I love the taste of cow. I love the taste of bacon. I enjoy ground turkey in my chili. I don't eat chicken, but after watching a video about how they are treated, I couldn't eat them anymore. I know there are farmers who treat their animals with the best of care. I know there are farmers who, even thought they raise their animals to be food, they still feel bad killing them. I have no problem with people who eat meat, I love eating meat, but there is just something nagging me in the back of my brain. Souls.
I am not one of those people who feel like animals do not have a soul. I have been told by many of my religious friends that animals don't have souls. I have been told by my non-religious friends that animals don't have souls. I have been told by my friends who believe with ghosts tell me that animals don't become ghosts, so they don't have souls. I personally believe that all living beings have souls. If an animal can feel pain (which they can, I know, I stepped on my cat's paw yesterday and she howled in pain, then I made sure to check her paw to see if it is okay), how do they not have souls? If an animal feels sadness at the loss of another animal companion, they are obviously more than just stupid creatures with no emotional responses or feelings.
There is a video going around of a raccoon who's friend gets hit by a car. No one cares about the dying animal. Normally we don't look back at that animal we have hit with out car. I, personally, would be crushed if I killed an animal with my car. It isn't their fault they are in the road, they don't know any better, we aren't making things easy for them. Anyway, back to the video. The raccoon is obviously upset about his friend. He walks over and comforts his friend, not understanding what has just happened to his friend. As his friend lays dying, he cries, and the world around him just keeps moving on. When his friend is finally gone he moves on, sadly, his body language tells everyone who watches the video how broken he feels.
Now, let's not go around saying that I am going vegetarian because I have all these "feels" for animals, that's not the only reason. I also find that when I eat meat I feel nauseous after I eat it. I think that may be my body telling me something. So, starting next month I am going to try to go back to just fish, and a little turkey (because I can eat it in chili and I love chili).
I don't care if you eat meat. Eat all the meat. It's fine. I won't judge you for eating meat. All I ask is that you try to eat meat which has been humanely taken care of and killed. And the next time you hit an opossum and kill it with your car, take a moment to be sad, you just ended a life.