Saving the earth from the climate crisis will require us to forego our sense of superiority over other living creatures and choose to go vegan.
I have been living in the forest for 4 months now. Wild monkeys, goats, dee, elephants, foxes, snakes, and falcons visit me and my family. Our most frequent visitors, wild monkeys, are a family of six. They scratch each other staring at us for long hours looking for a chance to get some food. Sometimes they are just cuddling and sun bathing. They are a strong family looking out for each other. Just by being in the presence of these animals it becomes very obvious that they are experiencing life like humans are.
The last four months have written on me that I am also an animal and am supposed to live in symbiosis with other species and nature. By living in symbiosis with other animals, I mean appreciating the fact that all animals feel and think. They are brought into existence, just like humans, to explore and live their life, not to be treated as objects or resources for human convenience.
‘Life is life — whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man’s own advantage.’
—Sri Aurobindo
In a city life this can be easily understood by observing the species that’s the closest to humans: dogs. I know when my dog feels different emotions like happiness, sadness, anxiety, anger and love. I know he wants love when he comes to me and rolls down on the floor for a tummy rub. I know he feels guilty when he looks at me with big eyes and a shy expression after breaking something. He feels anxious and makes sad sounds when I am leaving the house. He feels super happy when I come back home, he runs around the whole house in joy, what a blessing! I can’t even think about hurting him, very much like I wouldn’t want to inflict any pain on my human family.
My kittens used to wake up in the night just to lick and kiss their siblings for 2 minutes and then would sleep again. Imagine how beautiful it is to be sleeping with a friend who wakes up kisses you and goes to sleep again. The kittens would also jump around playing with each other all day long.
Cats and dogs are domesticated animals, but wild animals are no different in terms of thinking, feeling, and wanting to live. Certain fishes and octopus use tools and also teach their children how to use them. If you give electric shock to fishes, they develop anxiety disorders and stop going out to their safe area. If given a dose of human medicine, the same fishes start exploring the surrounding areas again. They — all animals — fear pain and embrace freedom.
The civilized human is out of touch with nature and their true compassionate nature. They are so lost in their identity that they consider themselves superior to other species. A lot of people say they don’t want to support animal abuse, but they still do so, because their desire to follow the norms of our society outweighs their desire to protect animals. We eat, wear, and consume dead animals and their products, because this is how we were raised.
‘The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man. ‘
— Charles Darwin
Every day billions of cows, pigs, hens and other animals are abused and tortured in the animal agriculture industry. These animals have a terrible life, a life which probably humans would not even be able to struggle through. They live in fear and pain, see their loved ones suffer and die in from of them day by day.
Animal farming is also one of the largest contributors to environmental pollution and the spread of infectious diseases in humans. The striking point is that by our actions we are becoming a threat to our own species. We are consuming natural resources not out of need but out of greed. So many humans, not just other animals, are suffering and dying because of animal farming.
The only way towards liberation of humans, other animals, and the planet is by making a change. You may not be able to dismantle the industry that hurts animals by yourself, but you can, all by yourself, make choices that set an example of kindness and compassion. You can opt out — stop placing humans at the top of a pyramid that doesn’t exist — and go vegan, refusing to participate in the cruelty we inflict on other species.
‘If only we can overcome cruelty, to human and animal, with love and compassion we shall stand at the threshold of a new era in human moral and spiritual evolution — and realize, at last, our most unique quality: humanity.’
— Jane Goodall
Original source: https://medium.com