Companionship

The interview shall be conducted tomorrow because I have this awesome article that I want to share with my audience.  The article is titled, "Why Friends Shouldn't Let Friends Be Eaten: An Argument for Vegetarianism".  This article explains that because farm animals can become friends with every human being, then people should not kill animals.  The full article can be read here.  I found the entire argument interesting because animals, of all kinds play such important roles in so many households.  Cats and dogs are sometimes not even referred to as friends, but they are even referred to as family.  I can remember my psychology professor from summer honors, an excellent two week program that gives its students six credit hours, telling us about the more someone come in contact with someone else, the closer and intimate that relationship becomes.

This theory makes me think about farmers.  Farmers are constantly interacting with their animals and becoming close to them every single day.  Because of these companionships, it probably makes farmers feel horrible about killing their best friends.  The livestock do provide the farmers with capital; however, the farmers earn that capital with sorrows and blood.  If everyone was vegetarian, the farmers could just produce agriculture and use the animals for other purposes such as transportation or recreation.

The entire conversation of companionship and farming makes me think of my friends.  My friends are constantly feeling empathy for me and my vegetarian project.  They are constantly telling me how badly my life must be while on this project, and how they just love eating meat.  However, I am the one feeling empathy for them.  They are constantly consuming this meat that is usually not healthy, cheap, or efficient.  However, the one belief that we all have in common is that we would never kill each other for meat instead of vegetables.  Well, I would hope not.

Vegetarianism has given me this invisible bridge that connects me with animals.  Vegetarianism has made feel like I am a companion of animals, and I am constantly supporting their rights with the choices that I make every day.  I am a friend of God. . . and animals.