Humans are inherently selfish.

It is in our nature to want things for ourselves, regardless of the impact on others. Yet, we have trained ourselves to consider the effects of our choices on factors other than ourselves.

We are capable of realizing when situations are bigger than ourselves and for most reasonable people, a sense of guilt festers when we knowingly dismiss our conscious and pursue desires for selfish satisfaction.

I feel the most guilty when I hypocritically ignore the values that I preach ever so confidently.

When it comes to ethical living, I carry a strong, ecocentric worldview. In essence, ecocentrism is an environmental value system that respects the inherent value of all aspects of nature and believes that humans do not come first, but rather should live within their means and coexist with the earth's resources in order to sustain them.

It also means that I, like many others, believe in animal rights and, naturally, I enjoy zoos. However, as I grew in age and knowledge, I often found myself feeling guilty for supporting an industry that purchases animals and confines them behind bars for humans like myself to gawk at.

How is it fair that a creature is taken out of its home only to waste its life away for selfish entertainment?

And worst of all, how am I able to preach animals rights only to turn around and give money to the people who are capturing them from their homes?

Such a dilemma led me to a few conclusions:

The classic, yet valid justification of supporting zoos and aquariums is that many of these places are also centers for the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife. Otherwise, several serve as institutions of research that ultimately benefit the wildlife they maintain. Now, there are still Indian tigers in American zoos and polar bears swimming in tanks during the summertime, reeling in thousand of dollars from intrigued children, so this reasoning is only partially valid.

Education is another benefit of zoos: people learn about the wildlife through an interactive, entertaining experience. However, all the same information is available online. Is this selfish experience worth the cost of captivity? Perhaps.

Imagine you have never seen a fish or animal that is neither domesticated nor native to your area. Imagine you never saw those seahorses at the aquarium or the monkeys at the zoo.

Sure, we are surrounded by digital media depicting every creature in existence, but there are many things in life that cannot be appreciated unless experienced in person. Nature is one of these things. No matter how many pictures or documentaries one sees, gazing at the bellies of stingrays through a 30 feet tall glass pane is an experience that cannot be replaced by media.

Visiting zoos and aquariums brings all the media to life. We gain a new sense of awareness and appreciation for wildlife when seeing it in person, hence not just the permissibility of wildlife enclosures, but the importance of them. Yes, it does make my stomach turn when I think about the fact that cheetahs are for sale and zoos purchase them only to ship the cubs across the world and keep them in captivity for the rest of their lives, but it can arguably serve a greater good. Because of those few cheetahs enchanting passersby in zoos, the entire endangered species will receive greater protection from NGOs who have received funding from those passersby. Because of the dolphin exhibits, people may think twice before purchasing disposable water bottles because of the impact they have on ocean life.

It is important to note that this is an extremely optimistic perspective on zoos and humanity alike, as there are many industries that treat animals unethically and prioritize showbiz over sanctuary, but that doesn't mean we have to rule out the concept altogether. Perhaps there is a future for zoos that benefits everyone. The combination of ethical rescue and rehabilitation centers with people who make a conscious effort to preserve the nature they admire, can manifest positive change for the environment and the way we treat it.

Because at the end of the day, zoos and aquariums make people care, and to effect change, care is the first thing we need.