Nature

Veerayatan, a Jain institution, works to preserve the environment in a variety of ways but the education they provide the villagers stuck out to me the most. "Villagers are taught moral and ethical values, including the protection of animals, the phasing out of their sacrifice, and the importance of protecting natural resources..." (p.771) Working to gradually to end the abusive treatment of animals by changing villages way of perceiving animals changes the treatment of animals for the better more reliably.

"The Bombay Humanitarian League has worked tirelessly to stop animal slaughter at religious functions, as well as the custom eating of meat, working at both the individual and societal level. The league has saved thousands of animals from slaughter." (p.765) It is important that people work to relieve animal suffering and educate people on the sufferings of animals. I can agree that the Western world has become more disconnected with nature and a way to mend this would be through education.

In the section discussing the limitations to the practice of Ahimsa, it was stated that Absolute Ahimsa was impossible. I appreciated this inclusion because I'd always wondered how one could spend there entire life without killing anything, even accidentally. The book said, "You have to destroy life in order to live." (p.761) This was interesting to me because it offered another way of looking at things. It is understood that our bodies work to destroy bacteria, so they specify that this is what makes Absolute Ahimsa unattainable.
I pondered over the quote,"Westerners generally destroy their dear horses and dogs when they are in acute agony and when there is no way of relieving their sufferings." (p.761) I've thankfully never had to make the decision to put down a pet. I can't say that I would be able to. I do understand why people have to make the tough decision though. While the animal doesn't have a say in whether they continue living in pain or are put down, I have faith that the majority of veterinary clinics perform euthanasia only in dire circumstances.

- Arctic Fox

CATS! (Not the musical, the species...)

Before high school I never had much experience with cats, but not for lack of trying. For some reason my entire family loathes cats. I'm assuming because of the long standing competition of cats versus dogs.
Apparently one simply cannot appreciate both.

What I love about cats is their obvious attitude. "The cat, more than any other domestic animal, has kept her independence, spiritual and physical..."(825). With most dogs, I've noticed that even if someone were to yell at them or abuse them they will come back to their owner because they love them unconditionally. I have yet to notice the same behavior with cats. You must earn the affection of a cat. My friend described the love between a cat and its human as a mutual understanding. "You feed me and take care of me and I'll keep you company and try not to scratch you."

The line, "His tired gaze--from passing endless bars--has turned into a vacant stare which thing holds..." (818) from Rilkes poem 'The Panther' reminds me of what the cats at Austin Pets Alive and the cats at countless other adoption centers go through each day that they are not adopted. The majestic panther no longer carries the mysterious spark in it's eyes because it's right to experience life has been stripped. The cats in the shelter have been saved from starving in the streets, but unless they are adopted they are doomed to live out the rest of their lives behind bars in an uncomfortable cage.

"Oh, men do us vast injustice, And we look for thanks in vain; They misunderstand completely All our nature's finer strain." (846) 

A cat confined to a cage can no longer roam as it pleases, observe the happenings of daily life, or enjoy its existence. I felt that the line in Schefell's poem about humans misunderstanding cats was very true, at least for myself. I have a hard time coming up with ways in which cats effect my life. I do not own one and I rarely see cats, therefore I am a strong advocate for leaving them alone. I am not going to chase down a cat to "save it" unless it is dire need for help, something I would do for a dog. It's strange, I know, but I've always felt that cats were much more self-sufficent than the canine species. In my opinion, a cat strives on freedom. Strip a cat of its freedom and it is loses what makes him a cat. 

- Arctic Fox

Sadism

The book describes sadism as “the unconscious impulse to acquire unrestricted power over another person, and to test the fullness of this power by destroying that other person..." (471). In my opinion, it is the sadistic human beings who contribute the most to the high amounts of human and animal abuse in the world. Someone who takes pleasure from another person or animal's pain is sadistic. This sadism creates a never-ending cycle of abuse that occurs because when one person harms another, the abused person in turn will reenact what was done unto them or what they witnessed done unto another person. One of Socrates' most important beliefs was the belief that one should do no harm to another person even if they themselves were harmed, but in stories like the one of Phoenix the pitbull, children "who have witnessed such abuse or been victimized themselves" are engaging in "abusive reactive" behaviors. (485). While there have been many steps to protect both animals and humans from horrendous abuse, it is difficult to pinpoint where abuse is happening before it reaches unimaginable levels. “Before 1990, only six states had felony provisions in their animal-cruelty laws; now 46 do.” (483).

"...Animal cruelty has long been recognized as a signature pathology of the most serious violent offenders."(483). I've heard this before, that a telltale sign of a future murder was abusing animals as a child. This type of behavior could be seen in people like Jeffrey Dahmer or Dennis Rader for example. According to Robert K. Ressler of the FBI, "there are kids to never learned it's wrong to poke out a puppy's eyes." (PETA.org). Sadistic behaviors are creating a cycle that can be difficult to break. If a person is abused, he or she too is at risk of developing aggressive behaviors that may lead them to become the abuser later in life.

To end unnecessary suffering for people and animals, known abuse needs to be targeted immediately and people need to become more educated on noticing abuse. Because sadistic behaviors can be transferred to the abused, it is imperative that societies uphold greater punishments for abuse and offer the abused opportunities to cope healthily. Without institutions who work actively to end the cycle of abuse, sadistic behaviors in communities will spread.

- Arctic Fox