How we treat the lesser animals (#1145)

This subject is always a bit of a heart breaker. Sure, we do many great things for our less than human brothers and sisters in the animal kingdom, but we also continue to treat them as objects instead of evolving species. We are not so far removed from our own evolution to know that any help a species can get from us will also be a catalyst toward them evolving faster. I am not one of those who think that a dog of today will be the same as a dog of a thousand years from now. We are all sentient beings with limited amounts of thought and foresight. As we treat ourselves, will always be amplified as to how we treat the rest of the animals on this planet. Our evolution has not reached the higher plane of consciousness we need to be able to be true caretakers of this planet and it's inhabitants. Our present history still shows we are unfit for being caretakers of ourselves let alone other species. We are getting closer but are not there yet. The old ways of doing things before the explosion of enlightenment are still with us. In many ways we tend to negate progress and logic in order to favor ways that are comfortable and established, regardless if they are out-dated or illogical. As we continue to struggle with our own identities and processes for living, we are also muddling along with how we treat our fellow animals. Improvements in their care are abundant and the concept that life is precious is beginning to come to a majority of us, however a lot of folks are still encapsulated in the idea that we are masters and every other species is at our mercy. Instead of being at our mercy, our other animal species should be at our care. A perfect world is impossible on this little planet of ours, but trying to make it perfect should be our purpose regardless of the odds against us.