A problem with humanity

I think a major problem with humans is that we often automatically assume that things we don't understand are wrong. For example, human communication versus other animals. We sound just as unintelligible to other animals as they do to us, yet people justify calling our species the most intelligent because we can communicate... Just because we don't fully understand other animals' communication methods, just because they are not exactly comparable to ours, doesn't take away from the fact that they are communicating. We call other animals evil or unintelligent compared to humans on the basis that we are technologically and culturally advanced—but we created a society where many people suffer greatly from so-called "advancements" and egotistical men spend millions throwing bombs on the earth and creating invisible walls while most of our own oceans and brains remain undiscovered. In Buddhism, animals are revered for living in the present, free from ego and anxiety, a practice that many humans try and fail to apply. Yes, humans are unique for having a higher level of self-awareness, but many animals are not far off. In New Zealand's Geographic, a level of consciousness graph was published, ranking different animal examples on a point scale of 9 (most conscious) to 1 (least conscious). Humans were ranked at the top, with monkeys a mere one point behind, and elephants and dolphins only two points behind. Additionally, animals share the same neurochemistry as humans, indicating that they too experience emotions, just like us. Some animals grieve, many play and express empathy, and almost all experience fear. I stopped eating pork when I was very young because they were my favorite animal — I later found out that pigs' level of emotional intelligence is above a human toddler's. I haven't eaten pork since 9. 

I'm not denying that humans are the dominant species on earth, but I think that our default perspective that we are the dominant species because we are the only conscious, moral, advanced ones is fundamentally wrong. Other animals are able to be conscious, communicate, and feel emotions in ways that are sometimes similar... but not always. I believe that applying the concept that something being not fully understood doesn't mean it's wrong will allow for greater cultural evolution, understanding of the world outside of humans, and kindness within society.

Furthermore, we have a drastic lack of empathy. Why is it so common for human empathy to only be provoked when the other creature's experience is directly comparable to ours? Doesn't that go against the whole idea of empathy, a word that is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "the action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another"? It goes beyond other species too. A prominent example is social media/online information that leads to no change. Such as videos and proved evidence of Shein using child laborers and horrible conditions in their factories. People use the excuse that Shein is cheap, quick, etc., and continue buying from the company, but I really believe that it gets down to the fact that most people haven't experienced being a child laborer in poor conditions, and they are unable to show empathy; they are unable to truly process things that they haven't experienced firsthand. A similar example could be given related to struggling people in warzones—with social media, there is lots of visibility on those people, yet it seems like so few people truly show empathy for them. Sure, they might repost the video or think about it for a bit, but then it's on to the next entertaining clip, and the problem immediately disappears because of a prominent lack of empathy. 

I do believe there is a lot of kindness in this world and a lot of hope. But I also think that a conscious effort to increase empathy is greatly necessary in this world.