The Value of Life

[von Weltschmerz]

Animals, especially ones that we domesticate as pets, are held with a certain fondness by most of the people on this planet. With such people as this man who risk their lives to save their animals, it can be asserted that animal life is just as important as human life.

Do you agree with that? Would you risk your life to save your beloved animal friend? Would you take the life of another human for your pet? How do you feel about human life compared to animal life?

Simple. Answer all of those questions, some of them, or none of them... I don't really care. Answer your own questions if it floats your boat.

[♣Gawain♣]

Most species will become extinct eventually, evolving to new species after millions of years...

Animal life is important. But to me the wild ones are the most important. I'm not that into having pets or something like that, but it does not mean I didn't value their life.

[Scarf]

I don't know if I'd risk my life for an animal, or risk taking a person's life for an animal's. I don't think either is a situation that's likely to happen though so I feel safe not having to think too much about it.

But animal life is important. They're part of all the various ecosystems and help keep nature in balance, but aside from that I don't believe in needless suffering and don't believe in killing animals.

[Kura]

I wouldn't risk my life for an animal, but I do think their lives are important. Any life has value.

[Laugh]

I'm not really fond of animals, but an animal has a life, so I'd save it.

[Cosmotone8]

I'm glad someone posted this, because this really gets on my nerves. While I think that animal life is important, I find it ridiculous what people do for them. They are (in most cases) unintelligent and downright stupid, especially in comparison with humans.
I know here in Massachusetts you can go to jail for up to two and a half years for animal abuse, wheras someone who goes and kills someone while drunk driving goes to jail for three years in some cases. Its absolutely ridiculous. Animals are inferior to humans, that simple.

[Patchisou Yutohru]

I agree with that (which is a pushing factor on why I try to be vegetarian), but I wouldn't risk my life for an animal (or even another person). I cherish my life more than I do other animals.

[Vαηєℓℓσρє]

I adore animals. Always loved them. I can say for a fact I've got a stronger bond with some of my pets rather than other actual friends of mine... lol

But that doesn't mean I'd die to save a pet of mine. I'd certainly go out of my way to try and help whatever situation could be causing an animal harm, but in the end, human life is much more important. Animals think, dream, and create so little in comparison to us. That is the truth of the matter.

[Harlequin]

I love animals, I think they're cute and cuddly and fun to be around. Unless I'm around one that is possessed by one of the prince's of Hell, 90% of the time that animal would be my cat. As I said, I love animals. But would I risk my own life for one? No. I cannot imagine a situation where I would risk grievous bodily harm for an animal that is not likely to even come close to comprehending the risk I took for it. Wow, I'm sounding incredibly heartless and robotic right now, oh dear.Well, if it were to be my dog that were in trouble I'd reconsider this, because I love my dog more than life, but I don't know whether I'd jump in front of a car to save her from it's almighty metal embrace.

[Yellow Silver Nostalgia]

Animals are arguably more intelligent than humans. We just think we're more intelligent because we make tools to help us adapt to environments that we're less suited to. Yet animals are much healthier, they stick to their natural diets, they stick to their natural habitat, they follow their instincts, they submit to survival of the fittest to help their species grow stronger and many of them have wonderful abilities that humans don't come close to. Humans have created technologies that are destroying both our mental and physical health, and most of them are too dumb to see it. Humans have created a "money" system which doesn't work, because 90% of the money is created out of thin air, so our debts are impossible to repay. Many suffer in order for a few to live a life of luxury. Most humans place blind faith in authority figures who lead us to war or scientists who lead us to ill health because war and medicine are profitable businesses, and are incapable of thinking for themselves, only of regurgitating information as we are taught in schools. We might have the mental capacity to create a complicated world of our own, but we're still not clever enough to create a better life for ourselves than evolution, which is just trial and error.

Regardless, animals are conscious too - they experience pain and pleasure just like we do, maybe even more so. Death is nothing to be feared, but the intentional infliction of pain towards animals is a horrible thing to do.

[Shiny Celebi]

I think all life is valuble, even an animal's. I honestly love my pets, so i would try to save them if they were in danger, I dont feel I could just sit back and let them die. I think animals are concious, have emotions and enjoy living like we do. I dont really think they are "stupid" they just have a different kind of intelligence from Humans. We do way stupider and unnessesary things that animals just dont do because they dont need to to live.

[Insomniac]

Actually, no, I would not sacrifice my LIFE for an animal. Sure, I'll recycle, help the environment, pollute less, buy recycled paper.. Yadda yadda, but I would definitely not sacrifice my life for a measly animal..
Sorry, but I have a faint trail of dislike for those people who pamper their pets as if they were human babies.. I wouldn't do that either.

Animals are just animals.

I do think that the fur business is f-ed up, though.

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

All forms of life has value to some extent. Saying that, I would never risk my life for an animal's, not even my own (if I could have a pet without a severe allergic reactions, that is). With that said, however, unless it was someone really close to me, I wouldn't sacrifice my life for another human, either.

But let it be known that I'd take a bullet for my car any day of the week. And it's not even alive!

[⊗Slenderman⊗]

I agree that life in general has value.

But I'm not sure how much I would risk for an animal. If I remember correctly, I before have risked harm for a stray cat that I take care of. But I don't exactly have the best memory.

I guess part of it would depend on the situation (I get into ruts of not caring about life, so if I was in one of them, I would be more likely to take a risk).