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The high demand for meat products means that thousands of animals are bred for lives in captivity, tortured and ultimately killed.

Sometimes I stop and think deeply about the world we live in today, and I can’t help but feel sad. We live in a world that has been disturbed by humans. Greenhouse gasses pollute the earth. Forests have been destroyed. Animals have lost their homes and gone extinct.

Take a moment to let that sink in – there are animals who once walked this earth with us, but they never will again. People focus on building up their corporate empires at the expense of the environment and the animals. So, when it comes to eating meat, how have we as humans decided which species lives are worth saving, and which are not?

It’s simple really. Over the years, we have domesticated a number of animals. From those, we selected a few to keep as pets, including cats and dogs. We have come to associate feelings of love and warmth with our pets. Therefore, we consider them part of our family, and it would be unfathomable to serve them up on a silver platter. While there is an agreement in the US that cats, dogs, and our other pets should not be killed and consumed by humans, it poses the question as to why much of society fails to use that same thought process in reference to other helpless creatures.

It really boils down to this: people have been conditioned to believe that the lives of pigs and cows aren’t worth saving. As a result, much of society feels no guilt eating these animals, and the high demand for meat in America remains. We can try to deny it all we want, but the fact of the matter is that humans love meat. Most people have developed an indifference towards livestock, including chickens, cows, and pigs. They don’t stop to think about where their meat comes from or what they are actually doing – consuming an innocent, once-living animal.

What’s more, many people are not educated on the horrors that occur behind closed doors at factory farms. As the saying goes, ignorance is bliss. When it comes to the meatpacking industry in America, there is a lot of secrecy surrounding what really goes on.

If everyone in the world knew that cows and pigs are packed in cages like sardines and that they often reach the point of being too sick to stand at the end of their lives, there would be many people who would gain a new perspective of the meat industry. If people could be made to see that pigs are intelligent, loving, communicative, and feel pain, just like cats and dogs, they may change their views.

Instead, people ignore the truth. Society continues to push the idea that pigs are disgusting, dirty creatures, and thus, discredit the fact that the lives of all animals have value. Nonetheless, it would be wrong to give up the fight for all animals to be treated with love and compassion.

Our world is capable of change, but we cannot simply wait for it to occur. We have the right, the duty, and the power to use our voices and take action. Therefore, I urge you to take a stance and play a part. Make little choices each day that will impact the world in a positive way. If you’re already vegan, try doing more proactive activism. If you’re eating animals, try cutting back – start with one day a week. Don’t wait for change to happen. Be the change.”

Original source: https://medium.com