Theos-Talk Archives (February 2008 Message tt00081)

Hi Nigel,

Your comments are very well-considered and I respect your point of 
view. I am not really suggesting that individual animals have self-
consciousness or make the kinds of decisions that humans make. 
Animals, and indeed all of nature except humans, appear to behave 
according to the law that governs them without question. But perhaps 
what I am suggesting is that that law, the Law of Nature, is 
predicated on Love. I am speaking here of a higher form of love, not 
the sentimental infatuation that we term love, but the Love that 
seeks to serve, to give without thought of receiving in return, 
unconditionally and without thought of self. This is the Love that 
humans are striving to develop in a self-conscious way, the Love that 
is Life, in its most inclusive definition. Perhaps we could say that 
pure instinct is predicated on unconscious acceptance of Love as a 
primary guiding principle. 

People say that whales, for instance, have intellingence. When we say 
that we immediately think of a quality that humans recognize, a sort 
of cognitive process that determines behavior. But perhaps the 
intelligence we perceive in whales comes from another aspect of 
being, that which accepts unquestioningly the requirements of life 
and behaves according to their demands. It is difficult for humans to 
avoid anthropomorphizing, especially with pets. When we read of a 
tiger escaping from its zoo cage and killing a person, we interpret 
that behavior as aggressive or somehow out of control. However, we 
could also realize that the nature of the tiger is to protect its 
territory from intruders, and people could be seen as threatening in 
that context. 

Certainly we could look forward to a time when humans no longer feel 
the need to kill animals for food. The very idea seems contrary to a 
doctrine of compassion. However, it is also possible that we could 
look forward to a time when we would not find it necessary to kill 
other humans for any reason whatsoever. In fact, if we really start 
investigating the basic inhumanity of the human race, we can find a 
lot of behaviors that are pretty commonly accepted as normal that are 
definitely not in accord with any Law of Compassion and Love. We have 
a long way to go, but at least we know it, can discuss it and try in 
our individual lives to make better choices.

Adelasie

On 11 Feb 2008 at 6:53, nhcareyta wrote:

> Dear Adelaisie
> 
> Thank you for your most elegant and considerate reply 
> as usual. 
> Thank you too for your heartfelt "blog" comments in our 
> local Australian newspaper which has bravely raised the 
> issue of the cruelty of whale slaughter and maintained 
> it despite the obvious diplomatic and trade penalties 
> which may follow. 
> http://blogs.thewest.com.au/news/news-blog-should-we-intervene-to-
> stop-this-slaughter/
> 
> 
> In your recent posting here you write, "...the animal 
> kingdom willingly sacrifices itself that humans may be 
> nourished. It is a noble sacrifice, after all, putting the 
> welfare of others ahead of one's own welfare. Animals 
> show unconditional love, as many pet owners have
> testified."
> 
> 
> Once again this presupposes that animals, or animal 
> consciousness, has the self conscious ability to altruistically 
> choose to sacrifice their life that humans might live instead 
> of them.
> 
> 
> This would seem to be at variance to most evolutionary 
> theories where instinctual survival of individual or species 
> reigns supreme.  
> 
>