Comments on: Richard Smith: Confusing animals and people

By: Vueloga

Vueloga — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 08:18:00 +0000

Indeed, we do wonder how some people can cry
more over the death of a pet than over the death of a person. I doubt that this
question can be resolved from any one perspective, the sociologist,
the physician or the psychologist point of view. If we consider the
biologist or even the veterinarian point of views, which are known to
have global and holistic visions, then we can observe the natural state of
the interaction of individuals with a broader approach.

Our reactions are mainly influenced by our
imprinting and modeled from our experiences learnt throughout our lifetime. We
all have an innate degree of “survival of the fittest” pushing us
forward in life and urging us to maintain the human specie. In our modern
world, a certain respect for the animal kingdom has been recognized, such as
animal welfare, especially noticeable in pets and farm animals. The role
of a pet can be very important and in some cultures may become as close as part
of the family.

All this having been said, many people tend to
believe that you should cry over your own specie, but some humans believe that
they are above the animal kingdom yet all have the same rights and responsibilities.
I believe that the underlying message is that a human will always feel moved to
someone or a creature that they share the most with. If the parent has
become more distant, then yes, we will cry less over them and more over the
animal that shares our everyday life. An animal will have a tendency to share
the good moments and give you a kind of “support”, but who can really
help you to deal with your real life problems is another human, and normally
one who will really help in good and bad moments!

What is relevant for some may be not as important for others…

By: notactualsize

notactualsize — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:46:00 +0000

An individual can surely experience sadness without crying – and cry without feeling sad. Here you accord much significance to the act of crying; it’s as if someone can only be said to be sad when he/she is crying. Are we making a fetish of crying?

By: Margaret Miller

Margaret Miller — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:47:00 +0000

I loved reading this. I have parents in their eighties and live daily with the anxiety of worrying about their death. I also have a dog and realize that it’s likely he’ll. Die before me. It is apparent to everyone of my friends and family that I am very attached to my dog for several reasons. He is a replacement child who I care for and on whom I can lavish affection and because he is a well behaved child I only need to exercise a little discipline so he is an easy “child” to love. The emotional relationship with my parents is far more complex, varying over our shared lifetimes, more expressed than assumed and luckily many tensions and difficulties resolved. I am sure my reaction to their passing will be very complex whereas when Sparky my dog dies it will be very simply, grief at his loss and the loss of the simple happiness of his sweet nature and the time we shred. No ambiguity, just love.

By: bojimbo26

bojimbo26 — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 11:03:00 +0000

Humans give love ; animals give unconditional love .