Guardian Nature

1132: 

I don’t think humans hate animals; I don’t think many people are innately violent; I don’t think we have a blood lust.  Most people don’t want to be cold-hearted or hard-nosed.  However, a farmer, running a sheep or cattle property might disagree.  If they weren’t cold-hearted they couldn’t kill their animals and if they weren’t hard-nosed they’d be put out of business by their competitors.  Two very different perspectives here.  Perhaps it’s always going to be us versus them.

I’m more concerned with the millions of customers who spend a considerable amount of money each week supporting the Animal Industries.  It’s possible that they know no other way of living than buying those products that everyone else uses and which are legally sold in shops.  Privately, they might want more out of their food-life than just meat and animal by-products but don’t know that any alternatives to ‘real-food’ exist.  They’ve never learnt any other way of eating or cooking.  But, is it possible that they might like life to take on a more interesting dimension? To find out who they are and the purpose of their existence.

         

I suspect most people could identify themself with being a helping-guarding type, because they realise that, when other humans are in need, that they do help where they can; we are generally well suited to being guardians of each other.  And in certain ways we are exemplary explorers, and these feature are what we are most proud of being and what we know we’re best at.  

You might say that humans are born rescuers, protectors and ‘explorers’.  And, at heart, most of us are wanna-be farmers too, or at least we have a strong link to the land.  We share that same urge that the farmer has, to provide food, make survival possible and discover new things.  We’re naturally creative.  We’re NOT, by nature, destructive.  Nor do we like the idea of being jailers or procurers.

All the more reason why with so many people who are currently either animal-farming and/or animal-consuming, we seem like pimps for a bunch of enslaved prostitutes.

         

I doubt if too many people like being part of an animal-destruction industry.  I doubt if we relish betraying innocent, peace-loving creatures.  I’m sure we dislike the idea of tricking animals into believing we care for them, only to then put a gun to their heads.  I’m sure the idea of all that sits heavily on our collective conscience.

         

The alternative is still only a potential for most people.  It wouldn’t be difficult for most people to be drawn towards a more ethical form of husbandry, in order to provide food and clothing and other basic needs, whilst remaining protective and empathetic to Nature.

If we had an ethical food industry, only plant-based foods would be available, crap food wouldn’t be sold and Animal Rights would be universally appealing.  We’d have no trouble empathising with those animals who are presently in-trouble.  We would support anyone producing decent food and farmers would be pillars of the community.