(thought i published this weeks ago but it seems it was waiting for me to do so, without further ado..)

It may seem as if I’m trying to humanize animals in my comparison soon to come, but I assure you I am not. Having said that lets get started. Think about all the animals that are eaten a year- that’s 10 billion in America alone. Now where are all these animals coming from? If you think natural procreation is the process you’re sadly mistaken. Let’s take the turkey for example. As we all know Americans have created a tradition of celebrating thanksgiving by feasting on a dead bird, the turkey. Since the demand for turkey is so high this time of year turkey production goes up, way up. I’ve recently come across the truth about the real way this high demand for turkeys is fulfilled. The happy little image we’ve imagined couldn’t be further from the truth. You know the one I’m talking abut, big open barn, lights turned down low, Barry White playing in the background while the turkeys blissfully sip their turkey-tenies and seduce one another. My happy little turkey love fest bubble has been burst. Someone actually has the job of masturbating the male turkeys, collect their sperm, and artificially-inseminate the female turkeys. I was absolutely appalled when I heard this. I find this disturbing on so many levels. I don’t feel that sexually violating another living, breathing being is any way to celebrate a holiday, even if it is tradition. Most people will argue humans are above nonhuman animals which I feel is preciously the reason they find this acceptable. But let me give you an example. Let’s take a 2 year old child for instance. Imagine an adult molesting this 2 year old. The child has no concept that what is being done is wrong even though the adult know this behavior is very wrong. Does it make it ok to do because the child doesn’t know? Of course not. An animal, just like a child can not defend it self. Children as well as animals trust us to take care of them, and not wrong them just because we have the power to do so. Just because we as humans have the ability to distinguish right from wrong doesn’t make us superior. Knowing right from wrong gives us power, and a responsibility to protect those who cannot protect themselves.

On the other side of this is the human performing such gratuitous acts. What kind of person is able to violate an animal in this way and be able to sleep at night? I assure you over time such a person will inevitably suffer from deeply routed and suppressed mental anguishes. Not only do we allow such unthinkable things to be done to innocent animals we have no problem inflicting suffering upon our own fellow humans. There are several books and studies devoted to the subject of the effects of working in a slaughter house. Research and studies have shown the instability of slaughter house workers have to shut off all ability to feel in order to perform their jobs so others can comfortably go to the grocery store and purchase their flesh products without ever having to look in the eyes of their victims. Studies have shown that domestic abuse and violence is higher and more brutal among families of slaughter house workers. Try thinking about all this the next time you carelessly reach for a piece of flesh to feast on.

Ignorance equals cruelty

(sorry this is kind of a personal rant, you may not fully understand without knowing all the details, if ur interested just ask i’m more than happy to share)

Yea so I had a kind of shitty day at work today. I will never understand why people are mean just to be mean. Sure we’ve all done or said things when we were young, maybe even picked on or bullied other kids, but once we get older we realize how cruel this is and learn to treat one another with kindness and respect. At least I like to think most people act this way. But I may, once again, be wrong, and have too much faith in the human race. Now I don’t know if it’s me personally, or that I’m Vegan, or even if I’ve done something to offend others but there seems to be a growing number of individuals I work with that feel it is their personal responsibility to constantly put me down, try to hurt me, or call me out on doing something wrong. (example if I were to unknowingly ingest an animal product) I have to tell you, I was holding back tears most of the day today, trying to hide them behind laughter. I can understand if someone doesn’t like me, I don’t have a problem with that. I don’t expect everyone to like me and vice versa, but to go out of your way to belittle me just doesn’t seem necessary. What I need to say to these people is I’m sorry if my beliefs and lifestyle offends you, or makes you uncomfortable, but I do not make my choices for you. Most of my choices aren’t even made for me but for the animals. I don’t go around putting everyone down for eating meat, or tell others not to eat it in my presence. What’s the big deal if someone who is not vegan wants to include me in office festivities by bringing in a vegan treat? Which by the way is something we all can enjoy.

