My heart hurts. I think I got about halfway through this before I started crying. What is hardest is that I knew all of this information with my head but seeing the reality of it makes my heart ache.
I've tried to be patient. I've tried to be open and receptive and not push an agenda... just inform and help be an example, but it is so hard. When someone sits in front of me and orders a meal with meat or eggs or butter, all I see is the death and suffering that went into creating that meal. The death and suffering that happens to animals so very much like the ones that I hold dear.
I see the hens suffering and being abused and killed and it hurts. I would give anything to have my Napoleon back and to keep Meg and Gertie safe and others just treat similar animals with hate and disregard. They treat them worse than garbage and value them so little.
And to know that this happens to billions of animals all over the world is horrifying. To know that it is unnecessary and that the alternatives are so much better for our health and our earth overall but are ignored or even reviled just makes it even harder.
I can't spare myself from looking or talking about this because that would not help create change. I have to keep giving the message and bringing it to those around me. I am willing to share my sadness because I hope it will maybe inspire someone to take a look at the images and maybe make a change, however small themselves.
At the minimum you should watch the images and learn more about the animals that become your food and how they are treated before hand. These are animals that you put into your body, into your mouth. It is important to understand the origins so that you can be informed. People are more informed about the cleansers they use in their house or their shampoo than they are about there food.
If you only watch for that reason, you should watch and learn...
Sites to learn more:
- Meat.org
- World Day for the Abolition of Meat
- Chicken Industry.com
- Compassion Over Killing
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
My Heart Hurts
Hunt and Peck
abuse,
activism,
animal rights,
animal welfare,
animals,
factory farming,
vegan,
vegetarian
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
It's insane that the USA allows battery cage hens and all of the other abuses that occur in our "food industry" - arghhhh
hi- I don't mean this in a snarky way at all, but how do you reconcile your vegetarianism with the leather shoes you post about on your other blog? It's something I struggle with myself and am interested in your ideas.
Not snarky at all and a very good question. The answer is: I'm not sure that I have. Reconciled myself to it I mean.
I love shoes and shoe designs. And a lot of the time, especially lately, I have been looking at them more from an art standpoint. But I've also been trying to feature more eco and animal friendly shoes too. The biggest challenges are style and availability. This is changing but slowly. Designers like Stella McCartney are showing that you can have high fashion and be compassionate but it is obviously slow. Leather is a hard one to get rid of. Even fur, which is totally un-neccesary is still used (which I hate the most and is one of the cruelest industries).
For me personally, I've actully stopped buying a lot of shoes. Surprising I know. I do still have the ones I bought in the past. I'm not burying them in the backyard or anything like that yet, but I am cutting way way back on my purchasing.
All that said, my answer is... I don't know. I'm just trying to figure it out and take it one day at a time. Not the greatest answer I guess.
Luv
Poochie
My mom worked in a chicken factory in high school and while there she contracted a horrible disease due to the breathing conditions and had her finger chopped off in a machine (they sewed it back on). I think it's one of the reasons I've never cared much for chicken.
(I do eat meat by the way, though rarely and I try to only buy organic or free range)
I share your feelings of being distracted by those who are eating meat across the table from me. I try so hard not to be "preachy" (at least in person - my blog is a different story), but it is REALLY HARD to bite my tongue when all I can think about is the abuse that went into their meal. It makes me so sad that people don't know, or worse, don't care. I try to remind myself that outspoken vegans often push people in the opposite direction and that I should just hope to inspire by setting a good example. But it's SO HARD.
If you have any advice on how you manage yourself in these situations, let me know!
Post a Comment