Come to think of it..

I was a non-vegetarian till just a few years back. Mainly because meat-eating was a part of my life and simply because, as many would agree, meat is irresistible for those who are used to eating it.

I had frequently seen hens being bundled off into insufficiently-sized cages; even being tied by their fragile legs and carried upside down; goats being dragged away to their gruesome fate; pigs being violently forced into trucks. Apart from sensing deep pangs of sympathy, I never cared to give it much thought. Maybe because it was too mind-numbing to.

We brought home a pet dog (it was then a pup) when I was eighteen. I had always adored dogs; everything about them.

But I was now witnessing something more. In my part of bringing up our dog, I understood its sensitivity, its intelligence, as well as its fears. It hated being tied up, feared the cane, and always ran away from baths.

I had suddenly stopped looking at it as just a mute animal, but more as a sentient being which had feelings and emotions quite, quite similar to ours.

But why just dogs? Those pigs and goats and hens are just as sentient and intelligent, too.

I am now a vegetarian. Actually, a responsible vegetarian. I say responsible because I have understood the implications of my choice of not being a part of the routine cruelty meted out to animals. 

  

Vegetarianism is a powerful choice. Though on a very small scale, I still see it as a form of direct action.

I have read numerous accounts on this issue, and have realized that many people share similar views and are devoted in different ways towards the welfare of animals. But maybe it is not enough. Things are not changing. Or they are changing too slowly.

We have numerous organizations around the world voicing the rights of the voiceless. Awareness efforts are receiving popular attention. But even now, this very minute, thousands of our helpless companions are being tortured, abused and slaughtered. The details are too horrifying to even talk about.

Many may dismiss this as another fanatic or manipulative ranting; but there is no exaggeration here. This is just how it is. No individual would knowingly support cruelty. Yet, without making any accusations, majority of us today are meat eaters. And there is no crime in that. The problem lies in our shortcoming or even neglect in understanding the relation between animal abuse and the meat that we eat. The problem is deeply rooted in this disconnect.

 

When you look at your pet today, or your neighborhood dog, be sure to ask yourself if your feelings towards it are different from what you feel about the animals that end up on our plates.

These ani

mals need help. And each one of us has the power to bring about a change.