to make a living in a tough world.
I was backpacking in southern Utah years ago when a rattlesnake politely but firmly asked to me not step on him. He wasn’t evil, he just didn’t want his back broken by some clumsy human who wasn’t paying attention to where he was going. He was so well camouflaged that he was difficult to spot. But thanks for the warning pal, it wouldn’t have ended well for either one of us. And thanks for the lesson on how to hike through rattlesnake country. And that lesson is: If you want to admire the scenery, stop walking, otherwise watch the trail.
The earth is currently experiencing the worst species extinction rate since the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. Scientists estimate that 1-5 species die out naturally each year, but the current rate is 1000-10,000 times that. They estimate that at the current rate 30-50% of all species on earth may be in danger of extinction by mid century. We are currently losing 100 species every day.
We humans like to think of ourselves as separate from animals. But we are only smart apes. But the fact that we know what we are doing to the planet and doing little to nothing to stop it makes me wonder if we are as smart as we think we are. Evolution has brought us to this point. But our spiritual evolution is lagging far behind.
Charles Darwin
Our ability to impact this planet on a global scale has made us like gods. We must begin to think like one. Our ignorance and greed will be our doom. It is mostly our cousins on this planet who have paid the heaviest price so far. But our time will come.
Keep up the good fight.
For our grandchildren.
For the Pooties.
Peace.
Albert Einstein
Sources:
National Human Genome Research Institute
Center for Biological Diversity
Nature Works
Eupedia
Mirror
Dedicated to the Pootie Queen.
