We Must Fight Against The Spirit Of Unconscious Cruelty (Animals)

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“We must fight against the spirit of unconscious cruelty with which we treat the animals.
Animals suffer as much as we do. True humanity does not allow us to impose such
sufferings on them. It is our duty to make the whole world recognize it. Until we extend
our circle of compassion to all living beings, humanity will not find peace.” – Albert
Schweitzer, Physician/Nobel Laureate.

Albert Schweitzer (1875 – 1965) was a German (now France) Nobel Prize winner in 1953 for his philosophy of “Reverence for Life”. He was known for his humanitarian work as a missionary doctor in Africa, and for founding the “Albert Schweitzer Hospital” in Lambaréné, now Gabon. He was also a gifted organist and interpreter of Johann Sebastian Bach whose works he played in his charity concerts.

Schweitzer attracted attention from his advocacy against nuclear tests, inequality, and racism. He used his influence and voice as a Nobel Prize winner to declare his strong opposition against the development of nuclear weapons.

The “Reverence for Life” is a philosophy that speaks of respecting all kinds of life be it humans, animals, or nature. This ethical philosophy stemmed from the belief that animals, like humans, also have the instinct to survive and the ability to feel pain. It also argues the universality of kindness and cruelty; maintaining that a person who is cruel to animals is also likely to be cruel to his/her fellow humans. Several studies like in the Canadian Police, found that 70% of animal abusers had past violent crime records.

Based on the 2007 media reports in the US, 64.5% of animal cruelty cases involved dogs, 18% involved cats, and 25% involved other animals. There are also other cases of animal abuse around the world, a stark proof of humans’ “unconscious cruelty” to life in general. As the French writer Alphonse de Lamartine put it, “Brutality to animal is cruelty to mankind—it is only the difference in the victim.”