Dinner

The past few evenings, I had eaten cheese in my dinner, and today I wanted to eat cleaner. I roasted a bunch of potato chunks, carrot chunks, bell pepper, and sweet onion. Then I put the veggies and a rue made with soy milk and EVOO into a baking dish and sprinkled lots of bread crumbs on top. Yum. Creamy and toasty.
Sorry no picture. I already ate it all...

Now that's a sandwich.

First I toasted up the bread with just a wee bit of chevre from a local goat farmer friend of mine. Then I added hummus, Vegenaise, spicy mustard, lettuce, spinach, tomato, bell pepper, and onion. It was delicious.

What?

I care a lot about animals--the ones I take personal responsibility for, mainly horses, dogs, and cats--and those I don't see every day, like the raccoon in the woods out back, my neighbor's heifers, and the turkeys in the wretched factory farm barns down the highway. Don't get me wrong. I care about people, too. Plenty. But what weighs heavily on my heart is the flippant way in which our species treats others as objects to hunt, imprison, torture, kill, eat, and wear.

There are all sorts of people out there. There are those who think that the above activities with non-humans is fine. On the other end of the spectrum are those vegans who believe that humans ought not to have any involvement with other species at all. Not as pets, companions, or athletic partners. Never for products such as wool, honey, or silk.

My dilemma lies somewhere in between. I care for a bunch of dogs and cats--most of mine were throwaways. But they eat dog food and cat food, which by and large contain the flesh of other animals. I have horses, which require equipment, much of which is made out of the skin of other animals.

For 20-some years, I lived as a vegetarian, consuming some cheese and a few eggs on occasion. For the past 6 months, I've been trying to be more diligent about my own diet, in recognition of the fact that the dairy and egg industries involve a lot of suffering and killing of innocent beings.

I have felt guilty about eating a slice of cheese pizza. I have not felt guilt about hopping on one of my horses for a stroll around the neighborhood. A domesticated animal actually enjoys working with humans, as long as he or she has had a say in what his or her job is. Be it a horse under saddle or a dog zipping through an agility course, I have never seen happier animals than those who work as a team with their humans, achieve success, and receive praise. Success doesn't have to mean winning, but it does have to mean harmony, communication, and mutual respect.

Some humans have not experienced bonds with animals. Many have, but only with companion animals. For an overwhelming percentage of the human population, domesticated animals are compartmentalized either as companions or food. Most people are content petting a dog or a cat and biting into a chicken or a cow at the same time. While they shudder at the idea of something painful happening to their pets, they directly cause the suffering and pain of other animals.

My hope is to get people thinking. No one's perfect. No one causes zero harm. But everyone can, with a little effort, reduce the harm and pain they inflict on other species. And the best part is that reducing and eliminating animal foods from human diets is good for humans, too: with fewer food animals consuming the vast amount of grain and other foods they require, there is more plant-based food for the people on earth, including those in the most impoverished corners. And a plant-based diet is healthier for you, too. It reduces calories, fat, cholesterol, heart disease, cancer, and a myriad of other health problems. Better for you, better for humanity, and better for our fellow earthly creatures.