Many of us live and learn inside a culture that sees animals as subordinate to humans – seeing animals as uncivilized because of their natural instincts and actions. Humans have lived their life excluding themselves from everything different from what they are, and this includes animals. We are constructing walls and establishing barriers that literally bring a lot of distance between the two realms.
If we actually pay attention, other animals will show us a lot of important things that we might have missed in the chaos of our usual everyday lives. Even by communicating slightly with other species, we can take away valuable information that we don’t often gain from our fellow humans.
- Compassion
Usually seen in the context of interspecies friendships or foster parenting, love knows no bounds to animals. Relationships that we cultivate with our pet animals always teach us how to be humane. Compassion is focused on being able to recognize the emotion of another person. Seeing a cow caring for her newborn calf, we will immediately appreciate and respect their bond.
- Patience
Humans value time as much as we value capital. The real world does not work on your tight calendar but on the planet’s natural patterns and signals. There’s no rushing an animal to do something they’re not able to do … if you’ve been in the rain for hours waiting for your dog to do something … you know.
Having the kind of confidence that your pet has is uncommon and takes time to grow, but learning to trust yourself and others and your life will begin to change quickly for the better.
- How to Live in the Now
Although animals may be able to predict their potential needs, they may not think about the future as fervently as humans may. We spend so much time obsessed with watching “what’s going to happen next” that we utterly fail to enjoy the moment. Take a hint from your cat, just lie down and soak it all in once in a while.
- Unconditional Love
Every dog owner or animal lover of some sort should already know the unconditional love that an animal can give. There is no more genuine love than the love of a pet; it is this true, unwavering love to our animals that can be a lesson to us to give the same affection to the people in our lives.
Dogs are considered the greatest friend of man because of their undying devotion, faithfulness, and reverence for human beings. We will think a lot about how to treat each other on the basis of how our fuzzy canine buddies treat us.
- Loyalty
Pets are very obedient. Let this show you the value of being true to those you consider dearest. Loyalty to your loved ones, or even to yourself, be loyal to who you are and enjoy the most important men in your life. If you are faithful to others, there is a better likelihood that they will also be faithful to you.
- Responsibility
Growing up with a pet has been found to give children a better sense of duty and transparency. Animals can only help educate children to be humane, but they can also support their emotional growth.
When children take care of animals in a conscientious way, they can see the positive impact of their actions – their parents are delighted with them and, therefore, their pets are happy and safe. It will make children equate responsibility with positive consequences, contributing to greater achievement in life.
Looking at our dogs, we are reminded of the value of enjoying life. While still being truly aware, their lives are a never-ending joy, rejoicing in everything they discover and do. Search for happiness in the smallest of things.
Reference: https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/important-life-lessons-we-can-learn-from-animals/