Thanksgiving from an Animal Lovers Point of View
Thanksgiving Day is about giving thanks for all life's blessings. Expressing thanks for family and friends; expressing thanks for good health and good fortune; or giving thanks for whatever people think they ought to be thankful for.Yet does anyone remember to give thanks to the golden brown, roasted turkey that sits in the middle of their festive decked table? Does anyone ever pause to thank him for giving his life?As an animal lover I can't help but feel sorry for the masses of turkeys that are purposely raised for, and then are slaughtered each year for this holiday. When I contemplated the numbers, something gruesome occurred to me. If each turkey holds one litre of blood-that equals a million litres of blood! Try to imagine how much blood that would be. It's not a pleasant thought, I know, but I'm mentally seeing a small stream.Don't think that I'm forgetting about all of the other animals that give their lives to feed us. I am not the only one, as PETA constantly struggles to create awareness about animal cruelty. PETA does more than fight the fur industry, they also fight for animal rights and for the humane raising and processing of animals.Because we no longer kill animals ourselves, we often forget about their pain and suffering. We close our minds to the reality that the animals might have been raised in tiny cages, preventing any movement, so they can grow fatter and succulent more quickly and at a cheaper cost.We don't like to think that animals have emotions or experience fear and pain. Fear when they are being grabbed and transported to a slaughterhouse; pain when their necks are snapped or throats are slit.Not everyone is as ignorant though. The Jewish community, as well as American Indians, offer a prayer after slaughtering an animal as a sign of respect.I will celebrate Thanksgiving too, but I will do so with a green salad and sauted potatoes. Okay, there is something I must confess at this point. I am not now a vegetarian; however I am seriously considering becoming one. Why? Because I'm tired of the guilt and anguish I feel knowing that animals must die to provide me with meat. I'm in the process of educating myself to meat alternatives and plan on slowly making the change.Wish me well, because something tells me that it's not going to be easy! As sensitive as I am to the humane treatment of all animals, I've spent a lifetime eating meat believing my body needed it to remain healthy.More important to me now is living a life that doesn't include hypocrisy. Now when I sit down to a meal, I want that burden lifted from my shoulders.
Thanksgiving Day is about giving thanks for all life's blessings. Expressing thanks for family and friends; expressing thanks for good health and good fortune; or giving thanks for whatever people think they ought to be thankful for.
Yet does anyone remember to give thanks to the golden brown, roasted turkey that sits in the middle of their festive decked table? Does anyone ever pause to thank him for giving his life?
As an animal lover I can't help but feel sorry for the masses of turkeys that are purposely raised for, and then are slaughtered each year for this holiday. When I contemplated the numbers, something gruesome occurred to me. If each turkey holds one litre of blood-that equals a million litres of blood! Try to imagine how much blood that would be. It's not a pleasant thought, I know, but I'm mentally seeing a small stream.
Don't think that I'm forgetting about all of the other animals that give their lives to feed us. I am not the only one, as PETA constantly struggles to create awareness about animal cruelty. PETA does more than fight the fur industry, they also fight for animal rights and for the humane raising and processing of animals.
Because we no longer kill animals ourselves, we often forget about their pain and suffering. We close our minds to the reality that the animals might have been raised in tiny cages, preventing any movement, so they can grow fatter and succulent more quickly and at a cheaper cost.
We don't like to think that animals have emotions or experience fear and pain. Fear when they are being grabbed and transported to a slaughterhouse; pain when their necks are snapped or throats are slit.
Not everyone is as ignorant though. The Jewish community, as well as American Indians, offer a prayer after slaughtering an animal as a sign of respect.
I will celebrate Thanksgiving too, but I will do so with a green salad and sauted potatoes. Okay, there is something I must confess at this point. I am not now a vegetarian; however I am seriously considering becoming one. Why? Because I'm tired of the guilt and anguish I feel knowing that animals must die to provide me with meat. I'm in the process of educating myself to meat alternatives and plan on slowly making the change.
Wish me well, because something tells me that it's not going to be easy! As sensitive as I am to the humane treatment of all animals, I've spent a lifetime eating meat believing my body needed it to remain healthy.
More important to me now is living a life that doesn't include hypocrisy. Now when I sit down to a meal, I want that burden lifted from my shoulders.
