CO-AUTHOR of ‘Awareness’, Gene Stone, pontificating on unconditional love, posits: “If you consider yourself an animal-lover, you would like to think that you understand them. After all, true love begins with understanding, doesn’t it?”

But stop for a second and consider: What if the animal in your life suddenly gained a human-level consciousness, and you could talk to him or her, one-on-one? What would you say? What would you ask?

We’ve wondered for years how animals learn to love, as we marvel over the bonds they nurture among themselves as well as with humans. It’s why we “ooh” and “ahh” over YouTube videos of dogs cuddling babies, and funny GIF roundups of cats. But the reality is not rosy-coloured: The relationship between humans and animals has not always been a loving one.

As a population, we’ve mistreated generations of animals with our negligence, and wiped out entire species with our greed.

That is the premise behind ‘The Awareness’, a remarkable fiction novel (co-written by Gene Stone and Jon Doyle), in which all mammals on Earth are suddenly gifted with a human-level consciousness. In particular, the story follows four animals gifted with awareness: A wild bear roaming through the Yukon; a circus elephant in Texas; a house-dog in suburban New York; and a farm pig in the South. Some revolt against humanity; some protect their human caretakers; and some stand indifferently, simply taking in their new surroundings.

Together, they offer a straightforward, heart-wrenching narrative that gives us a sneak peek into the life of an animal living in a human’s world.

Gene Stone, speaking about the deeper intricacies of the human-animal relationship explored in this book, said: “Human relationships are so complicated, that when it comes to our animal companions, we just want to assume they are there for us, no matter what. It’s so much easier to have a dog around the house than a partner. And for the most part, we are kind to our dogs and cats. But too often, people forget that animals have feelings and emotions, and they neglect them.

“In New York City shelters alone, 300 cats and dogs are put down a week — sometimes because people don’t neuter or spay them, and because they just throw them out on the street. If animals are willing to give us their unconditional love, it’s our job to give it back to them.

“Part of the point of the novel is to remind people that treating animals well is a mark of good character and a good country. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a society and its moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals.”

There’s never been a time when people have been so exposed to animal cuteness. Google “cute animals”, and you get millions of results. There’s something about animals looking adorable that makes us all take a moment and smile. We don’t then associate those warm feelings with our own treatment of animals. For instance, baby pigs are all over YouTube because they’re just so darn adorable. But even though many people know how horribly they are treated at factory farms, they still eat them.

Paul McCartney once said, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.”

The authors of ‘Awareness’ chose four characters to represent all mammals: An elephant in a circus in Texas; a pig in a hog farm in North Carolina; a dog in New York State; and the bear in the Yukon.

The dog knows humans well, and loves them; he has a terrible time trying to decide what to do when the war between humans and animals begins. The elephant and the pig have been badly treated, and hate or fear humans; they’re ready for action. But the bear has never met a human; he has to learn about the interaction between humans and animals; that’s why he’s the most complicated character.
The thrust of the book, according to the authors, is that people often forget that animals have families: They have mothers and fathers and brothers. Obviously, that’s more meaningful for some species than others, but, for instance, elephants and bears are very aware of their families. The more people are willing to entertain the idea that animals are very much like humans (or that humans are very much like animals), the more likely we are to respect them.

The bear’s ability to love is one of the major themes of the book. Unlike the other animals, who are already filled with anger, resentment, or hostility, the bear is open to whatever his experiences reveal to him. So he experiments with his newfound awareness and all the emotions it brings. He tries both loving a human and going to war against them, to see where he stands. In the end, it’s the battle that takes place in his mind between war and peace — and his eventual understanding that this really isn’t about mammals versus humans, but good creatures versus bad ones — that drives the book.

The elephant is guided in part by her terrible memories of her family being slaughtered. The pig is flabbergasted when she realizes that humans are allowed to have families and loving lives, and she cries when she realizes that she cannot have this.

The dog is very much in love with his companion, Jessie, a young girl who loves him back, and he can’t bear the thought of hurting her. But at the same time, he feels the ancient call to war.

And the bear, as mentioned above, decides that love is what matters, no matter what species you are, no matter how aware you are.

Another one of the major points of the book is that it’s hard to be human. Each of the animals at some point realizes that all the thinking that humans do, all the thoughts and worries and conflicts — these are not easy! Awareness has a price.

But both Jon and I think that, even with all the difficulties awareness brings, all the animals are grateful for the chance to be able to think, to wonder, to dream, and to be able to express all this. No one said being conscious was easy. It’s not. But it has its rewards.

A loving bond between an animal and a human is not more special than between humans, according to the authors; it is merely special in a different way. But there’s something so remarkable about inter-species love that makes all of us smile.

The most common animal videos on YouTube are ones of different animals who’ve become each other’s best friends — a horse and a cat, a dog and a parrot, a goat and a cow, etc.

‘Awareness’ explores the possibility of a day when all the mammals get awareness and they go to war against humans; but the title is something of a double entendre. It is also about what the authors imagine will be an increasing amount of awareness that takes place among people who read the book about animals and their plight.

Animal rights activist Syeadha Manbodh and other animal lovers would love this book, because it explores the lives of animals and the animal-like behaviour of the human species.

In any event, ‘Awareness’ has the potential to make those who see animals as creatures without feelings and emotions take a more in-depth look at the behaviour of animals, and probably become aware that animals are more capable of unconditional love than humans.