Kat and I bonded two nights ago, and it all had to do with horror and revulsion. And a strengthening of values.
No, I'm not getting all evangelistic on you, I'm just illustrating a point. I'm all for religious freedom, and the fact that I'm not a Christian doesn't mean I don't respect the faith. Have you even heard of The Jesus Film? It's used to spread the gospel all over the world, and it's available in a staggering number of languages. You can skip around this video to get an idea of what it's like. I picked Portuguese with signing just because it seemed interesting.
So... what does that have to do with me and Kat? Well, somebody in her Facebook news feed posted a video, Farm to Fridge. I didn't link to the video with its title because I don't want any casual clickers. It's disgusting. The video itself is at the bottom of this post.
When I returned to online socializing a few years ago, I swore that I wouldn't be one of those in-your-face vegans who stick images of animal cruelty everywhere. It was, in part, displeasure at the culture of veganism that made me want to abandon the diet in the 1990s. I've been back for a while, mainly because I've learned from my mistakes, and those of others too. But I think this video is important.
I did indulge in a little of my own type of evangelism yesterday. A link in my news feed said something about eggs being healthy, so I posted a comment saying that it's not healthy for the chickens, and I mentioned meatvideo.com, where Farm to Fridge can be found. Five people liked the comment. Did any of them question their diets for the first time? I don't know, I just put it out there.
You can see what I'm getting at now: This video is a powerful tool for spreading compassion for animals. Just today, I read an article that credited the availability of factory-farming videos on the internet as a part of the growing popularity of the all-vegetable diet.
It's not only that. This video brought Kat and I together, it renewed our sense of why we pursue our diet. Maybe just like a missionary couple stops to watch The Jesus Film themselves. As we sat and watched, I felt that neither of us wanted to see what we were seeing, but we both had a sense that we must endure. I think I saw tears in Kat's eyes, though it was hard to tell, because my vision was blurred with my own.
So yesterday, when the long day was done, she sat at the computer to check Facebook, and I heard her playing a vegan video, and I came and sat beside her. We discussed what we saw together. We discussed many things. I felt close to her in a way I hadn't before. The video has become a small landmark in the progress of our relationship. Two people can rely on each other a little more because of it.
My point is, this kind of unpleasantness, though I prefer to avoid it, is important to the lives of individuals and to the cause of compassion for (non-human) animals in general. Compassion joins individuals and it joins all of us. Maybe I'm trying to convince myself more than I'm trying to convince you, but I have to post it. Really, I can't warn you enough. It's dreadful. Here we go. I'm sorry, but this is happening right now somewhere. I can't avoid it. I hate it, but it's true.
What else can I say? Don't watch the darn thing. But watch it!
Really, if you don't already, please consider trying to avoid animal foods. Just as an experiment for a short time. If you're already vegan, you can find the video here. Please link to it somewhere.
That's all.
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