We Are Not Superior

• Angelina Livingstone, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2013

My thoughts pondered on what society called human, and what wasn't.
If we are all animals, why are only some species kept as pets, some species aloud to roam free, some species to be locked up in zoos, some species to be lab experiments and only one to have big homes with fancy dinners, only one species remains with the right to choose their fate in life, only one can be human. And yet we are all classified as animals, from birds to reptiles to fish and mammals, we are all animals, and yet, we eat other animals. Does that not make us carnivores.
Does that not make us criminals for hurting, killing, hunting and breeding other animals just like ourselves purely for killing in the end?
We are hypocritical and yet we call ourselves superior to all other animals.
The only reason we rule over other animals is because of what we have been blessed with. Material for weapons and traps, which we use to capture these animals and defeat them. Without these we are no match to the animals we take granted for, in fear we take away their weapons, leaving them to an unfair match, for without their venom, horns, sharp teeth or claws, against our knives and tranquilizer guns we win and bloat in the glory of our success. However we are cowards, without any of the things we take for granted and use to our top most advantage, we would easily become a species lower in the food chain, any lion or cheetah or leopard could chase you down and kill you in mere minutes, any whale, wether a baby or adult, could bring you into a coma with a single slap of their fins. We have arms, which are connected to our hands, our skin is delicate and not thick like other animals with skin like leather we continue to rule over. Our hands have nails, that are delicate and not sharp like other animals with claws, we continue to rule over. Our bodies are made of bones that are delicate and limited to the amount of damage we can take and not strong like other animals with the ability to leap over or down great distances and heights, we continue to rule over. Humans are not superior to all other living creatures on earth. Humans with weapons made of things provided to them by the planet they live on are predators behind a suit of armor, take that away and we are vulnerable, we are weak and afraid.
We continue to rule over the world, who are we to name the countries, islands and continents, the oceans lakes and rivers, why do we call ourselves humans and yet we still get to call other species our own made up names. If we are as superior as we claim to be, why aren't there sports where man fights lions, or man beats shark in swimming races, or man arm wrestles bull. We are not superior, for without our weapons we decorate and design to perfection like children with glue and glitter, we would crumble and our species would cease to exist.
We cannot run, for we would be captured. We cannot fight, for we will die a painful death with no pain killers and antibiotics in a plush hospital room with nurses to aid you.
We cannot hide because eventually we will need to come out to the sunlight like wasps attracted to the porch light, as bees are attracted to the nectar of flowers in gardens.
We are not superior.