How can we transform our role from Earth’s conquerors to its healers, reigniting the ancient wisdom that regenerate the Earth?
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Research Scientist Carl Safina explains the unique ways that animals use their natural intelligence to work together for their survival. He explains that love is not unique to humans. We see many ways that animals feel connection with one another and will put themselves at risk to help others. But he raises an interesting question.. in their pursuit of the hunt, why don’t they hurt human beings more? Listen to find out more about the interesting examples of animal intelligence and animal compassion that Dr. Safina’s research found.
Have you ever wondered what animals think and feel?
There are capacities of the human mind that we tend to think are capacities only of the human mind. But is that true? What are other beings doing with those brains?
Octopuses use tools, as well as do most apes and they recognize human faces. Sea otters show their babies what to do, which is called teaching.
We have the same imperatives: take care of our babies, find food, try to stay alive. We see helping where help is needed. We see curiosity in the young. We see the bonds of family connections. We recognize affection. And then we ask, “Are they conscious?”
It turns out that if you record the voices of tourists and you play that recording from a speaker hidden in bushes, elephants will ignore it, because tourists never bother elephants. But if you record the voices of herders who carry spears and often hurt elephants, the elephants will bunch up and run away from the hidden speaker. Not only do elephants know that there are humans, they know that there are different kinds of humans, and that some are OK and some are dangerous.
We cause so much pain to them. The mystery is, why don’t they hurt us more than they do? This whale had just finished tearing a seal into three pieces with two companions.The seal weighed about as much as the people in the boat. They had nothing to fear. Killer whales eat seals. Why don’t they eat us? Why is it that killer whales have returned to researchers lost in thick fog and led them miles until the fog parted and the researchers’ home was right there on the shoreline?
The things that make us human are not the things that we think make us human. What makes us human is that,of all these things that our minds and their minds have, we are the most extreme. We are the most compassionate, most violent, most creative and most destructive animal that has ever been on this planet, and we are all of those things all jumbled up together.
But love is not the thing that makes us human. It’s not special to us. We are not the only ones who care about our mates. We are not the only ones who care about our children.Passing life from one generation to the next is the chain of being. If that stops, it all goes away. If anything is sacred, that is.
When we welcome new human life into the world, we welcome our babies into the company of other creatures. We paint animals on the walls. We don’t paint cell phones. We don’t paint work cubicles. We paint animals to show them that we are not alone. We have company. And every one of those animals in every painting of Noah’s ark, deemed worthy of salvation is in mortal danger now, and their flood is us.
Are we capable of using what we have to care enough to simply let them continue?
Carl Safina is an American ecologist and author of books and other writings about the human relationship with the natural world. His books include Becoming Wild: How Animal Cultures Raise Families, Create Beauty, and Achieve Peace; Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel; Song for the Blue Ocean; Eye of the Albatross; The View From Lazy Point: A Natural Year in an Unnatural World; and others.
“Aw, man…right in the feels. I love animals. ❤”
“This is the most wonderful video I have ever seen and I wish every person could see it and really let the words sink in and spring them to action.”
“What we need to do as being a more intelligent species is stop thinking we are any better than they are. That would be an intelligent way to solve so many problems we have in our world today. So many think they are better than everyone else. To the point they have no compassion or empathy.”
“These are the types of videos that really make me question what the point of any of this is. Like why are we here? Why are other animals here? Why is any of this even possible? From both a religious and a non-religious perspective, I feel this way after watching these types of videos.”
“I’m here because I decided to Google if we have any proof because sometimes my cats just stare at me and I wonder what they’re thinking about when they do especially when they’re happy. There’s more going on under there I just know it.”
“Omg! This video brought tears”
“In the middle of a vegan argument, someone said animals aren’t sentient. I sent them this video.”
“I did not expect to cry from searching ‘how do animals think’”,
Music:
Research Scientist Carl Safina explains the unique ways that animals use their natural intelligence to work together for their survival. He explains that love is not unique to humans. We see many ways that animals feel connection with one another and will put themselves at risk to help others. But he raises an interesting question.. in their pursuit of the hunt, why don’t they hurt human beings more? Listen to find out more about the interesting examples of animal intelligence and animal compassion that Dr. Safina’s research found.
Have you ever wondered what animals think and feel?
There are capacities of the human mind that we tend to think are capacities only of the human mind. But is that true? What are other beings doing with those brains?
Octopuses use tools, as well as do most apes and they recognize human faces. Sea otters show their babies what to do, which is called teaching.
We have the same imperatives: take care of our babies, find food, try to stay alive. We see helping where help is needed. We see curiosity in the young. We see the bonds of family connections. We recognize affection. And then we ask, “Are they conscious?”
It turns out that if you record the voices of tourists and you play that recording from a speaker hidden in bushes, elephants will ignore it, because tourists never bother elephants. But if you record the voices of herders who carry spears and often hurt elephants, the elephants will bunch up and run away from the hidden speaker. Not only do elephants know that there are humans, they know that there are different kinds of humans, and that some are OK and some are dangerous.
We cause so much pain to them. The mystery is, why don’t they hurt us more than they do? This whale had just finished tearing a seal into three pieces with two companions.The seal weighed about as much as the people in the boat. They had nothing to fear. Killer whales eat seals. Why don’t they eat us? Why is it that killer whales have returned to researchers lost in thick fog and led them miles until the fog parted and the researchers’ home was right there on the shoreline?
The things that make us human are not the things that we think make us human. What makes us human is that,of all these things that our minds and their minds have, we are the most extreme. We are the most compassionate, most violent, most creative and most destructive animal that has ever been on this planet, and we are all of those things all jumbled up together.
But love is not the thing that makes us human. It’s not special to us. We are not the only ones who care about our mates. We are not the only ones who care about our children.Passing life from one generation to the next is the chain of being. If that stops, it all goes away. If anything is sacred, that is.
When we welcome new human life into the world, we welcome our babies into the company of other creatures. We paint animals on the walls. We don’t paint cell phones. We don’t paint work cubicles. We paint animals to show them that we are not alone. We have company. And every one of those animals in every painting of Noah’s ark, deemed worthy of salvation is in mortal danger now, and their flood is us.
Are we capable of using what we have to care enough to simply let them continue?
“Aw, man…right in the feels. I love animals. ❤”
“This is the most wonderful video I have ever seen and I wish every person could see it and really let the words sink in and spring them to action.”
“What we need to do as being a more intelligent species is stop thinking we are any better than they are. That would be an intelligent way to solve so many problems we have in our world today. So many think they are better than everyone else. To the point they have no compassion or empathy.”
“These are the types of videos that really make me question what the point of any of this is. Like why are we here? Why are other animals here? Why is any of this even possible? From both a religious and a non-religious perspective, I feel this way after watching these types of videos.”
“I’m here because I decided to Google if we have any proof because sometimes my cats just stare at me and I wonder what they’re thinking about when they do especially when they’re happy. There’s more going on under there I just know it.”
“Omg! This video brought tears”
“In the middle of a vegan argument, someone said animals aren’t sentient. I sent them this video.”
“I did not expect to cry from searching ‘how do animals think'”,
Music:
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