Justifying the unjustifiable

Even though each of us would like to be known as a compassionate person, as soon as we consciously decide to buy something that is unethical, the game is up for us. It’s the same when we buy a ‘pet’ from a pet shop. It means another ‘pet’ will be bred to replace the sold one, so the cage is never empty. Whether first or second hand, whenever we buy an item made from animals, we create a vacuum for another item to be produced to take its place. To offset this is impossible. There are no carbon credits for animal use! Even when we think we’re being generous, in thinning out our shoe rack, we fall into the same trap. We give away a pair of shoes to someone who needs them (good deed) but we leave a space on the rack which gives us an excuse to ‘go shopping’ for more (the bad deed).
The idea of "justified robbery", stealing from the rich and giving to the poor, may be okay (Robin Hood, etc) but stealing from the poor to make the rich even richer, is never justifiable. In the same way, stealing the life of a voiceless animal to benefit humans … our attitude is always ‘to hell with the victim’. This thieving is no different to the exploitation of children or the desecration of a forest. It’s just that same old human habit - using our advantage to harm the defenceless.