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> Activism > Human & Animal Rights
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My original plan was to write two pages; one on Human Rights, one on Animal Rights, both issues which I feel strongly about.
However the reasons and logic between the two are so interlinked and relevent to each other that I realised I was repeating
the same thing over again, and thus felt it best to combine the two into one.
Human rights activism is about ensuring that all humans have the right to a free and natural life, without fear,
intimidation, torture (mental or physical) and death. Most people can relate to this, because all people are people.
Unless you believe that you are the centre of the universe and the only person experiencing the world, then you'll
agree that other humans experience the world in the same way that you do. Most non sociopathic humans want others
to be able to lead their lives how they want to lead them, and this is the basis of Human Rights.
But what about animals? What is really the difference between humans and animals? Are all animals glorified
vegetables and humans the only ones which are actually alive and capable of feeling pain and suffering? Are humans
the only ones entitled to rights? Who gets the right to say? How ever much science tells us, it cannot and will not
ever be able to prove that I am not the center of the universe and all of you guys are actors, incapable of
experiencing pain and suffering. So why should I give you rights? The answer is more "why shouldn't I?". I mean,
it's totally possible for me to lead a good life without inflicting pain and suffering on other humans, so whilst
there's any doubt, i'll do my best to achieve this. After all, having seen other humans experience pain and suffering they exhibit the effect of it in much the same way
that I do, it makes sense that there's a good chance they experience it. On the same note, science cannot prove that we are fundamentally
different to other animals. Just because they can't speak to us, they haven't built roads, cars and computers, are
they really just vegetables with legs?
I know pet owners who believe without a doubt that their dog feels not only reactive emotions like pain and fear,
but deeper ones such as depression, loneliness, etc. They will make sure someone stays at home so that the dog
doesn't get lonely, make sure it gets regular walks because it likes the woodland scenery and are sure that their
dog knows when they are going away on holiday and is sad. The thought of their dog dying of natural causes is a
disturbing thought, the concept that it could be treated like a farm animal, kept under artificial light in a tiny
cage its entire life, it's claws rotting in excrement, rocking and nodding its head against the bars as a result of
going mad is too horrific to even think about. But, of course, that's OK, because their dog is the only animal in
the world which is capable of emotions like a human, all the rest are just tasty food. They were born to be eaten,
so it's OK.
But why is it OK? Is something OK just because you are bought up to believe it? Is it OK just because children's
stories make it sound magical? Is it OK just because footballers endorse it on TV adverts? Is it OK just because it
comes in a shiny package complete with mainstream logo? Is it OK just because your mother did it, and so did her
mother, and her mother? Is it OK just because everyone you know does it? Is it OK because it gives a nice sensation?
Is OK as a combination of all these factors?
I like to think of myself as someone capable of making decisions without being told what i should believe, what is
the easy way out to make me feel like the world around me is lovely and fluffy without me needing to understand the
details. Governments lie. Corporations lie. TV lies. People lie. Everyone is selfish to a varying degree, myself
included, and we'll do anything to make ourselves feel more comfortable in the world. If that means exploiting a few
people along the way, but we don't hafta think about it, then surely that's OK isn't it? Is it really OK to give an animal no
rights, treat it like an inanimate object then kill it, because it was born for the purpose? Is it OK to give a baby
human no rights, treat it like an inanimate object then kill it, because it was born for the purpose? What is the difference between farm animals and human slaves? What
is the
difference between humans and animals anyway?
As far as I'm concerned, humans are animals, and I will treat all animals the same. Only God can clear up this one,
whether we are different, and no human is God (they may think they are, but that's another matter entirely).
Now, i don't believe that just because someone is non vegan, that they are evil or anything, but i think they
haven't thought things through quite right. A lot of people who eat meat class themselves as animal lovers, have
pets which they care deeply for as if they were human. They aren't analogous to a cold hearted killer, but their
attitude towards animals is very double standard.
I don't want to lead my life like that. I want to be able to look all animals, human or otherwise, experiencing suffering as the result of
others in the eye and know that i have done my best to ensure I've played no part in it. I'm sure you don't either, but what
are you doing about it? A quote that sums it up:
"Life is life--whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of
difference is a human conception for man's own advantage." - Sri Aurobindo
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