Kindness To Animals

A lady walked past my newly finished painting.  “Ohhh sooo cute” she exclaimed.  “What made you paint a pig?” she asked.  “I love pigs” I responded.   “…. and want to bring some light to how poorly they are treated”.  “Ooohh if only bacon didn’t taste so good!”  she said as she kept walking. 

I was left in the silence, trying to scramble to think of something that I could say for my Babe, my friend, one of the 4 million innocent pigs that are slaughtered every day for food.  One of the millions of pigs that lives her life in a concrete and metal prison, genetically modified to fatten faster, to feed our insatiable taste buds.

So many reasons not to eat meat

Actually there is a lot of good rational, logical information I could have said for my Babe, to speak up for her, for her right to a peaceful life, yet would it have been heard?  Would it have been heard through the many protective layers of psychology of someone who enjoys the taste of the smokey bacon?  The nitrate infused flesh of a dismembered body, that once belonged to a living, breathing, loving pig. 

I could have told this woman that animal agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gases, and is destroying the well being of the planet and her children’s future.  I could have told her that bacon has been classified as carcinogenic by the World Health Organisation.  I could have told her that meat workers have some of the highest rates of mental health issues.  I could have told her that Babe’s feelings do matter…… but would she have heard it? 

Cognitive Dissonance with eating animals

A bacon lover doesn’t likely see the carcinogens, the hidden bacteria and antibiotics, the torture, the extreme confinement, nor hear the gritting screams as her head is dismembered. That is blocked out by something called cognitive dissonance.  The disconnect between the part of them that loves animals and abhors animal cruelty, and the part of them that believes it cannot give up meat. 

A bacon lover’s stomach loves the smells, the crunchy taste, the feeling it creates inside of them.  That indulgent feeling speaks louder than Babe’s long suffering torture.  Out of sight, out of mind.  Much easier that way. 

I know this because I used to do this.  A Sunday bacon fry up was a regular for me – along with the eggs, the mushrooms, the toast and the tomatoes.  That was before I heard her screams with my own ears.  This was before I witnessed my friend end up as a head on the table, and legs hanging off the wall – the rest of her body in the fridge.  This was in Nicaragua, visible in a family home, rather than hidden behind the veils of an abattoir in the West.

Kindness is our true nature

My kindness and empathy ignited that day to know that this bacon habit wasn’t okay for me.  That those terrified screams belonged to my friend, my friend who loved tummy rubs and affection as much as any dog.  My friend who actually had more intelligence than a dog.  My friend who loved to be loved as much as any single one of us.

That was the day that my bacon habit died and I dream that this habit will die for every single one of us.  Perhaps some of you will find a scripture to justify your addiction, but is this love?  What part of you is motivating the use of a scripture to justify your habit?  Is it fear or is it love?  This is a genuine question.  Take some time to sense into where in the body this is coming from.

We know that pure love thinks of others.  That pure love cares, and that pure love protects the innocent and we know that pure love is God.

Let’s live from our power centre

There is another way.  A kinder way.  A more considerate way.  A more loving way.  A way where we can live in harmony with each other, with God’s law, the land and the animals.  Where Babe is our friend rather than or dinner.  Yet are you ready?  Are you ready to live the love that you already are and just let Babe be? To place another’s well being along side your own self motivated flesh eating craving.

This is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition.