Humans have developed an attribute that baffles the natural world. Humans have adopted a belief that not only are they the only life that exists in this universe, and they believe they are also superior to all other forms of life. Humans see other life forms as separate from themselves and since other life forms are separate, they are also inferior. You can see this all across the world, in all aspects of life. Humans put animals in zoos just so they can go look at them and be entertained. Never once stopping to think about the fact that animals are all around them every day in their natural environments. Animals are viewed as a commodity, not as the life form that they are.
Gems are just something to be worn. Rocks are just construction material. Trees are just suppliers of wood. Plants are just food sources. Insects are just a nuisance. Birds are just background noise. Fish are just food. Animals are pets, food, entertainment and slave labor. I can go on and on about all the ways we treat the life forms of this world. Since humans view themselves as separate and superior to all other life forms, it bleeds over into other humans. Any human who is different is viewed as superior or inferior. You can see it most clearly with racism and sexism. It also applies to political views, religious affiliation, beliefs, background, career, economic status, and so on and so forth.
The truth, whether you believe it or not, and whether you accept it or not is WE ARE ALL LIFE. No one life form is superior to another. This universe wasn't created for just the humans, and especially not for "special" groups of humans, there is no superior race or religion.
Due to the fact that humans view everything as separate from themselves, it causes a perceived separation within the individual. Since human is part of this world and everything that is within it but believes that it is separate, it creates a division within the human psyche. That split is referred to as dualism, Wikipedia states "Dualism is the idea or theory that something (an object, an idea or the whole world) is split into two parts." This belief of dualism is so engrained within the human psyche that whenever an individual comes to the realization that there is no duality, they are referred to as enlightened or awakened and often are viewed as a prophet or guru of some sort. Some of the individuals who realize this go on to become messiahs or messengers sent from God.
Where does all suffering stem from? Why is there war? Why is there poverty and world hunger? Why is there division and hatred? Dualism.
Buddhism states that life is suffering, the cause of suffering comes from desire. Desire stems from dualism. If you think something is separate from yourself then you desire to have more or less than, you desire to be better than the "other". You desire to change the "other". Every major religion agrees on the sentiment to "treat others how you would like be treated". The reason every major religion focuses on this statement is because the more you practice treating others how you would like to be treated, the more you see there are no "others". In simplest terms we are all life. We all come in different forms; we are all Life itself.
What is Life? What constitutes Life? Is it a heart? Is it a brain? Jellyfish have nether heart nor brain, but we all know they are alive. What defines Life?
Wikipedia states that Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from matter that does not.
Wikipedia also states that Ahimsa is the ancient Indian principle of nonviolence which applies to actions towards all living beings. Which includes the belief that rocks are life. This isn't meant to be a debate on whether or not rocks are alive. But rocks do have a "life cycle", even though rocks "aren't alive"
If you look closely at this debate on what life is or isn't, you can also see that it is still dualism. The Earth itself is alive, the earth has a heartbeat (7.83 Hz), the earth has energy and mass. The earth itself is alive which in turn includes everything located within it. Take a minute to examine your fingernails. Your fingernails aren't who you are, you aren't known as a fingernail, you are known as a human. Your fingernails are part of the whole of who you are. They aren't you, but they a part of you. The earth and everything within acts in the same manner. As above so below. The earth is the whole, you are a part of the whole, the same way your fingernails are part of the whole of you. Everything within the earth is just parts of the whole. We are all Life on earth, we are all part of the earth.
When you expand this out even further. As above so below. You see that the earth is just a part of the whole of the milky way galaxy. Keep expanding and you eventually reach the entirety if the universe. I am a part of the universe, I am not the universe itself, but an integral part of it.
Do you want to stop your suffering and misery? Do you want to stop anger, greed, lust, and envy within yourself? Do you want to Love and be Loved more than you ever thought possible? Do you want to live a Life of peace and serenity? Start treating "others" how you want to be treated. You don't have to understand, you don't have to believe, you don't have to agree, all you need do is try, if you so choose. What does it hurt to try? If after giving it your all and allowing enough time to give it a chance, you don't see any changes, you can always go back to treating "others" differently. No harm, no foul. I Love you, and Peace Be With You!