Animals over human beings/ vice versa

Rabmudtz

I've been having a think over how people with pets value them very highly (naturally) and many would save their dog/ cat/ etc. over another person. I really appreciate animals and understand how people love their pets, how all living beings are the same, the usual big family of living beings and so on. However, seeing as a human is a "more advanced" being in the reincarnation cycle, would it be "wrong" to save a dog instead of a human in a hypothetical scenario where only one can be saved? What are your thoughts on this?

Jimyo

I'd say that 'more advanced' doesn't necessarily equal more valid. Personally, I'd say my childhood dog Gem was more advanced on an emotional level than a lot of human beings I've come across but their lives would be equally valid to me.

how

I hope that I never have to save one at the cost of the other.
If I do arrive at such a juxtaposition, I hope that my resulting action will be meditation born rather than the result of some predetermined policy.

MaryAnne

My thoughts on this are...
if the choice is between an animal and a human and there is only one equal chance to save each one, but ONLY ONE..... I'd save the human.
Oh, I'd cry my eyes out and feel very bad for a very long time about the animal.... but it is my inherent nature to save a human over an animal.

Doesn't mean I place NO value on animals.
We are creating a hypothetical either / or situation, we will all have to make that theoretical choice. One human's (80-90 yr) life can effect literally hundreds of others; a pet has a much shorter, and much smaller circle of influence. It's just a fact. However, I hope never to find myself in a situation like this.....

Cinorjer

I'm also not sure how many people would choose a pet over a human being, or how often that choice even comes up. I love my dogs dearly and they're members of the family, but they're still dogs. Given a choice between saving a baby and an adult from a building, I'd save the child first and come back for the adult even though technically both their lives are equally precious. We make these sorts of value judgments all the time.

As for your question, IF you buy into the reincarnation up and down the evolutionary ladder belief, then the death of the animal frees its spirit to continue the journey to a higher species.

karasti

We make unequal choices all the time. We euthanize pets readily out of compassion (most of us out of compassion anyhow) yet we don't want to talk about euthanizing people. We have a dog, ferrets and a tortoise. And 3 kids. I would fight a hopeless chance attempting to save one of my children (or anyone else's children) over a 100% guarantee in saving one of the animals. I love them dearly and they are a part of our family but they are not the same as people. Even if they were people at some point in their rebirths, they are not people now. I guess it's part of being in the animal realm (if you believe along those literal lines). You are reborn as an animal as a result of your karma and part of what goes with that is not being quite as important as a human.

I do agree that there are people who appear to be less mature in many ways than some of our pets. But, the people still do have a chance to clear their minds and further themselves where a dog will not get that chance until they are reborn as a person again.

pegembara

A human of course. By saving a human you are doing more good by indirectly helping his/her mother/father, spouse/children, brothers/sisters, friends, colleagues/boss/employees, etc. Besides a human would suffer more than a dog in such situation.

Unless that person was Hitler.