Elephants cry too!

[Rose]

Compassion elevates the consciousness of the universe...

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Compassion elevates the consciousness of the universe...

Beatiful!

And not only do they cry, they play and laugh and have incredible memories as explained in this snippet from an article called Elephant Joy:

Elephants often express what can only be described as joy
in many different facets of their lives. Due to our lack of knowledge of their
expressions only the most blatant responses can be partially understood.

Some cases in which Elephants show explicit joy is

• In the greeting of a friend or family member (even a human friend)
• After the birth of a baby elephant
• Playing games

Typically this expression of joy takes place in the form of a
greeting ceremony. Obviously, there are may other aspects to this ceremony that
goes without recognition, but joy is one of the most predominant factors. When
family members or friends meet, they can be seen to become collectively involved
in a joyous meeting. This is usually observed when a friend or family member is
absent for a long time. When he/she returns, an incredible welcoming takes
place. During this greeting the elephants involved will spin around, defecate,
and urinate. With their heads held high, and ears flapping they fill the air
with a symphony of trumpets, rumbles, screams, and
roars.

And why do they have such emotions and powerful memories? Both are related to the brain structure called the hippocampus which is very large in elephants, as explained here:

Neuroscientific research has also shown, using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), that elephants have a huge hippocampus, a brain structure in the limbic system that's important in processing emotions. We now know that elephants suffer from psychological flashbacks and likely experience the equivalent of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Furthermore, all mammals (including humans) share neuroanatomical structures (for example, the amygdala and hippocampus) and neurochemical pathways in the limbic system that are tied to feelings

And the same article explains that mice have empathy because they have mirror neurons just like humans (this strongly supports the naturalistic explanation of morality):

And who would have imagined that laboratory mice are actually empathic? But we now know they are. Research has shown that mice react more strongly to painful stimuli after they observe other mice in pain, and it turns out that they are fun loving as well.

The article is about the FACT that animals have emotions which are just like our human emotions in many ways. Here is how it began:

One of the hottest questions in the study of animal behavior is, "Do animals have emotions?" The simple answer is, "Of course they do." Just look at them, listen to them, and, if you dare, smell the odors they emit when they interact with friends and foes. Look at their faces, tails, bodies and, most importantly, their eyes. What we see on the outside tells us a lot about what's happening inside animals" heads and hearts.

As a scientist who's studied animal emotions for more than 30 years, I consider myself very fortunate. Whenever I observe or work with animals, I get to contribute to science and develop social relationships at the same time, and to me, there's no conflict between the two. While stories about animal emotions abound, there are many lines of scientific support (what I call "science sense") about the nature of animal emotions that are rapidly accumulating from behavioral and neurobiological studies (from the emerging field called social neuroscience). Common sense and intuition also feed into and support science sense and the obvious conclusion is that mammals, at the very least, experience rich and deep emotional lives, feeling passions from pure and contagious joy during play, to deep grief and pain. Recent data also shows that birds and fish are sentient and experience pain and suffering. Prestigious scientific journals regularly publish essays on joy in rats, grief in elephants and empathy in mice.

The bottom line is that we know more about animal passions then we often admit, and we can no longer ignore the pain and suffering of other beings. Many people in higher education are faced with difficult questions about the use of animals in their classrooms and research laboratories and today we must accept that there are compelling reasons stemming from scientific research to limit and perhaps stop using animals in lieu of the numerous highly effective non-animal alternatives that are readily available.

This is why all enlightened souls have always taught compassion for all living creatures.

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Check out this book: When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals

And here's a review of the book from Jeffrey Masson's blog:

For over 100 years a chasm has separated animal lovers - who know that their dog, cat, horse, or parrot have complex emotional lives - and scientists, to whom attributing any emotions to animals has been equivalent to heresy. And while a groundswell among a new generation of scientists has begun chipping away at this traditional taboo, and animal lovers eagerly consume whatever they can find about the subject, no one book has yet gathered all the available information into an engaging and authoritative portrait of animals emotional lives. Not, that is, until now.

