Most human minds have been conditioned to put our fellow earthlings into three separate boxes: wildlife, pets, and farm animals.
People marvel at eagles and tigers; adore dogs and cats; and eat cows and chickens.
When a person holds different beliefs which contradict one another, that mental conflict creates what Psychology terms “cognitive dissonance.” Then, in order to avoid unpleasant feelings, a defense mechanism called “compartmentalization” kicks in to keep the contradictory viewpoints separated. Thus, one compartment holds wildlife, another compartment holds pets, and a third compartment holds farm animals.
In reality, farm animals such as pigs, turkeys, cows, lambs, and chickens, and also fish, are every bit as marvelous and adorable as the wild animals and pets!!! The solution for those who are still living with the compartmentalization of carnism* is to focus on expanding the circle of compassion to include all of our fellow earthlings. Let those boxes dissolve into a great circle — a circle of love, kindness, and mercy for all the animals and fish.
*Carnism is the invisible belief system, or ideology, that conditions people to eat certain animals. Learn more: Beyond Carnism.
♥️🐂🐖🐓🦃🦆🐑🐐🐙🐟🐝♥️🐂🐖🐓🦃🦆🐑🐐🐙🐟🐝♥️
Image: Clement Mabula on Unsplash.
