In my experience, the human spirit can be one of arrogance and greed. Of course, this doesn’t apply to everyone; but for a lot of people, I think this holds true. Every day I see people regard each other and animals as objects rather than what they are: life. I am of the belief that every human being deserves kindness regardless of race, age, or background, whether they be rich, poor, atheist, free, famous, or uncelebrated, and that every single living thing- plant or animal- deserves the consideration that we as human beings would give to one another.
Being kind and respectful to each other, regardless of appearance, as well as receiving kindness and respect in turn, spreads a general feeling of happiness and content. I’ve felt that feeling, and I’m sure you have too.

On the flip side, being rude, disrespectful and hateful to people only creates an air of depression and negativity. We’ve all been there; when my friend laughed at how angry I was for doing poorly on a test with scorn, I’m sure that you can understand when I say, “ I was offended.” But when another acquaintance of mine says, “Good morning! How are you doing today?” in a cheery tone, I feel wonderful, like people do when in the company of those who care about them. I believe that if we could all be like that to one another, then we’ll all live better lives and allow those around us to do the same.

But I also believe that kindness shouldn’t be limited to other people. No, we should be just as compassionate and respectful to animals and other living things as we are to each other. It disgusts me when I hear about or see people kill animals without thought or regard for their lives or laugh at their suffering. When my family or people I know squash ants or swat flies without a second thought, I immediately think of “bullying” on a much higher level- they don’t regard their lives as having any importance only because they’re smaller than them, because they’re not as smart as them. But they’re still living things, just as people are. You wouldn’t step on someone else with the intention of killing them, would you? No. So why should you do the same with animals? As the wise Yoda once said, “Size matters not.”
I don’t believe that getting enjoyment or entertainment out of an animal’s suffering is admirable either. A friend once told me a story about how he had come across a bird that had fallen from its nest. Seeing that its wing was broken, he poked and prodded it with a stick out of boredom, laughing as it cringed and convulsed. In what way is that funny? That bird still feels pain just as you and I do. If you wouldn’t make another human being suffer such a cruel fate, then I don’t believe that it’s right to do the same to some poor, helpless creature.
I hope that one day people will hold each other and animals in a higher regard then they do now; if they did, then we would all live together, human and animal, in a much happier world.