The righteous care for the needs of their animals, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel. (Proverbs 12:10)
New day, basically the same story as yesterday. So, the righteous care for the needs of the animals. What are the needs of our animals? Some would quickly say “love!” and I tend to agree, but what constitutes love? Food, water, shelter from extremes, protection from physical harm. Those are fairly obvious – or one would think that they are. But some people’s idea of kindness to animals may not be so kind. I have to be careful here because I don’t want to step on toes, but my toes are among those I’ll step on. I’ll also note that I think of pets in terms of dogs because that’s what I have.
I’ve met people who believe that animals are people in fur coats. They are “fur babies” and we are their “parents.” I’ll admit, I tend to call my dogs “Baby,” and “Girl.” But I’m not Grace’s mother. Mothers raise their children and release them into the wilds of society to fend for themselves. They may still care, but they release their children. Grace will never be able to get a job that I don’t get for her. She will never be able to go grocery shopping, cook her own meals, drive a car, or otherwise do most of the things we associate with grown-up children. They are not children. They are dogs, or cats, or birds. Grace is an adult of her species. Treating them like humans or even like human children is an insult to the animals. Animals are alien life forms – not alien to the planet, but alien to us. They don’t think like we do. It’s not kind to treat them like we would another person. It is kind to treat dogs as dogs, and elephants as elephants.
Some folks think that their pets should be allowed to run free. I know of one person with this belief who has had to take the dog to the vet because the dog came home injured more than once, but “dogs must be allowed to run free.” I know other folks who believe it’s unkind to have a pet unless you make interaction with that pet on a daily basis the number one most important thing in the world. Someone has to be at home with the pet all the time. I know people who feed their pets foods that aren’t good for them, whether alcohol, or chocolate, or ham/pork, or whatever. They think they’re being kind – they like these things, and dogs are people in fur coats, so why not give them everything their “parents” like? Grace would love to spend all day outside in the sun. The dog I had before Grace was afraid of “out.” She would rather have stayed inside all day.
In other words, our kind acts to animals can be cruel if we don’t consider things from both their perspectives as the sort of animal they are and from our perspectives as people who are more aware of the dangers they may face. Being kind isn’t easy. It isn’t just a matter of the heart. It also takes wisdom. "Heart" without wisdom is cruelty.
I’ve met people who believe that animals are people in fur coats. They are “fur babies” and we are their “parents.” I’ll admit, I tend to call my dogs “Baby,” and “Girl.” But I’m not Grace’s mother. Mothers raise their children and release them into the wilds of society to fend for themselves. They may still care, but they release their children. Grace will never be able to get a job that I don’t get for her. She will never be able to go grocery shopping, cook her own meals, drive a car, or otherwise do most of the things we associate with grown-up children. They are not children. They are dogs, or cats, or birds. Grace is an adult of her species. Treating them like humans or even like human children is an insult to the animals. Animals are alien life forms – not alien to the planet, but alien to us. They don’t think like we do. It’s not kind to treat them like we would another person. It is kind to treat dogs as dogs, and elephants as elephants.
Some folks think that their pets should be allowed to run free. I know of one person with this belief who has had to take the dog to the vet because the dog came home injured more than once, but “dogs must be allowed to run free.” I know other folks who believe it’s unkind to have a pet unless you make interaction with that pet on a daily basis the number one most important thing in the world. Someone has to be at home with the pet all the time. I know people who feed their pets foods that aren’t good for them, whether alcohol, or chocolate, or ham/pork, or whatever. They think they’re being kind – they like these things, and dogs are people in fur coats, so why not give them everything their “parents” like? Grace would love to spend all day outside in the sun. The dog I had before Grace was afraid of “out.” She would rather have stayed inside all day.
In other words, our kind acts to animals can be cruel if we don’t consider things from both their perspectives as the sort of animal they are and from our perspectives as people who are more aware of the dangers they may face. Being kind isn’t easy. It isn’t just a matter of the heart. It also takes wisdom. "Heart" without wisdom is cruelty.
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