Instead of getting worked up I’m going to try to remember to think about the sources of where all the ignorance and cruelty is coming from. I’ll try to paint a picture for you to explain the ignorant individuals I have to put up with every single day. First there’s ‘the leader’. I personally think she is a bit psychotic. Almost on a daily basis she first ropes me into a pointless argument on topics which we will probably never see eye to eye and she doesn’t even really care to understand where I’m coming from or what I’m saying. Then when I’m not around she talks about me to people who don’t even know me, and, I quote, call me ‘wacko’ because of whatever lies or distorted version she has told them about me. She constantly puts others down to make herself feel superior yet she went to all the ‘best schools’ and has done everything. You know the type, always has to one up every story she hears, and always has something to say. She’s prayed on some of my weaker minded coworkers and ‘recruited’ them to her ‘side’. Her newest follower, I’ve recently discovered, tells others not to be friends with me. Now I’ve have very few conversations with this woman I cant see what she could possibly have against me? Maybe she’s jealous that the person she goes on break with has become a friend of mine and we get together outside of work. But it’s not like I’ve taken a friend away from her, I don’t believe they’ve gone out many places outside of work so I really don’t get it. The third person has never really been very trustworthy anyhow. I’ve heard him speak unkindly about his ‘leader’ in the past so when they whisper about me I know that next week he’ll be talking about another person all the while calling them a ‘friend’. so really when it’s broken down these people are, sorry to say, kind of pathetic and going no where fast. Its really sad that the people ‘against’ me are nearly twice my age yet less mature. So you know what if it makes you feel good to try and ‘catch’ me doing something you think I shouldn’t or just making fun of me behind my back, go right a head. I will not be torn down. I will continue to stand strong and fight the fight for those who cant fight for themselves. You may hurt my feelings but you will never break me or my spirit. If ignorance equals cruelty as does in the case of certain coworkers then I am glad to no longer be blinded by it.

I sit here tonight plagued by my own thoughts. I am not sure I believe in reincarnation, but if there is such a thing I believe I have a very old soul. And to be honest the way the world is changing I’m not sure that given the choice I’d like to come back next time. All my life I’ve felt I was different. Not necessarily in a bad way, but just not normal, or like anyone else my age. It is a Friday night and I sit here with my thoughts while many people of my age are out among friends. Let’s see if I can help you understand my mind set. I find it rather interesting how my mind finds a way of connecting even the most mundane things. Earlier this week I witnessed a video that made the news of two teenage girls fighting in a school bathroom while another girl recorded the incident, then posted it on the internet. I began thinking how sad it is that after so many have fought and struggled for women’s liberation this is what we’ve come to. Just this evening I watched a film on the story of Beatrix Potter, the author of the beloved and best-selling children’s book, “The Tale of Peter Rabbit”. Even now as I write this I have to laugh knowing these two stories can hardly relate to one another, yet both have influenced my thoughts on the very same topic. I’ll try to explain. I can’t help but feel the more we gain as women the more we lose as well. This movie was set in a time when women had few rights. We were to marry to ensure our survival. Yet Beatrix Potter refused to condemn herself to this life. She refused to conform to society and became very successful as a writer thus not needing to take a husband (though she did eventually for love not necessity). The more rights and equalities we are granted, it seems the less we act as ladies and thus the less we are respected. Why have we come this far only to lose chivalry? No longer do many men act gentlemanly or women ladylike. I find this somewhat disturbing and dishonoring. What would be so wrong with a world that actually treated each sex with respect? I’m not suggesting we go back to the way things once were, but maybe if we were taught that we actually are all equal and deserve one another’s respect we wouldn’t have as many problems as we do in this world. (ie sexual harassment, discrimination, greedy corporation shareholders, dishonest politicians, etc.) Problems that we ourselves have created and allow to continue. Maybe it’s just as simple as bringing back manners into our teachings. Starting with please and thank you, holding doors open for one another, and not being in such a rush to get from one place to the next that we have complete disregard for any other living life. We’ve all become so consumed with what’s going in our own tiny bubble of the universe we’ve lost sight of the big picture. We are all here together but have somehow along the way become disconnected. We no longer have any need to just sit and enjoy one another’s company because of the invention of cell phones and e-mail. I fear children of the future won’t even have to ever leave their homes losing all abilities to communicate and have any face-to-face human contact what-so-ever. Speaking proper English and presenting a grammatically correct resume is already becoming a problem because the use of shorthand writing in every day life. I fear it’s almost gotten so bad that the only way to get things right would be to wipe the slate clean and start all over.