Can you love animals and still eat meat? Many people stumble over this obvious contradiction. Especially in a discussion-intensive time, when we know how large the share of the Factory farming to the largest Environmental problems of our time is. I myself ate meat and other animal products for 30 years of my life and constantly ignored this inner conflict. Since I claim to love animals, I have given up meat, eggs, milk and the like over time. Simply because love is a strong physical, mental and spiritual attraction to another living being - and consuming the body parts of another living being does not necessarily demonstrate love.
With this mercilessly honest article I do not want to attack anyone but only show why you can not love animals and eat at the same time. Let's go!
Meat eaters do not see the animal and love only certain animals
When people's mouths water at the sight of a pork cutlet, a beef tenderloin or a roast duck on their plate, they no longer see the innocent animal inside that is worthy of protection. It's just a cutlet, a tenderloin and a roast. And if they do realize that a pig, a cow or a duck had to die for them, then the Love for the taste of meat just greater than the love for the animal. Gladly then becomes the Ostrich tactics I've never seen that which I don't see.
Of course you can love animals but eat meat - but then you obviously don't love all animals. Or would you eat someone you really love? We pet dogs, cats, horses and dolphins. But eat pigs, cows, chickens and ducks. The division into domestic and farm animals is Speciesism. We humans see ourselves as superior - and therefore believe we can do anything to animals that we think is right. Most people don't even want to know where their meat comes from and what suffering the animals had to endure for it. Rabbits, for example, are likely to have a completely confused image of us humans - because we value them both as sociable pets, but also as roasts on our plates.
Tip: I have written you a detailed post about the Similarities between humans and animals be interesting for you.
Actually, I am against animal cruelty, but...
These constant justifications for one's own meat consumption can be extremely stressful. "I love animals but eat meat" is a very obvious contradiction - and a prime example for cognitive dissonance. An inner conflict of irreconcilable opinions that becomes really brutally annoying in the long run. No wonder - after all, in principle, always fights against his own personal values. This is also why many people find Vegan so annoying. Of course, almost everyone is against cruelty to animals - but to claim this while being the meat of tortured animals may well be called hypocrisy.
Since meat eaters have been struggling with this cognitive dissonance, they have been craving good arguments for their meat consumption. The constant contradiction between one's own values and one's own actions leads to the craziest justifications: „Do plants have feelings?" or "I thank the animal before every meal" are two examples of this. The less concrete argument "I only eat very little meat" may get you out of a stressful discussion with a black eye in the short term - but the inner conflict remains.
It can be extremely reassuring to be able to to give way to natural compassion for suffering creatures and engage in an animal-friendly way of life. Because we Humans are not actually meat eaters. What do you think a toddler would do if he were in a room with a rabbit and an apple for an hour? Do you think he would just eat both? No, he would probably play with the rabbit and eat the apple. First the Habits we have inherited from our parents, have turned us into meat eaters, creating the contradiction between love of animals and meat consumption. In addition, the industry has also made us through targeted Marketing made the meat palatable and countered the inner conflicts with a better conscience.
What many vegetarians also overlook
I am first Become a vegetarianbecause I was fed up with the obvious animal suffering for meat. As a result, I felt much better. Of course, the inner contradiction "I love animals but eat them" was gone! Then I noticed that the Dairy industry even more brutal is than the meat industry - and suddenly he was back.
Cows are given antibiotics, dehorned, artificially inseminated in a "rape rack," separated from their offspring, and killed "only" when they no longer produce milk. Male calves are worthless for the industry and are therefore usually killed shortly after birth. And all this for a few dairy products? Add to this the fate of chickens in the egg industry and not least the practice of the Chick Shredding and -gassing. If I really love animals, I will stop eating them and their body parts and paying for them to be exploited. These are my reasons for not enough to be a vegetarian.
Related articles for you:
As a vegan, values and actions coincide again
Vegans are not better people - but they do not live with the contradiction of loving animals but eating them anyway. Even if one causes animal suffering as a vegan nevertheless, e.g. if one steps on an ant or eats food, with whose harvest animals came to damage. But unlike meat consumption, this does not happen consciously and intentionally.
"Animals are my friends and I don't eat my friends."
George Bernard Shaw (see also Animal welfare quotes)
Since I eat vegan and basically live vegan, I am more who I really am. I would never cut a pig's throat, take a cow's offspring or shred chicks to death. I love animals - truly and with all my heart! And that's why I don't pay anyone else to torture and kill them for me and turn them into meat.
I promise you, dear reader: as soon as you stop paying for these cruel acts and the resulting contradiction in your belief system, your life will change positively. Because you will live in accordance with your innermost values: Compassion, equality, respect, love and Empathy towards all living beings.
Tip: I can give you the Documentation Dominion recommend! It shows what animals have to go through in factory farming. After seeing it, I went straight vegan.
Loving animals but eating meat - This is a contradiction in terms
Of course there are meat eaters who love animals. But obviously an exception is made here and there. We have to be that honest. If we are not, we are just fighting an inner conflict - also known in psychology as the "meat paradox". Love cannot simply be switched off and suppressed. It is much more relaxed to really live out love and mean it seriously. Towards all animals.
I hope that this article has made you aware that you can't love and eat animals at the same time. Do you have any questions or suggestions? Then feel free to write me a comment.
Be always kind to animals,
PS.: You want to know more about my Reasons for veganism know? I'll introduce them to you in the linked post!
