Humans Have A Superiority Complex
It’s Time For A Reality Check — Animals Are So Much Cooler
I had the recent pleasure of catching up on Netflix’s series, “Animal”. I’ve watched 5 episodes so far: Bears, Dolphins, Apes, Big Cats and Dogs. Animals, plants and nature in all, are wonderfully majestic. They are natural beings who need no further instructor than Mom to teach them about their way of life.
Humans and animals are alike in so many ways. We don’t realize how much we have in common with them, but because we drive cars and attend the occasional happy hour, we somehow believe we’re superior to animals. I beg to differ.
Here are some ways we are on the same level as our animal counterparts.
Birth
Animals like humans give birth through a birthing canal, and although cesareans are on the rise, watching nature suggests that we certainly overindulge in this major surgery. As a practicing birth doula for years, I attended many births where a cesarean could have been prevented but we are taught to trust doctors and not our bodies. This is different for animals. They trust their bodies because they have no choice but to do so. Their odds are greatest at successfully passing a baby or babies through their canal because of this.
Motherhood
Like humans, animals have the ability to feed their babies straight from the source — through the nipples. Animals don’t have the option for alternative milk. Their babies drink from the richest kind of milk their is — liquid gold, and the babies are in turn, strong and healthy.
In human society, Mom has the option to formula feed or breastfeed. Most Moms are still choosing to breastfeed — the nation’s rate is 83% but that number decreases over the first year, and women of color breastfeed at a much lower rate.
Fatherhood
In the animal kingdom, babies follow Mom around everywhere she goes. She protects them and teaches them how to spot danger, find food and safe shelter. Dad may or may not be around. Most times he isn’t and Mom is unconcerned with him, so he doesn’t have to worry about child support coming after him.
This, of course, is different in human society. The majority of Dads want to be in the lives of their children. There are a hefty amount who don’t but they don’t get away scot free. Even if Dads dodge child support, they still will rack up a sizable bill that can prevent them from leaving the country, getting a drivers’s license or worse — landing in jail.
Lions and wolves are among the small few of species who stick around for their children, offering them protection. Our society has learned to punish people for a natural act — reproducing.
Along side birth control, people are consciously choosing not to have children because of finances, partner selection and time constraints. The nation is now facing low birth rates but the nation is responsible for this reality. In order to reverse this trend, we have to put things in place that don’t penalize humans for making more of themselves.
Communication
Communication can be written, verbal or through movement. Animals don’t have the capacity to write but they do communicate in the other ways. They are highly social beings and use sounds and touch to communicate. Apes build bonds through grooming. We do too. Has your Mom ever used her spit to get crust out of your eye? That’s grooming. Grooming is a way to communicate, “I love you” and “I care for you”.
While we aren’t fluent in the language of animals, no more than they are fluent in ours, we can both infer what the other means by their tone and posture. This is why watching animal voice over videos are so hilarious. As humans, we have an idea what the animals are thinking, and likewise from them to us.
Building
Animals build homes just like we do. Some on the ground, such as dens, or others in the trees. We’ve all seen a birds’ nest. Certain bears build homes in the branches and build umbrellas for torrential rains. They do it for the same reason we do — safety and protection. Using innovative techniques and the materials around them, they learn to build magnificent structures.
The bigger the tribe, the more room they’ll need, the more material they’ll need, and it’s often a family effort.
Nature Conquers Nature
We wouldn’t want to admit it but humans have an affinity for conquering other humans, and to top it off— it’s totally natural. Animals take over other animals territories all the time, but not without a fight.
War is as much a part of life as hunting to find food. It’s about survival but we would like to think that humans are better than that — and well, we’re not. History proves this fact.
It shouldn’t be surprising that Will Smith slapped Chris Rock. We get so politically correct in our heads, that we forget that we too, yes us, on the most basic level of being, are also animals. We fight. If we didn’t have food handed to us on a platter aka grocery store, then we would fight one another for food to feed our families.
We must have forgotten that there is a real life war happening right now in Ukraine. We can put up banners and make a statement on how heartbroken we are but what are we really doing about it? Nothing. Why? Because even our survival skills tell us not to jump into an animal fight.
So again, why do we think we’re superior to animals?
