What Would Have Happened if Animals Had Developed Their Own Religions, Countries, and Cultures?

Instead of using intelligent minds to share joy and positivity, humans often use their thinking abilities to create division and harm.

Me contemplating the world beside Lake Superior | Photo taken with tripod

What would have happened if our lovely animals had developed their own religions, countries, and cultures? Imagine a world where animals, like humans, had established their own nations, followed different belief systems, and created distinct cultural identities. The world would have been dramatically different if animals possessed just enough cognitive capacity to engage in these complex social organizations. Unfortunately, I believe this hypothetical world would have been filled with tremendous sadness and conflict.

Why would such a world be sad? Because animals would have inevitably created artificial borders dividing their natural habitats into territories and claimed ownership over land that was never meant to be owned. They would have established their own military forces to protect these arbitrary boundaries. There would have been sophisticated visa systems and immigration protocols restricting the free movement of animals across these manufactured borders — movement that should be natural and unrestricted.

Conflicts would have erupted between animal groups merely over territorial disputes and resource allocation. We would witness animal wars, conquests, celebrations of victory, and the destructive emotions of jealousy and hatred. Animals would have become cruel to one another in ways that transcend their natural predator-prey relationships. They would judge other animals based on their religious beliefs or cultural practices. Some animals would shame others simply because they followed different spiritual traditions or customs.

I'm using this animal scenario purely as a hypothetical construct to illuminate my actual point about humanity. What humans have created with their remarkable minds is, in many ways, deeply problematic. Our collective tragedy isn't that we failed to utilize our cognitive abilities — it's that we often employed these abilities in counterproductive ways. The universe endowed humans with extraordinary intellectual capabilities, but we frequently misused these gifts to create divisive religions, nationalist ideologies, and exclusionary cultural practices.

Humans have become so entangled in these artificial constructs that, like the proverbial elephant who cannot see beyond its immediate surroundings, we've forgotten that a more interconnected world exists beyond our self-imposed limitations. Instead of using our intelligence to foster unity and cooperation, humans created borders, developed massive armies, manufactured deadly weapons, and designed sophisticated machines specifically intended to harm one another. We possessed the intellectual capacity to create a genuinely beautiful and harmonious world but frequently chose destructive paths instead.

The profound sadness of the human condition isn't that we lack intelligence or cognitive abilities. Rather, our tragedy stems from possessing such powerful minds yet frequently failing to harness that exceptional potential in beneficial ways. Instead, we've often directed our intellectual capabilities toward harmful endeavors. Among the most unfortunate human creations are organized religions that divide rather than unite, followed closely by the concept of kingdoms and nation-states that fragment our shared humanity. Through these inventions, we've constructed a world permeated by unnecessary fears, suspicions, and hostilities toward one another. This reality represents one of humanity's greatest failures and most profound sources of collective sadness.

I am writing this article during a time when yet another devastating war has erupted in one corner of our world. It is profoundly disheartening to witness that despite our remarkable evolution and the extraordinary intellectual capabilities we have developed over millennia, we continue to misapply our cognitive powers toward destructive ends. How tragically ironic that the same species capable of creating symphonies, curing diseases, and exploring distant planets still channels significant resources and ingenuity into designing more efficient ways to inflict suffering upon fellow humans. The contrast between our potential for compassion and our propensity for conflict represents perhaps the most painful paradox of human existence.

This is my favourite video when I need to visually demonstrate the concept of peaceful coexistence between different peoples. In this footage, dancers representing three distinct cultural traditions perform together in a beautiful display of harmony and unity. The choreography thoughtfully blends elements from each tradition while respecting their unique characteristics, creating a powerful visual metaphor that transcends words. As the performers move in synchronicity despite their different cultural expressions, they effectively communicate the profound message that beneath our superficial differences, we are all part of one human family. Enjoy:

We may not achieve enduring and everlasting peace until we seriously reconsider the role of religious institutions and national allegiances as primary sources of division in our global society. These constructs, while ostensibly created to provide structure and meaning, have too often served as the fundamental seeds of the poisonous divisions that separate humanity. To progress toward a more harmonious world, we must actively embrace and welcome people from all religious backgrounds and countries without prejudice or suspicion. Our collective challenge is to develop the capacity to see humanity first, before religious labels or national identities. This dream of universal human connection can only transform into reality when people begin to fundamentally understand that religions should primarily serve as pathways to inner peace and personal spiritual growth, rather than as justifications for separation or conflict. Beyond this personal spiritual function, religious identities often become problematic when they supersede our recognition of shared humanity and common aspirations.

Perhaps now you can understand and appreciate the uncomplicated grace of our animal kin—their lives, unburdened by the weight of artificial divisions, shine as silent testimonies to what we've sacrificed at the altar of our supposed sophistication.

*****

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Gurdeep