What value can we learn from the animals that adapt themselves?
Answers
1. Compassion
Whether witnessed in the form of interspecies friendships or foster parenting, compassion knows no bounds with animals. The relationships we foster with our companion animals also teaches us how to be compassionate as it forces to look beyond our needs and imagine those of another who is vastly different from ourselves. Compassion is all based on being able to understand the feeling of another. Seeing a cow care for her newly born calf, suddenly we can understand their relationship and respect it.
2. Patience
Humans value time about as much as we value money, but rarely stop to think that both of these things only exist because we agree they do. The natural world does not run on your strict schedule, but according to the natural rhythms and cues of the planet. There is no rushing an animal to do anything they aren’t ready to do … if you’ve stood in the rain for hours waiting for your dog to do their business … you know.
3. Respect Your Elders
In the wild, survival relies on the ability of older generations to impart their knowledge to younger generations. Elephant herds with older matriarchs have higher survival rates because the elder elephants can recognize the signs of drought or other oncoming natural disasters. Learning from the wisdom of the past is important for humans too, especially in an age where technology does not exist. Moving forward and advancing towards innovation is a wonderful thing, but we should also learn to respect the wisdom of those who came before us.
4. Responsibility
Growing up with a pet has been shown to instill a deeper understanding of responsibility and accountability in children. Not only do animals help teach children to be compassionate, but it can also help their social development. When children care for animals in a responsible manner they can see the direct effect of their actions – their parents are pleased with them and, their pets are happy and healthy. This can help children to associate responsibility with positive results, leading to more success in life.
5. Listen Carefully
Animal’s hearing abilities far surpass that of humans. While we might have evolved away from using our hearing to survive on the day to day, we tend to overlook the importance of this ability. Animals sit and listen before they react to situations, something we could surely all stand to do......