Can respect for animals lead to respect for human life?

THE EDITOR, Madam:

I was listening to a talk show recently, when I heard a caller complaining that some policemen treat people like animals. I have heard similar complaints about people being treated like animals before, but today was different.

I had a proverbial light-bulb moment. Animals are living beings. Inherent in the complaint is that it is acceptable to abuse animals, but not people. This kind of thinking permeates our society and is embedded in popular sayings. For example, “We have mango fi stone dawg.” Could it be that our lack of respect for other living creatures affects our attitude to human life as well? How many of our children have pets that they care for, and treat with respect?

Can animals as stuffed toys make a difference? Apart from the ‘piggy bank’, how many Jamaican children have a pig, a frog, a goat, a horse or any other animal as a toy?

Would our boys and girls grow up with a positive attitude to life and be more caring and respectful of each other if respect for living things was not just taught but engendered and nurtured. Could this lead to greater respect for human life? I am not talking about academics here. Our children learn about plants and animals from the early childhood level. I am talking about a culture shift. Could greater respect for animals lead to greater respect for human life? I notice that children in countries where animals are respected seem to have greater respect for life in general. Just thinking out loud.

WINNIE ANDERSON-BROWN