Walt Whitman

I think I could turn and live awhile with the animals ... they are so placid and self-contained, I stand and look at them sometimes half the day long. They do not sweat and whine about their condition, They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins, They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God, Not one is dissatisfied ... not one is demented with the mania of owning things, Not one kneels to another nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago, Not one is respectable or industrious over the whole earth. — Walt Whitman

As Walt Whitman explains in his poem he believes that living with animals would be a better alternative than living with humans for several reasons. Whitman argues that they are a simpler kind and do not focus on worrying about their lives, but instead enjoy living. Whitman argues that as humans we are never satisfied with what we have and instead stay up late at night and worry about our religions, our sins, and our materialistic items. Animals do not worry about all this. They do not care nor worry about religion, their personal belongings or anything else; the only thing animals worry about is living their lives in a manner that will give them the greatest chance of survival.