If one ignores the life around them, then one is truly ignorant of the self. A self cannot exist as a singularity because the self would have no basis to understand and explore the self. The self is merely the creation of the soul which exists as many selves upon selves as energy and intelligence and flow (action; movement), and pure perception. For a self to even become aware, it must make a denial that one is not part of all action (I am not you, I am not the birds or trees or water or seas) .. but it is those "things" which is how the self comes to understand its own existence, which MUST include the existence of the life that the self also denies. A denial of the life that one can perceive is a denial of the self's own existence. We are not selves. We are souls.
Your "self" ultimately includes the reality that surrounds the self for that in part also defines the self. Having cats in ones reality is an aspect of one's experience of one's self regardless. A Human existence requires there to be land to stand on, air to breathe, water to drink, and so that also defines the Human "self" as a one.
To be self-centered and self-focused is therefore to be Life-Aware, understanding that the harm one does to life is the harm one does to one self.
Everything on this planet is Light, idea, soul, and Action -- which is not material or thing to begin with. Mistaking energy and intelligence and living energy as an object is only what the Human ego does.
If Love and appreciation toward life cannot be understood as the only real truth, then all of any spiritual conversation about for example, "cats" has no real basis in enlightenment.
It would be more of a meaningful question to ask someone why they would fear cats than why they would like them.
If you do not Love the life of the world, then how can you truly know the Light of the Soul, and of Existence? Love is the nature of one acknowledging the life flows, the life forms, and the living intelligence of Existence, as the mirror of one's own reflection, of the greater "selves upon selves" that is interconnected as One Force.
It is an Honor to be interconnected with the Life Force of the universe from this planet's point of view. Not a privilege. That would be the dragon on me that says that. Light creates form. The formless may be the real freedom of the soul, but acting Within creates Form regardless. Ones creation should be honored if it is of Love.
Cats are not things. They are living beings and should be respected and Honored because they are living vibrant energies that choose to express their Form of Light.
There is actually a golden carp that swims at the docks of my favorite marina. Like creatures that live in space. Carps of light. :-) all of these species are energies of Source consciousness, with their unique powers and intelligence that forms the Mirror of Source - that of Creation. Each specie mirrors one's inner existence.
The path of the self therefore should not be regarding that which separates self from others and other life energies, lest that only be the path of ego.
This may be difficult to understand, but the living Ascension of the self is not a singular event. Tibetan monks and masters have been known to become pure light 3 days after their death, due to their interconnectedness with the Life Creation of knowing Self-As-All (a light awareness of "self"). Living ascension is to do so while not having the death experience. Even though the divergence of reality should be respected, due to some unable to carry the chords of Light, they are nonetheless the reflection of the paradox within 3-D Creation (the existence of the physical reality). These aspects of mental awareness and attuned perception raises one's frequency, and too affects the frequency of others subconsciously if they do not know consciously, but nonetheless acting in harmony as a whole, even if only one knows the truth.
While some secret space program groups do follow the left-handed path, more service-to-self oriented, it should none-the-less be known that ones sense of self preservation affects a greater harmony with the whole, as those who think alike can become a greater force acting together as one. While serving the self, one MUST be mindful of the reflection of the life that is touched; whereas when more life is discovered through exploration (inner or outer), then the self becomes more and more, taking on aspects of other species as new species is discovered, and as the Soul is known to be intelligent in those forms. Reputation, Integrity, Honor are things that is what builds true power, not fear, not confusion, not deceit, because those things tear down the house of the self, where nothing can be preserved other than base instinct and ego (a lower frequency of primitive life).
See "The Three Creative Dilemmas" on the Metaphysics Blog, and "Dragon Kundalini."
"I am we are. The duality of being both a separate thought and at the same time connected to the whole in each of its parts. 3D is learning the separation to appreciate the separation of the others--while never losing that connection.
3D life forms--including plants--are still soul. They are not 'things'. Connection to them is a very real part of who we are. That is why so many today are so sick. They have assumed that only humans matter, and that out of all humans, only they and their family or their community matter. And THAT is deception of such a magnitude as to be demonic." -- Penny Bradley
I want to add something here. I see that some people will take any excuse they can to not have to pull their weight and support their community which supports themselves, too.. and the family too.
Some people do not pull their own weight and depend on their family to provide for them instead of all helping each other and contributing to the whole while keeping something for themselves as well. It starts at the family and community level though. World-minded is not one's immediate focus nor should be because one's own reality is founded on one's community, not in a community in another part of the world that one is not part of and knows nothing about but only what the news tells them, which is always biased and misguided.
That had to be told. One cannot "Ascend" if one does nothing to create for the upliftment of one's immediate reality, thus also supporting one's own existence, but not in ways of greed. -- Administrator of LAU