Insomnia, I did not miss thee

My latest kick is the show Animal Cops on Animal Planet. The show documents various Animal Control units in different cities and shows them seizing animals that have been victim to abuse or neglect. I also watched an Oprah special on puppy mills, so these are the reasons my mind has been wandering into this ethical area.

Culturally, our society is the exception. It is mostly in affluent societies (or affluent sectors of societies) that the luxury of pet ownership exists. In many other countries, pet companionship is a bizarre concept. In many cultures, what we would view as animal cruelty or neglect is normal.

My friend Trish has stepkids who get new puppies, play with them for a few months, and then neglect them until their mother (not Trish) gets tired of taking care of the dog and surrenders it. After awhile, the process repeats itself all over again. My reaction to this was obviously negative, since I own a dog who was severely neglected. But Trish said that she remembers growing up the same way, and that in her culture animals are viewed as disposable, and are never regarded as members of the family.

Organizations like PETA advocate for the humane treatment of animals everywhere. And though I don't necessarily disagree with that, I don't think I agree with it either. First and foremost, I do believe that God gave man dominion over animals. And I do believe that human life is more valuable than the life of an animal. There's a part of me that could really throw myself into animal advocacy work, but that is what's stopping me-- the fact that there are too many suffering people in the world. With a limited amount of time and money, I think I have an ethical obligation to direct my resources toward things like poverty, hunger, homelessness, AIDS, ect. I don't mean to say that it's ok to abuse an animal. I certainly treat Charlie like a member of my family, and to me he is. But I believe first and foremost in the value of human life, and I have difficulty making judgements on cultural views different than my own that I don't understand.

Perhaps my rambling has confused you. Sorry about that. I am also dealing with a little insomnia at the moment, which allows me to lay in bed and think. My sleep had regulated for quite a few months since I moved to California, and I had even stopped taking melatonin because I didn't need it anymore. But I'm back on it now, because it's just not normal to wake up at 2:30 am for work. Hopefully my body starts to regulate itself again soon.