Animals and our relationship to them has divided many of us into two distinct camps within our societies. There are those that happily exploit animals in any way possible and those that value them as friends. You can trace this divide all the way back to ancient Greece and Rome, where there were philosophers like Pythagoras and Porphyry, who morally supported animals. They were in stark contrast to Aristotle and the early Christians who claimed that animals were bereft of soul and status in the moral argument. Dumb animals deserved slaughter and were on the menu for mankind, was the consensus of many. This article, however, is about why animals make the best friends.
You Can Trust Them to Not Betray You
An animal’s lack of intellect is the bedrock upon why you can trust them to not betray you, unlike human beings. It is the smart minds of men and women, which allows them to put aside loyalty and honour in return for rewards of one kind or another. Pets do not, generally, dispute their love for their owners on some gambit that they hope will benefit them. Animals, like dogs and horses, form bonds with their owners and honour these bonds if they are well treated.
Humans Fail in Their Duty of Care to These Animals
The treatment of animals is of paramount importance to the moral crux of this discussion. You cannot expect loyalty and love from an animal if you fail to provide these in return. Building beautiful things can only be founded on the best quality ingredients. As in any relationship, you get out of it what you put into it. Many human beings expect pets to be endlessly loving and loyal but fail in their own duty of care toward these animals.
Animals Do Not Relent in Giving Love
Why animals make the best friends, is that they do not relent in giving love to those who treat them well. A pet understands the parameters of their relationship with their owners in most cases. A cat will share its sensuous nature with its owner, if it is well fed and respected within the confines of its home and territory. An animal does not seek glory and material gratification over its existing relationships, if they are well founded in love and care. Animals inhabit the honest realm of the heart over the sneaky pathways of the mind and intellect.