The Vegan Evolution: A New Era for Humanity
posted by: Angel Flinn 52 days ago
"It often happens that the universal belief of one age, a belief from which no one was free, or could be free, without an extraordinary effort of genius or courage, becomes to a subsequent age, so palpable an absurdity that the only difficulty is to imagine how such an idea could ever have been deemed credible."
—John Stuart Mill
The vegan ideal embodies the highest of ethical aspirations – non-violence, justice and compassion toward the innocent. Yet this deep and powerful value system continues to be marginalized by society. The example set by those who embrace these principles is too often vehemently opposed, trivialized or simply ignored. But the effects of this paradigm shift in perception are far-reaching, and the rewards beyond measure.
And yet, it somehow appears that the light of veganism is so bright that people are afraid to open their eyes to it, even individuals whose eyes are open to the truth behind other social causes. What is it that makes us cling so stubbornly to a practice that is clearly unnecessary, devastatingly cruel, and, if left unchecked, will almost certainly end up destroying us?
More and more people are recognizing the prejudice and injustice inherent in enslaving and slaughtering animals, in order to feed our appetite for flesh, eggs and milk. It is no secret that animal concentration camps create breeding grounds for all sorts of infectious diseases. It's also becoming known that animal products are detrimental to human health, and that animal agriculture, including 'free-range' and 'organic', is implicated in some of the worst crimes against the planet. Even the truth about the animal industry's role in world hunger and food shortages is starting to come into the open.
With all the advancements of human 'civilization', our addiction to killing keeps us in the dark ages. It inhibits us from cultivating our capacity for kindness, empathy, and justice; the very qualities we need to develop if we are to move forward into a safe and prosperous future, in which we do not fear one another.
In a world that makes little of preying upon the innocent, showing callous disregard for the pain and suffering of animals is not just accepted, but is frequently promoted in different forms by our society. Why would this be, when so many of us feel such a strong bond and love for animals?
Animals remind us of our own connection with (and separation from) the natural world, a world we once shared with them. Out of our intense desire to leave behind a way of life where daily survival had to be fought for, we managed to climb out of the world of nature, leaving behind the terror of the predatory paradigm. But rather than using our position of advantage to help our fellow animals, we have used it to further oppress them, and to push them into lives of even more fear, more pain, and more suffering, this time at the hands of those who claim to have evolved beyond their animal instincts to become creatures of moral conscience. It is for this reason that we feel guilty when we look at animals, because something inside us knows that we have betrayed them, and we continue to betray them, on a massive scale.
Animals value their lives, and strive to be free from pain. Since the same qualities exist in us, empathizing with them comes naturally. When we suppress that empathy, it makes it impossible for us to look more deeply into the true nature of animals, and the rest of the natural world that they rely on for survival.
Indifference toward the suffering of other creatures is an accepted societal norm that calls out for us to remember what basic human values are: justice, empathy, compassion and respect; for the natural world, for the other animals, and for our fellow humans. By re-evaluating and renewing our commitment to these fundamental values, and by calling attention to the need for an ethical evolution, we can create new standards of behavior, motivated by our desire to be better people. Only in this way will we become deserving of the position of stewardship that our physical evolution has granted us, but which we have rejected in favor of self-serving domination.
All over the world, animals are imprisoned, enslaved, tortured and violently killed, and all over the world, people who are otherwise kind, gentle and caring, continue to ignore this unspeakable suffering. And yet we wonder why the human race is plagued by violence on a world-wide scale. We go about our business, acting as though this state of violence does not indicate something terribly disturbing about our psychological state, individually and as a whole. Our lack of concern for innocent beings has caused us to de-sensitize ourselves to suffering, which in turn enables us to inflict pain on each other.
In the words of Russian novelist Count Leo Tolstoy:
"As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields."
The vegan ideal is at the core of the shift from predation to protection and from prejudice to justice; an essential step into a way of living that is more suited to the nature of people who care about the suffering of others, and who can empathize with another's situation. The vegan solution contains within it the power to solve even the most overwhelming problems we are facing, on every level from personal to planetary.
If we are to have a future, the people who live in that future will not be addicted to products that are a result of exploitation, suffering and environmental devastation. They will not source their food from animal farms or slaughterhouses, but from fertile gardens, vibrant orchards and veganic farms. People will be kind, compassionate, gentle and just.
This quantum leap in perception may seem unlikely from the position we are in today, but it is within this very change that our hope for the future lies.
—John Stuart Mill
The vegan ideal embodies the highest of ethical aspirations – non-violence, justice and compassion toward the innocent. Yet this deep and powerful value system continues to be marginalized by society. The example set by those who embrace these principles is too often vehemently opposed, trivialized or simply ignored. But the effects of this paradigm shift in perception are far-reaching, and the rewards beyond measure.