With chapters on love, joy, anger, fear, shame, compassion, and loneliness, all framed by a provocative reevaluation of how we treat animals, When Elephants Weep is the first book since Darwin's time to explore the full range of emotions throughout the animal kingdom, and it features a cast of hundreds. Meet Siri, the Indian elephant, whose impressive sketches have been praised by artists Willem and Elaine de Kooning. Meet Koko, a bashful gorilla proficient ins sign language who loves to play house with dolls-but only when no one is looking - and Michael, another signing gorilla, who cannot be disturbed whenever Pavarotti sings on television. Then there's Moja, the joyful mongoose who waltzes with squirrels; Toto, the steadfast chimpanzee who literally nursed his malaria-stricken human observer back to health; and Alex, an African gray parrot with an astonishing vocabulary, who, when left at the veterinarian's office, shrieked, "Come here! I love you. I'm sorry. I want to go back."

By contrast, you'll also meet scores of biologists, ethnologists, and animal behaviorists whose anecdote-rich field notes and studies paint compelling portraits of their subject's rich emotional lives, yet whose conclusions frequently appear as fancy footwork around the obvious. When Elephants Weep also draws upon the illuminating experiences of animal trainers - from Sea World and the Ringling Bros. circus to Guide Dogs for the Blind - and is sprinkled with insights from pet owners, literature, myth, and fable to create a riveting and revolutionary portrayal of animal's lives that will permanently change and enrich the way you look at animals.

It's time to wake up to the true meaning of Universal Love!

[Lotus Feet]

It's time to wake up to the true meaning of Universal Love!

Indeed it is Richard. Can you walk the talk?

[Skeptical]

So am I crazy? I read ur post on elephants and agree. I get this incredible body overwhelm sense when I see animals mistreated or devalued. My friends etc. don't understand how I can have such an intense reaction to such things. What is it that I am sensing/relating too? I don't know what I believe in as far as religion goes, but I cannot deny that it hurts my "soul"? when I see humans treating other species as below them and not part of "everything" on a energy/quantum physics level.

[Richard Amiel McGough]

So am I crazy? I read ur post on elephants and agree. I get this incredible body overwhelm sense when I see animals mistreated or devalued. My friends etc. don't understand how I can have such an intense reaction to such things. What is it that I am sensing/relating too? I don't know what I believe in as far as religion goes, but I cannot deny that it hurts my "soul"? when I see humans treating other species as below them and not part of "everything" on a energy/quantum physics level.

Hey there Skeptical,

Empathy is a fundamental aspect of what it means to be human. There is a deep biological basis for it in mirror neurons. Have you heard about them? When we see something happening to another, neurons in our brain fire as if it were happening to ourselves. I notice this particularly when I watch something like a skateboarder fall on his tail bone. I can feel it in my own body.

People are wired differently. Some have almost no mirror neuron response (autism) while others have so much they can't bear to see any animal hurt. That sounds like you.

There is good reason it "hurts you soul." There is a strong biological basis for empathy. Mirror neurons exists in many species. They were first discovered when studying monkeys.

[Skeptical]

Thank u for ur response. Funny it was just it was just a week and a half ago that I came across an article about mirror neurons. I thought, how interesting, then I laughed. I laughed not because I did not believe in the validity of them, but because "mirror" was a psychological term to me. Why not some word that I could not pronounce instead of the simple "mirror?" I am sure I will be reading more about this neurobiological discovery. In 1988 the Stone Center at Wellsely College was exploring the theory of mutal relation.

Anyway, thank u for helping me feel less of freak. Just out of curiosity what state do u live in?

[Skeptical]

Do u quiet all the noise in the head, when u are so sensitive? How do u get beyond the exitsential despair? Fpr instance when I see a telephone pole, I think, shit that does not belong there.I feel like an alien in this world sometimes.