Thoughts On: Existence - Part 2
Animals dream when they sleep.
Humans are not the only animals that dream.
My dog Archie dreams. His legs twitch and he barks as he chases dream squirrels.
My research is thin in this area but, I can say that every dog I've ever lived with has dreamed.
I'm going to take a bit of a leap and assume that there is nothing special about the canine brain in regard to the ability to dream.
Animals dream when they sleep.
Animals feel and express emotions.
Fear is an essential emotion for the survival of many species of animals.
Oreo and Snowball demonstrate fear daily. They boldly step forward to accept slices of apple that I give them. But, they immediately run for the cave when I attempt to pick them up.
Guinea Pigs express joy and sorrow as well. They express their fear, joy, and sorrow through a language of chirps purs, and squeals.
Animals feel and express emotions.
Animals communicate within their own species, and to other species using language.
I will rely on my previous Guinea Pig language example here. We can add the wagging tail of the dog and the dog's bark as examples of cross-species communication.
Animals communicate within their own species, and to other species using language.
Each living creature is unique and free-thinking. Each has its own animality.
Though animals form flocks, packs, Schools, and herds for protection, survival of the species, and presumably the desire not to be alone; each individual animal has its own thoughts and reaction to stimuli when approached individually.
My daughter has taken up horse-back riding. She can tell you the disposition of every horse in the stable.
Each living creature is unique and free-thinking. Each has its own animality.
Based on the above, we humans should feel at home within the animal kingdom.
Other animals (perhaps all) share our ability to dream, feel / share emotions, and communicate with each other. Animals communicate with species other than their own (Including the human species).
Though all animal species have inherent traits and instincts, each individual animal has its own individual ability to respond to stimuli and its own disposition, or animality.