And yet, it somehow appears that the light of veganism is so bright that people are afraid to open their eyes to it, even individuals whose eyes are open to the truth behind other social causes. What is it that makes us cling so stubbornly to a practice that is clearly unnecessary, devastatingly cruel, and, if left unchecked, will almost certainly end up destroying us?
More and more people are recognizing the prejudice and injustice inherent in enslaving and slaughtering animals, in order to feed our appetite for flesh, eggs and milk. It is no secret that animal concentration camps create breeding grounds for all sorts of infectious diseases. It's also becoming known that animal products are detrimental to human health, and that animal agriculture, including 'free-range' and 'organic', is implicated in some of the worst crimes against the planet. Even the truth about the animal industry's role in world hunger and food shortages is starting to come into the open.
With all the advancements of human 'civilization', our addiction to killing keeps us in the dark ages. It inhibits us from cultivating our capacity for kindness, empathy, and justice; the very qualities we need to develop if we are to move forward into a safe and prosperous future, in which we do not fear one another.
In a world that makes little of preying upon the innocent, showing callous disregard for the pain and suffering of animals is not just accepted, but is frequently promoted in different forms by our society. Why would this be, when so many of us feel such a strong bond and love for animals?
Animals remind us of our own connection with (and separation from) the natural world, a world we once shared with them. Out of our intense desire to leave behind a way of life where daily survival had to be fought for, we managed to climb out of the world of nature, leaving behind the terror of the predatory paradigm. But rather than using our position of advantage to help our fellow animals, we have used it to further oppress them, and to push them into lives of even more fear, more pain, and more suffering, this time at the hands of those who claim to have evolved beyond their animal instincts to become creatures of moral conscience. It is for this reason that we feel guilty when we look at animals, because something inside us knows that we have betrayed them, and we continue to betray them, on a massive scale.
Animals value their lives, and strive to be free from pain. Since the same qualities exist in us, empathizing with them comes naturally. When we suppress that empathy, it makes it impossible for us to look more deeply into the true nature of animals, and the rest of the natural world that they rely on for survival.
Indifference toward the suffering of other creatures is an accepted societal norm that calls out for us to remember what basic human values are: justice, empathy, compassion and respect; for the natural world, for the other animals, and for our fellow humans. By re-evaluating and renewing our commitment to these fundamental values, and by calling attention to the need for an ethical evolution, we can create new standards of behavior, motivated by our desire to be better people. Only in this way will we become deserving of the position of stewardship that our physical evolution has granted us, but which we have rejected in favor of self-serving domination.
All over the world, animals are imprisoned, enslaved, tortured and violently killed, and all over the world, people who are otherwise kind, gentle and caring, continue to ignore this unspeakable suffering. And yet we wonder why the human race is plagued by violence on a world-wide scale. We go about our business, acting as though this state of violence does not indicate something terribly disturbing about our psychological state, individually and as a whole. Our lack of concern for innocent beings has caused us to de-sensitize ourselves to suffering, which in turn enables us to inflict pain on each other.
In the words of Russian novelist Count Leo Tolstoy:
"As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields."
The vegan ideal is at the core of the shift from predation to protection and from prejudice to justice; an essential step into a way of living that is more suited to the nature of people who care about the suffering of others, and who can empathize with another's situation. The vegan solution contains within it the power to solve even the most overwhelming problems we are facing, on every level from personal to planetary.
If we are to have a future, the people who live in that future will not be addicted to products that are a result of exploitation, suffering and environmental devastation. They will not source their food from animal farms or slaughterhouses, but from fertile gardens, vibrant orchards and veganic farms. People will be kind, compassionate, gentle and just.
This quantum leap in perception may seem unlikely from the position we are in today, but it is within this very change that our hope for the future lies.
Read more: vegan, compassion, ethics, nonviolence, animal welfare, animal rights
comments
Thank you for this great article. I have translated it in Czech and would like to publish it in the Czech Republic in one of its major magazines/newspapers.
Please, contact me at jcejka2cat@aol.com.
Thanks!
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Hi everyone,
Despite the heated nature of this debate, I appreciate the participation of everyone who has attempted to bring some reasonable input to the table.
Although I am aware that we are dealing with an issue that is very, very sensitive, in my opinion, it is regrettable that this discussion became so personal and hostile.
In the next debate, if there is one, hopefully participants will be more courteous toward those with differing views.
We can disagree, and we can even be passionate about where we stand, but it seems to me that we would all benefit from becoming more gentle, and perhaps, in that way, the discussion would be able to go further and deeper.
Just my two cents worth.
