Glf:Closing Remarks
The lives of farmed animals can best be described as ones of commodified abusive servitude ending in brutal slaughter at a young age.
When viewed objectively, free from the fog of our cultural norms, our treatment and slaughter of animals, by any standard of justice, cannot be considered humane, regardless of any humane-sounding labels that may be attached to their packaged flesh and secretions..
In all the ways that matter ethically, a dog is a cat is a cow is a pig is a chicken is a fish, yet the animals we treat as mere commodities before we slaughter them are no less deserving of their lives than wild animals or the pets we adore and protect.
They have desires, preferences, and emotions, just like us.
They have a sense of themselves, a sense of the future, and a will to live, like us.
They have families and communities.
They feel pain, just like we do.
They are each individuals; somebodies not some things, and what happens to them matters to them.
They are here, sharing this beautiful little planet with us, not for us, and deserve to be treated with respect.
Not as property.
Not as living factories to convert feed into flesh.
Not as the raw material for maximum profits.
Not as carcasses to be consumed for pleasures of the palate.
The billions of farmed animals and fish that are slaughtered each and every year have done nothing to deserve having their throats slit, then being hung up, bled out, passed around on conveyor belts, chopped into pieces, and wrapped in cellophane, just because we like the way they taste.
For us it’s a meal enjoyed then soon forgotten: for them, it’s their very lives.
For each of us, our personal culpability for this suffering, our personal responsibility will end only when we change our personal choices. There is power in the purse.
As we stop buying products made from animals for food and other uses, they will stop being bred, abused, and slaughtered for food and other uses.
So, if you think it's a good thing to be a voice for those least able to advocate for themselves,
if you wish to expand your circle of compassion and justice to all sentient beings,
if you believe that non-human animals are worthy of moral consideration,
consider making a change—connect to the best part of who you are and live out those values of compassion, justice, and non-violence—values you already hold.
I don’t think there’s anything else we could do that would have such positive consequences on so many fronts, to the benefit of both human and non-human animals, than going vegan and leaving animals and animal products off your plate.
Being vegan will prevent the suffering of many innocent lives who would otherwise be born or hatched into a system of brutality,
and being vegan will give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing you’re no longer contributing to the violence that is an unavoidable consequence of buying products made with violence.
In addition, the other benefits to humans are substantial. The science is clear that it will lower your risk for chronic disease, diminish your footprint on the planet, and promote a more efficient food system better capable of feeding the world’s starving, hungry and impoverished.
Henry David Thoreau said he had no doubt that it’s the “destiny of the human race … to leave off eating animals.” I believe Thoreau was right about our future, and I believe this is our opportunity to be on the right side of history before it becomes the norm.
Imagine a future where all sentient beings are allowed to live their lives without human oppression.
Imagine a future where we can feed every child on our planet without destroying the planet.
Imagine a future of better health and vitality for everyone.
This can be our future, but it all depends, so much depends, on the choices we make every day.
I'll close with this final thought from Albert Einstein: “Those who have the privilege to know have the duty to act.”
Thank you for listening.
