I just watched a documentary on tv about Newfoundland seal hunting. I have to admit, what I saw was devastating! Seeing these harmless animals being clubbed... there are no words to describe how gut wrenched and disgusted I felt.
I was fortunate to be brought up open minded. There wasn't any set beliefs or rules I had to follow. I was always encouraged to speak my mind and form my own opinions. Sometime I feel like my beliefs can be inconsistant or seem contradicting... but when it comes down to the core, it's what my heart tells me. I live my life day by day; and by what is right and wrong. I will continue to speak strongly of my views or opinions until someone comes along and persuades me in a direction I perhaps never saw before.
Recently I have come to the realization that I want to be a vegetarian. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't see an animal and melt. These living beings have personalities and character... These creatures of all shapes and sizes bring a smile to my face everyday! But until I stop consuming them, I cannot technically call myself an 'animal lover'. I don't judge those who eat meat, because I have eaten meat for 20 years and I will admit that I enjoy it.
What I do not enjoy, is the imagry of slaughter houses. I do not enjoy picturing chicken farms that are so incredibly cram packed with chickens who eat their own shit. I do not enjoy envisioning these animals being pumped with god knows what, just so they can grow to abnormal sizes which is better for marketing. I do not enjoy picturing a cute, harmless, fuzzy animal who was born to die for us. I do not enjoy thinking of pigs hanging from their legs and having their throat cut whilst squeeling as it bleeds out. If I think of any one of these things before I bite into a burger, I will lose my apetite and throw it out.
If you are a meat eater, I understand that you don't necessarily think of those things. If you were raised to eat meat, than it is understandable its hard to break away from that and change your diet because of "inhumane acts of violence towards animals". In no way am I trying to make anyone guilty for enjoying a chicken salad sandwich or turkey dinner. I myself, will find it hard to stop eating some of my favourite meals, but after time I think I will feel a lot better.
In regards to how we go about buying the meat, I think that it is less barbaric to buy your meat in a grocery store, than it would be to kill the animal yourself. When you buy your meat at the super market, you don't have to think of the process that the animal went through before it was neatly packaged in saran wrap. There is no guilty conscience when you cook it, because you aren't seeing the face. The legs. The tail. The life.
Hunting on the other hand, is something I am strongly against (surprise, surprise) I just can't fully understand the enjoyment one can get from killing a defenseless animal. Seal hunting has to be the most cruel way of killing an animal. It's basically a stick with a pick-hook on the end of it, and they go inches away from the animal, look at it in its cute fuzzy face, and stab it in the head (sometimes multiple times) drag it across the ice, rip it open, and have it bleed onto the icecaps until the ice looks as though a red blanket was laid out on it. Most of the seals killed are only babies. They haven't even shed their white coat before seal hunters are brutally killing them.
I can understand that seal hunting is a part of Newfoundlands culture. They feel like this is a way of life. They feel that this is how they get their income, and it's how they feed their family. I can empathize that hundreds of years ago, that sealing would have been appropriate in order to survive... but these are modern times where technology and people have advanced themselves. If no one were to change their way of life, we would have never evolved to the point of where we are now. Think of that as a good or bad thing if you wish. But I feel like these animals are compassionate and gentle. I feel like hunting is very savage and I cannot for the life of me, ever JUSTIFY taking a living beings life.
I feel like I can see both sides of the story. I have always been one to see the entire picture before making my decision. I still feel that my own personal preference and love for animals will keep this fire inside me lit until this brute violence comes to an end with how these animals are being treated.
I was fortunate to be brought up open minded. There wasn't any set beliefs or rules I had to follow. I was always encouraged to speak my mind and form my own opinions. Sometime I feel like my beliefs can be inconsistant or seem contradicting... but when it comes down to the core, it's what my heart tells me. I live my life day by day; and by what is right and wrong. I will continue to speak strongly of my views or opinions until someone comes along and persuades me in a direction I perhaps never saw before.
Recently I have come to the realization that I want to be a vegetarian. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't see an animal and melt. These living beings have personalities and character... These creatures of all shapes and sizes bring a smile to my face everyday! But until I stop consuming them, I cannot technically call myself an 'animal lover'. I don't judge those who eat meat, because I have eaten meat for 20 years and I will admit that I enjoy it.
What I do not enjoy, is the imagry of slaughter houses. I do not enjoy picturing chicken farms that are so incredibly cram packed with chickens who eat their own shit. I do not enjoy envisioning these animals being pumped with god knows what, just so they can grow to abnormal sizes which is better for marketing. I do not enjoy picturing a cute, harmless, fuzzy animal who was born to die for us. I do not enjoy thinking of pigs hanging from their legs and having their throat cut whilst squeeling as it bleeds out. If I think of any one of these things before I bite into a burger, I will lose my apetite and throw it out.
If you are a meat eater, I understand that you don't necessarily think of those things. If you were raised to eat meat, than it is understandable its hard to break away from that and change your diet because of "inhumane acts of violence towards animals". In no way am I trying to make anyone guilty for enjoying a chicken salad sandwich or turkey dinner. I myself, will find it hard to stop eating some of my favourite meals, but after time I think I will feel a lot better.
In regards to how we go about buying the meat, I think that it is less barbaric to buy your meat in a grocery store, than it would be to kill the animal yourself. When you buy your meat at the super market, you don't have to think of the process that the animal went through before it was neatly packaged in saran wrap. There is no guilty conscience when you cook it, because you aren't seeing the face. The legs. The tail. The life.
Hunting on the other hand, is something I am strongly against (surprise, surprise) I just can't fully understand the enjoyment one can get from killing a defenseless animal. Seal hunting has to be the most cruel way of killing an animal. It's basically a stick with a pick-hook on the end of it, and they go inches away from the animal, look at it in its cute fuzzy face, and stab it in the head (sometimes multiple times) drag it across the ice, rip it open, and have it bleed onto the icecaps until the ice looks as though a red blanket was laid out on it. Most of the seals killed are only babies. They haven't even shed their white coat before seal hunters are brutally killing them.
I can understand that seal hunting is a part of Newfoundlands culture. They feel like this is a way of life. They feel that this is how they get their income, and it's how they feed their family. I can empathize that hundreds of years ago, that sealing would have been appropriate in order to survive... but these are modern times where technology and people have advanced themselves. If no one were to change their way of life, we would have never evolved to the point of where we are now. Think of that as a good or bad thing if you wish. But I feel like these animals are compassionate and gentle. I feel like hunting is very savage and I cannot for the life of me, ever JUSTIFY taking a living beings life.
I feel like I can see both sides of the story. I have always been one to see the entire picture before making my decision. I still feel that my own personal preference and love for animals will keep this fire inside me lit until this brute violence comes to an end with how these animals are being treated.
thedevinemissn:
Good for you sticking by your principles