My sister (Meagan) has asked me to blog on her page tonight on a few issues that usually come up. The below statement is my answer.
~Anyone that knows me knows about my passion for animals, animal rights and educating the people about these issues.
There isn't a day that goes by when we, as the public, are not bombarded with images of suffering and neglected animals, many of which are in our own community. Who hasn't seen the horrendous pictures of dogs and cats crammed into diminutive cages, suffocating in their own filth?
What we dont realize, is that so much of the suffering is never broadcast to the public. So much of it is going on as "underground" occurrences, hidden away from public eye. Meat markets, slaughter houses, factory-farmed poultry. How many of us don't know, and never will know, the agony, torment, and torture these animals go through just so we as society have meat for our daily meals? Do we think about it when we purchase that half-pound of ground beef at our local markets, or chicken breast fillets from the immense coolers? I'm sure we let the thought slip into our minds, if only for a moment, but most of us shut it out, myself included.
When my sister, Meagan, animal advocate extraordinaire (no sarcasm intended) tried years ago to get me to watch a video on what really goes on in the slaughter houses, I flat-out refused. Its not that I'm naive to the happenings of these places, its that I know the horror of it would leave me scarred. Am I wrong to turn my back and "justify" my nightly meals of flesh? I dont feel exonerated from the guilt, nor do I feel above answerability. But I do feel self-condemnation. Would it make any difference at all if I was the one to raise and slaughter my pork and poultry? Fish wild salmon from our rivers? Should I be teaching my children these ways? Do I have the right to ask my husband to change as well?
The truth is I don't know. I wish I could say that tomorrow myself and my family will renounce our carnality, that we will go back to the time when early humans foraged for food, taking protein from nuts, legumes, and vegetables. But didnt those early humans eventually evolve into a meat-eating order as well? Would our brains, our SPECIES be where it is today without meat protein? I guess we will never know. But the truth is that we should all take a good, hard look at how humans treat our "food" before it hits our dinner plates.
I have stopped eating meat not for any other reason that it just does not agree with me. Maybe its my body telling me that I don't need to be a carnivour. I don't think that you have to turn into a Vegan just because you are embarking on a Dolphin cause. Its great to see that you are aware of the atrocities. You can find protein for other foods. Good luck on your new adventure and hope to read some of your blogs from when you and your family are in Taiji.
ReplyDeleteThe above post was from my guest blogger, my sister. She wrote the above statement about to "Meat or not to meat" I asked my sis to post a word or two on her view. She is realistic yet concerned.
ReplyDeleteAs for my husband and I, we are vegan , and I will keep blogging on the animal issues. Thank you for your post,
Meagan