What do you think about animals?

Why do I find this such a hard question to answer?

I know my opinion, but it is so hard to put it into words without sounding drippy and half-baked.

We are animals. Therefore we are all related. Humans went all out to be top dogs, thousands of years ago. It meant fights.

They assumed their supremacy and gradually felt the need to connect again, however selectively.

Horses; dogs, pigs ... much later cats.

Now humans control the world.

They use animals in any way they can.

Some are pets, to relieve the stress of only human-human interraction which is becoming ever stressful.

Some are farmed for food.

Some are hunted to protect the need to farm for food (dead one way or another ...)

All animals think like us, (on a very basic level); feel the same emotions; feel pain, hunger, loneliness and despair.

If you look into the eyes of a wild animal, you see yourself reflected there - without all the senseless trimmings.

The purpose of life is the same for all - food, warmth, comfort and reproduction.

The arrogance of so many humans makes me cry.

It is so good that wild animals are being more and more protected in 3rd World Countries; really heart warming.

On the other hand, the 1st World countries are becoming more and more hypocrical and arrogant. They slaughter thousands of wild animals for economical reasons every year and at the same time campaign against animal cruelty in other countries.

A true animal lover loves wild animals as much as their pets.

Used to be when people were in awe of the beauty of a wild animal and related to its spirit without wanting to kill it. They learned lessons about their own human spirit by bonding with wild animals.

I suppose there is little hope when man kills man on an ever increasing scale.

So, could it be religion? I know the Bible says that animals have no souls (wrong, actually) and therefore it is o.k. to kill them. Buddhists who eat meat ( yes; many do) only eat what they need and then say a prayer for the soul of the animal who died so that they could live.

It is natural to hunt and give thanks to the animal, not to God!

Animals are our brothers and sisters and all of them need our love and understanding. Not just our pets.

There is a lot more I think about animals. Can't express it all here!

People are want to bestow human qualities on even inanimate objects, so, of course any state of existence that is capable of independent action will attract even more emphatic bestowal.

I personally believe that humans as a species should treat all of existence in a different manner. This however is the purpose of God's plan and will remain a work in progress.

God Bless.

I think animals are probably more "aware" then people assume. I have 14 cats. I can see that each one has a personality of its own. I can tell that certain cats seem to "love" certain family members more than others.

I try to give domesticated animals the same respect that I give to human beings. In many instances, I give them more. :)

we are the exact same thing as animals, only smarter. we should treat animals better but then again we do need food.

...and we are smarter, some of us, but as a species we arent yet smart enough to understand what we are doing and give a damn.

Animals are pure, in the sense that they don't really "decide" to do anything.

They're also very beautifully created.

Finally, some of them are yummy. (just being honest here)

People see the world to be as worthy of love and respect as they see themselves to be.

Love and blessings Don

They are all part of God's creation, and thus serve a purpose within His creation.

some animals would eat people so most people eat animals. sounds fair to me