"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we'd all be vegetarians" - Paul McCartney
Have you ever stopped to think about how the lamb chops, the steak or the bacon on your plate eventually gets to you? I'm not just referring to what animal it come from, I'm talking about the torture it goes through to make sure your hunger is taken care of. Meat has been a popular diet since the time people were able to hunt. A majority of the world’s population still does consume meat on a regular basis. It’s true that meat has nutritional value, but what many choose to neglect is that is it not essential for human survival. People need vitamins, proteins and minerals but these can be obtained from other food sources. The idea that an animal must die to ensure that people stay healthy is utter rubbish. The reality is, eating too much meat can actually kill you. Meat consumption is one of the main causes of obesity as well as heart disease. We complain that society nowadays is so unhealthy when what we should be doing is making a change in the diet we're so fond of.
In case you're still not convinced about embracing vegetarianism, let me paint a not-so-pretty picture of what a slaughterhouse is like:
Animals are first fed on certain products that are designed to make them very fat (for the benefit of the seller). The ingredients of these products include intestines, horns, bones and blood of the previously killed animals (basically the parts that people will not be willing to buy because they can't be used) as well as the carcasses of sick animals, including house pets. All of this will be ground into powder and fed to slaughterhouse animals as "protein concentrates". By the way, these "concentrates" also have animal fecal matter mixed in. And yes, all of that ultimately ends up in our stomachs. Once the animals are fat enough, they are sent into the slaughterhouse, where they are usually stunned first, with electric shocks to render them unconscious (this is prohibited by some religions).
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As horrible as this might seem, what's mentioned above is actually the most humane way this is carried out. Animals can sense impending death, and if you look closely you will be able to see them cry, knowing there's no escape. It has been found that an animal's blood actually becomes poisonous when it's certain of death, as a sort of defense mechanism, which is another reason why it's unhealthy to eat meat. In most uneducated societies, animals are tortured and beaten up by the workers (to satisfy their own twisted needs) and are sometimes even skinned or gutted alive,while the creatures shriek and writhe around, trying to break free. They're left to bleed for hours in pain, when a quick death would actually be merciful.
Their ending is so cruel...so gruesome, that's it's shameful to the human race to know that we all indirectly contribute to it. Finally, once the animal is dead, its skin and intestines are removed, the essential parts cut and in the end that meats ends up on your plate.
Now imagine yourself in that situation. Would YOU like to be stunned and then killed? Or even beaten to near death and have your skin ripped off while you're still breathing?
Yeah, I don't think so. So why must animals have to go through that?
We plead for an endangered species' right to exist, but what makes them any more special than a regular cow? Are we all not nature's creations? Who are we to decide whether an animal should live or not? Humans are real hypocrites. We speak of our pets as if we'd give up our lives for them, yet we'd gladly eat at KFC. If someone admits to not being a huge animal fan, we might criticize them, but we don't hesitate to eat a hamburger. Do you see how pathetic people really are?
I have had the misfortune of being to a slaughterhouse, and let me tell you, it's the saddest place on earth. To see those animals, terrified, and to know what they will soon be going through, and to also know that as one person, there's nothing much I can do...it's a terrible feeling. People who eat meat don't fully understand what goes on, in which case THEY should make their own kill to know what exactly their selfish demand is doing to helpless animals.
Statistics show that over forty seven billion animals (Yes you read that right. Forty seven BILLION) are killed every year for human consumption. And that’s excluding the fish. Isn’t it sad that it’s more than the world’s human population? In the United States alone, 287 chickens are killed per SECOND. All of this, to fulfill a diet that isn’t even necessary.
I gave up meat a few years ago, because the thought of an animal dying for my sake sickened me. To know that I am no longer a contributor to any of that, gives me a sense of relief.
To all of you, who tend to blame slaughterhouses for animal cruelty, remember that YOU are the one behind those deaths. Change begins with you.
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