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 uman compassion is an interesting and inconsistent thing. We shake our head in pity at the starving children abroad on television, but we turn our head the other way when going past a homeless person begging for change in the street of our home city. We wince in horror when we hear about the poor kitten which was horribly abused and set on fire by a neighbour child, but we have no qualms about eating a brutally butchered cow or chicken... We recycle and use energy efficient light bulbs, but we buy individually bottled water and subscribe to the newspaper rather than read it online... We have compassion, but for most, only when it suits us. Only when it is convenient. When it comes right down to it, most humans are selfish and greedy, and are compassionate only when it comes to something which impacts our sense of guilt, obligation, or is easy and simple, which appeals to our apathy. |
 nimals are at the centre of my compassion, and yet are probably where the human race, as a whole, has very conflicting priorities... Right now, there are thousands upon thousands of animals in shelters and adoption centres... But, as you read this, someone is buying an animal from a pet store. Pet stores rarely purchase their animals from quality breeders, and in fact, often from puppy mills or kitten mills, where animals are bred carelessly, and solely for purposes of profit. Profit often means the quality of food, veterinary care, and maintenance is minimal, at best. So, not only has the person who just purchased their pet denied a shelter animal the chance at a good home, they have just contributed to the mistreatment of animals at a mill. (If you MUST purchase an animal because you want a specific breed, go directly to a reputable breeder, or find your local breed rescue organisation!) So, why are people so compassionate about animals when there are so many humans in need? |
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"The greatness of a nation and it's moral progress
can be judged by the way its' animals are treated.."
-Mahatma Gandhi |
 egans and vegetarians tend to be more compassionate about animals... but that does not necessarily make them compassionate people. Granted, vegetarians tend to be healthier, and from an environmental standpoint are far more sustainable. For example, the average cow uses 5.75 acres of land to be raised, which yields 1000 beef servings, whereas 5.75 acres of soy would yield 26,000 servings. But compassion for the well being of animals, and/or the planet does not necessarily mean that vegans and vegetarians are compassionate about other humans in need, the homeless, the disabled... As a vegetarian, I can say that the reason animals get so much attention is because humans are sentient beings who are capable of making choices and controlling their own fate, while animals do not have the same luxury- suffering the fate that their human counterparts force upon them. For this reason, vegetarians and vegans are the voice of animals who can not speak to defend themselves... but, at the same time, compassion does not necessarily end there... |
 veryone is capable of compassion to a limited extent... but their capacity for compassion is countered by their own self interest. I, for example, am compassionate for animals far more so than humans, because humanity as a whole disinterests me. (See: flesh.) I do have some compassion for victims of hate crimes, and for the small portions of humanity who's situation is wholly beyond their own means for prevention or recovery... But, humans are adaptable, constructive beings. We have the capacity for thought, reflection, and action. So, for those who do not dust themselves off, and take steps towards bettering their situation.
 ompassion is what makes us human. The more compassion we are able to exude, the more humane we are. Without it, we are nothing but parasites, taking from this world what we can and not giving anything back.
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