Animals May Be Better Teachers Than We Think

These days, many people adopt pets not only as companions, but also as friends and even family members. There are many reasons why the percentage of pet adoption continues to increase. Pets such as dogs, cats, hamsters, and other animals all have their own advantages and challenges. While caring for a pet requires time, effort, and responsibility, it also provides emotional support and meaningful connections. Through feeding, training, and spending time with animals, humans can learn responsibility, patience, and empathy. Because of these benefits, many researchers and writers have explored what animals can teach humans about living better lives.

One article that supports this case is the “What Animals Can Teach Us About ‘Living in the Moment’” article by Daniel Marston, Ph.D. In this article, Marston describes to the reader how animals live in the present moment. Unlike humans, animals only react to the things they have right before their eyes and never worry about the events that have yet to pass. Instead, humans have a tendency to use words such as “should” or “must,” which make them worry about the things yet to come. As a result, the current situation seems to be overwhelming to them. Therefore, as a measure to cure this effect, the article suggests replacing such words with concrete statements to avoid stress and anxiety. In addition to this, the article suggests the use of brief mindful pauses similar to how an animal pauses to observe the situation before taking an action. All this proves how living in the moment is applicable to humans through the guidance of animals and how it can help to cure their anxiety to live peacefully.

Another meaningful article is “What Animals Can Teach Us About Overcoming Tyranny” by Chris Baraniuk. This article focused on how animal societies often function in more cooperation and balanced ways than human societies. According to Baraniuk, various animal species have an egalitarian system, where power is shared and not owned by a single person. Through cooperation, support, and harmony, animals are able to avoid conflict and tyranny within their herds or communities. Observations and examples from animal behavior thus teach humans a lot about justice and fairness, and if we can work together rather than compete and have total control, we can create a fair and just society.

In conclusion, animals are not only pets or companions, but they are also teachers in their own unique way. Animals are teachers when we look at the issue of emotions, responsibility, and cooperation, to name a few. By learning from the way animals live in the present moment and work together in harmony, humans can benefit greatly, including their mental well-being, relationships, and societies, which is perhaps the strongest argument that having pets or animals can benefit society as a whole.