The Perfect Religious Doctrine

[The Reality Salesman01]

Have compassion for all living things
Be humble
Use moderation and frugality
Question everything

I suppose I could conscious creatures and substitute it with living creatures. I'm just thinking of how hyper-focused Jainism is on avoiding any and all violence toward living things. If I said "unnecessary violence" then we'd be splitting hairs all day about whether or not we actually have to eat animals, or worse, we'd wander into an even more uninteresting debate over salad and whether or not lettuce is alive before we kill it. I figure, all worthwhile considerations of good/bad seem to depend on consciousness in some capacity, or at least, the potential for being conscious; how we define it is a bit sketchy. I just can't think of any discussion of morality/ethics that doesn't in some way revolve around consciousness.

Even dog lovers (I am one), at their core, feel as though there is enough behind those big brown eyes on a mastiff when you've had a shitty day to warrant consideration for the likelihood of a consciousness of some kind. We may be anthropomorphizing, but it's through a connection with the animal as something more than a rock that qualifies them worthy of a higher quality of life...even if they secretly don't even like us. Delusional as it may be, the sense of potential consciousness is there for animal lovers, and I think that's what triggers an intuitive emotional and ethical responsibility to them. So, I think all things that fall under this umbrella should be considered when practicing this Atheist's guide to not being a dick. IMO.