An Animal Rights/Vegan Activists' Strategies Article used with permission from All-Creatures.org

Just like humans, the spiritual health or distress of non-human animals depends on the conditions and resources they have access to and the treatment they receive. Dr. Michael W. Fox discusses how becoming more compassionate and respectful towards all life will not only benefit humans spiritually but will also allow us to face the existential threat of climate change, whose devastating effects are already being felt.

The spirituality of nature, animal person-hood and our existential crisis
From Dr. Michael W. Fox, DrFoxOneHealth.com
August 2025

Images from Canva

The spirit of wild, captive, tamed and domesticated animals, and people, has only relatively recently been considered by conventional veterinary and human medicine when there is evident dysphoria and dysbiosis. Spiritual health and well-being are evident in the vitality and responsiveness of animals, including curiosity and playfulness, and expressed in various forms of creativity in humans. An environment of security and trust is essential, along with good nutrition, all integral elements of good nurture. They complement nature, the innate spirit or psyche of every sentient being.

Temperament is innate, genetically “hard wired” to a degree, while personality is formed from life situations and can change over time. Just as nature and nurture are interwoven epigenetically, so are temperament and personality. The “person-hood” of non-human animals who share with us an inner life of self-consciousness has yet to be fully recognized by society at large. Doing so might yet redeem us for causing their extinction and the suffering and death of trillions throughout human history: And heal and inspire us spiritually to better respect and care for each other in the boundless circle of compassion-in action. Anthropocentrism is a self- terminating and exterminating disease!

There are spiritual wounds that challenge healers, families, and communities. Also, in animals to whom we bear witness in those who have been abused, neglected, and the dispirited wild held captive in zoos and circuses. Like people, many animals can suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome, depression, fear, anxiety, and xenophobia along with behavioral abnormalities such as obsessive-compulsive disorders and self-mutilation and other afflictions of the spirit: And benefit from psychotropic and other psychotherapeutic interventions including behavior modification and what I call the healing touch, as per my books on massage therapy for dogs and cats. (The Healing Touch for Dogs and The Healing Touch for Cats).

This spiritual ice-age of rational materialism and objectification will never melt away without or reverential respect for all life and compassion-in-action when called for, as we collectively face the existential, anthropogenic crisis of climate change. The embrace of loving kindness can fill the void of fear and suffering with spiritual enlightenment.

Ecologically, our destruction of Nature is the theological equivalent of our separation from God. German mystic and philosopher Meister Eckhart said, "Every creature is full of God and is a book about God". Pope Francis stated “There will be no new relationship with nature without a new human being, and it is by healing the human heart that one can hope to heal the world from its social and environmental unrest…..One thing about ecological conversion is that it makes us see the general harmony, the correlation of everything: everything is connected, everything is related.”

A “new human being” is evolving from the egocentric to the eco-centric, as we face the probabilities and realities of extinction and develop a new language that speaks to Nature and all sentient beings from the empathic core of reverential respect and understanding. With more wisdom, more sorrow, more grief with more knowledge, but passion for justice and compassionate action lead the way.

Without effective family planning and lack of infrastructure and basic resources, millions of people in the global South are dying prematurely. An estimated 783 million people globally face chronic hunger, meaning they lack consistent access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. This is roughly one in ten people on Earth. The situation has worsened in recent years, with an increase of around 152 million people experiencing hunger since 2019, according to Concern Worldwide US.

Already experiencing and striving to adapt to the ravages of climate change, (floods, fires, droughts etc.) the global North can ill afford to help the global South and could suffer a similar fate. This will be assured when some political leaders give tax incentives to increase birth-rates rather than accepting immigrants instead of deporting without due process, and continue to subsidize the burning of fossil fuels while blocking green energy initiatives and food, medical aid, and contraceptives to the global South.

Hyper-inflation and hyper-consumerism go hand in hand as our carbon footprint stamps out life on planet Earth. The politics of compassion-in-action and planetary CPR-Conservation, Protection and Restoration- and living simply so that others may simply live, should be center-stage and not a cry in the wilderness of a ravaged planet. (For details and some solutions, see my book One Health: Veterinary, Ethical and Veterinary Perspectives. CRC Press, 2025).

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Posted on All-Creatures.org: August 7, 2025
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