Again, I want to thank everyone who has attempted to shine a light on the finer points of this subject.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Fine; take it at face value.
It's an "us vs. them" argument.
So what? Why is that remotely relevant?
We're STILL arguing for the rights of sentient nonhumans. They're STILL arguing for the supposed "right" to do to nonhumans as they please.
The intentional distraction doesn't really change anything.
Yes, it's "us" vs. "you." So what?
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
"R. Bird you consistently are a very hostile and authoritative person regarding the eating of meat. I am not 'pissed off' at anyone other than Ward who right from the getgo that I saw on this thread was incredibly arrogant and ignorant of others and their opinions. Period. A fanatic is a fanatic is a fanatic. I've said several times there are vegans who are NOT fanatics."
Blah blah blah...same rhetoric, different day (abused and suppressed group).
There were "nice" people who begged and pleaded others to stop slavery, and then there was Harriet Tubman, who demanded it. There were "nice" women who begged and pleaded for the simple right to vote, and then there was Susan B. Anthony, who demanded it. There were "nice people" who begged and pleaded for unity and equality, and then there was Martin Luther King, Jr., who demanded it.
There area lots of "quiet, nice vegans" who beg and plead for the for moral and ethical treatement of other creatures, and the acknowledgement that they have rights as well - something the French government now recognizes for all Great Apes.
And then there is me, demanding that humans be accountable for their actions.
I demand nothing for myself, but my demands are on behalf of those abused BECAUSE they do not "speak" in our ssciety.
You have internalized and personalized this moral disucssion as a "me vs. you argument" to personalize it as yet another form of self-absorbed foot-dragging to make it "all about you."
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Why does human suffering matter more than non-human suffering? Because humans have told themselves they get to do whatever they want to non-humans?
Why should we be concerned one way or the other about support from non-vegans for non-animal rights issues? How is this anything other than an intentional distraction?
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I often hear vegans being called fanatics. Let me explain why you may consider me a fanatic and then maybe you'll understand why vegans are so passionate: animals with feelings are constantly enslaved and tortured for our pleasure. Clearly, the majority of humans think that this is okay AND IT"S SO FAR FROM OKAY. I consider the willful infliction of pain on others to be madness and such madness is pre-dominant. That is why vegans are so passionate. And if anybody like kenneth l wants to call me a fanatic because I love animals and despise their unnecessary suffering, then so be it.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Lionel - you make an excellent point about the killing of innocent civilians. It is a tragedy beyond words that not only are so many senseless wars fought (many by the U.S., sorry to say), but innocent civilians and soldiers are killed. Iraq is a great example - why are we there?!! It's infuriating. Then, on top of a disastrous war, innocents are killed. I totally agree with you on that, but I just wish you would also support the end of humans abusing animals. That is also a tragedy.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Kenneth :
"There never WILL be anything worth having in life or the world UNLESS it is done by those who had freedom of choice and made up their own minds about things".
*Vegans extend that very notion to nonhuman beings.
*You seem to uphold this 'right'only for human beings.
Just because we can't check in with animals regarding 'making up their minds' as to whether they want to be exploited doesn't give us the authority to go ahead and do it.That is speciesist. Animals show quite clearly that they don't want to die or suffer.Even if they couldn't, your notion that 'freedom of choice'is the defining character of a meaningful life should be enough to behave towards other sentient life with the same respect.
You don't like being dominated by others in your *choices*, so why should you dominate/kill other (beings) with yours?
Life is precious to all. There is one (known)opportunity to be alive in this universe sandwiched in between a past and future eternity of nothingness. How could one possibly bring sentient life into this world for the sole purpose of snuffing it out for human-only ends...ends that can be met without doing this?
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
That humans presume animals are well cared for while alive doesn't make the act of killing and eating them acceptable.
By this rationale, If I treat my slaves well, I can own humans?
That the anti-vegan contingent is here trying to spin this as fanaticism is irrelevant. *All* movements for social justice are ridiculed by the folks who find those movements threatening. What humans tell themselves about any of this is unimportant; the lives of the animals killed for no reason matter far more than any human opinion about "fanatics."
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
* Go ahead smoke away. Destroy your own
health. I really don't care - yes, it's
your choice, your right - I agree. I can't
stop you. Its your own health your
damaging - but please, don't do it near me.
* Take your drugs - Alter your personal
perception of the world. Mess up your own
psychology and physical well-being. I can't
stop you. But please, do it away from me.
* Kill our animals so you can eat our
animals - No, this is too much. It always
has been. Pick on someone your own
size.... This....activity of yours must
end, exist no more. You cannot "choose"
to kill .....our animals. No - you have no
more right to kill our animals than we do
not to.
Find another way to be rebellious or a
grown up.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Facebook account:
Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
1263605