WHEN DID WE BECOME SO DISCONNECTED FROM LIFE?
By Aiyana Caposewa
I am honestly, deeply disappointed in humanity.
Every day, I hear people complaining.
Dogs barking. Cats meowing. Birds chirping. Roosters crowing. Ducks quacking. Chickens clucking.
And I have to ask…
WHAT THE HELL HAS HAPPENED TO US?
Since when did we decide that the natural sounds of living creatures were an inconvenience to our precious human existence?
We tolerate the roar of traffic, the drone of lawnmowers, the scream of whippersnippers, the rumble of trains and buses. We fill our world with artificial noise and machinery, yet dare to complain when a living creature dares to make a sound.
A dog barks because it is a dog.
A rooster crows because it is a rooster.
A bird sings because it is a bird.
A duck quacks because it is a duck.
THEY ARE NOT MACHINES YOU CAN SWITCH OFF. THEY ARE LIVING, BREATHING BEINGS WITH INSTINCTS, NEEDS AND THEIR OWN WAYS OF COMMUNICATING.
Yes, excessive barking can be a sign of distress, boredom or unmet needs, and responsible animal care matters. But there’s a difference between addressing a genuine welfare concern and demanding that animals stop behaving like animals simply because their existence disturbs our comfort.
And here’s the part that truly breaks my heart…
What kind of human being feels the need to overpower, intimidate, neglect or abuse an innocent animal?
A dog. A cat. A duck. A chicken. A pig.
What does it say about us when we use our greater size, strength and intelligence to cause suffering to a creature that cannot defend itself against us?
POWER OVER THE VULNERABLE IS NOT STRENGTH. CRUELTY IS NOT SUPERIORITY. AND AN ANIMAL’S INABILITY TO SPEAK OUR LANGUAGE DOES NOT MEAN IT HAS NOTHING TO SAY.
These creatures have existed long before our modern obsession with convenience, control and quiet. Their instincts have been shaped across generations. Their sounds are part of the living world.
Yet somehow, we have become so disconnected from nature that we complain about the very things that should remind us we are alive.
We have forgotten that we are not separate from nature. We are part of it.
And every time we treat another living being as disposable, inconvenient or beneath us, we reveal just how far we have wandered from compassion.
So I’m calling on people to STOP.
Stop expecting the natural world to bend to your every preference.
Stop treating animals as possessions that must exist solely for your pleasure and convenience.
Stop turning a blind eye to cruelty.
Stop laughing off animal abuse. Stop excusing violence. Stop walking past suffering because it isn’t your problem.
And start teaching our children compassion, respect, responsibility and reverence for ALL living things.
If an animal is distressed, help it.
If an animal is neglected, speak up.
If you hear excessive barking, consider whether that animal needs care, stimulation or protection.
If you witness cruelty, don’t look away. Report it. Stand up. Be their voice.
And if the natural sounds of the world offend you so terribly, perhaps it’s time to ask yourself why.
Because the answer isn’t to silence life.
THE ANSWER IS TO LEARN HOW TO LIVE ALONGSIDE IT.
I want to live in a world where the sound of a rooster at sunrise doesn’t trigger outrage, where birdsong is welcomed, where a dog’s warning bark is understood, where ducks can quack without becoming neighbourhood enemies, and where no animal has to live in fear of the human who holds power over it.
Is that really too much to ask?
I am disappointed in how disconnected we have become. Disappointed that compassion seems so easily sacrificed for convenience. Disappointed that we can call ourselves civilised while turning our backs on the suffering of other living beings.
But disappointment alone changes nothing.
SO HERE IS MY CHALLENGE TO YOU:
- Choose compassion over convenience.
- Protect those who cannot protect themselves.
- Respect the natural behaviours of the creatures with whom we share this Earth.
- Teach kindness through your actions, not just your words.
- Remember that this planet is not ours alone.
We do not have to love every sound. We do not have to agree on everything. But we absolutely should be able to coexist without cruelty, entitlement or the expectation that every other living thing must accommodate us.
EVERY LIVING THING MATTERS. NOT JUST THE ONES WE FIND CUTE, USEFUL OR CONVENIENT.
The measure of our humanity is not how well we control the world around us.
It is how we treat those who have less power than we do.
And if we have lost our ability to show compassion to the innocent, then perhaps it isn’t the animals who need to change.
PERHAPS IT’S US.
Aiyana🌻
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Words and photo by Aiyana Caposewa
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