the diversity of relations with animals

The diversity of our relations with animals has been almost unlimited. Maybe all of us see certain animals as demented monsters, others as soulless automations, some as dear friends, and at least a few (like horses or dolphins) as spiritual beings of power and glory. The animals that seem most awesome are not always the strongest or smartest. Among all the animals they know, the San people of the Kalahari Desert have given perhaps their highest esteem to the praying mantis, claiming that this insect represents “the voice of the infinite in the small.ˮ War and Peace with the Beasts: A History of Our Relationships with Animals