* Reason # 04 : FEAR … Lastly , we come to the fourth & final real reason why people consume animals , and for by far most of you reading along , it is now the only reason that remains … Yes , this is the final reason why otherwise Good People do " bad " things – the final reason why otherwise moral people behave immorally and Kind people rationalize their acts of cruelty . And that reason is fear … You see my Friends , we humans are herd animals , and the one thing we innately oppose almost as much as our own death is being “ cast out of the herd ” – being ridiculed by strangers ; being shunned by co-workers ; being made fun of by classmates ; being ostracized by friends ; being disowned by family members . And these days our “ herd ” still believes it is normal and acceptable – often even appropriate & sometimes even admirable – to use & abuse animals . Indeed , our current culture is literally soaked in the blood & the agony of the innocent animals who we enslave , abuse , murder and consume every day . We do not need to do so to live well – and indeed would actually live longer & healthier were we to stop , and yet our collective society demands that we " fit in " and " tow the line " and " follow suit " … and most people are still too afraid to step away from these conventions of cruelty ; these traditions of torture . And this is the reason why so many of you still turn away from your conscience ; this is why still so many of you who truly do Love animals still sit down at the dinner table and mutter benignly about how " tender " the meat is – or how “ delicious ” the cheese , or how " refreshing " the milk , or how “ creamy ” the coffee . This is why still so many of you continue to completely disregard the immense suffering that had to be endured to bring that meat & that cheese to your plate and that milk & that cream to your glass .
My Friends , you are turning away from this Truth not because you are a sociopath ; and not because you are callous or selfish or immoral or greedy …
You are turning away because you are afraid .
( original image by Kim Staton )
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