Taking a step back from our selfishness (part 2)

Driving long distances through the U.S. recently, I noticed a lot of roadkill. For those of you unfamiliar with this word, it refers to animals that are run over by cars on roads. Seeing all these dead animals made me think of the selfishness of human beings in general, and our selfishness with respect to how we relate to other animals, in specific. I have written about this concept several times already, but would like to touch on this subject again.

It’s important to put ourselves in the position of others that are suffering, especially those whose suffering is ignored by most people. Most people would downplay the whole roadkill thing, and consider it a side-effect of better roads, of faster cars, etc. In other words, they have no problem with increasing their convenience at the expense of other living beings. They buy into the whole concept that’s fed to them from birth: That it doesn't matter how many animals suffer and die, as long as they get to live a convenient life.

A truly empathetic individual would never agree with this line of thinking. I believe that whenever we decide to construct something, we have to do our best to ensure the well-being of the animal residents of that area. If there is a concern about this well-being, if there is a danger that a certain ecosystem might suffer because of our intrusion, we should not build. With regards to minimizing the number of animals killed on our roads, there are steps we can take, both as individuals and collectively. As individuals we can simply be more careful when we drive. We should not trivialize the lives of wild animals, or think their lives are worthless. Collectively, we should strive to implement the construction of roads that minimize the possibility of contact between wild animals and drivers. In Norway and other countries, for example, there are special bridges over highways where moose (and other animals) can cross. This not only helps the moose, it also minimizes the risk of injury and death for drivers. In other parts of the world, the implementation of various types of barriers along highways has lowered the number of unnecessary deaths. Like any developments which minimize the harm we do while interacting with other creatures, these examples represent true progress.