Forum: Like children, pets also bring out the better side of us
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The article “ When a child reminds us we’re not strangers after all
I’ve noticed people giving up their seats to children on the train when they see a parent struggling with them. It reminds me that there’s kindness in our society even when the daily news reports the worst in human behaviour all over the world.
But it’s not just children who bring out the better side of us. Pets do too.
Once, I was at Pasir Ris Park and saw a dog owner panicking as her pet was very ill. Strangers stopped to ask if they were all right. One man interrupted his family dinner at a nearby eatery to drive them to an emergency veterinary hospital.
I learnt that the dog did get better afterwards.
I often ask myself why children and pets seem to bring out the better side of us. I conclude that their vulnerability and innocence make us want to help.
This is what makes us human, and not robots.
Victor Choong
