It’s easy to be blind to the intelligence of animals that inhabit places we don’t go or think about. Then one day, as so many accounts here attest, we notice a

It’s easy to be blind to the intelligence of animals that inhabit places we don’t go or think about. Then one day, as so many accounts here attest, we notice a spider or an animal cross our realm and see that we have things in common - the urge to protect and nurture our young; the drive for self preservation; the call of hunger or thirst. We do this not just with insects and animals, but also with other people. That ability to shut out the recognition of other people’s basic needs and feelings helps us to prioritise our own families welfare, and to get ahead personally. That’s all understandable and ok to an extent. Taken too far, we risk alienating ourselves from something richly rewarding and powerfully good - the fellowship of people, insects and animals we haven’t met yet.