An Earthling, More Aware

I am embarrassed.

As the second portion of our day today, after lunch, we watched an documentary called Earthlings and I felt embarrassed ten minutes in, and still feel the lingering effects now, 3 hours later.

The documentary outlines five of the ways that humans exploit the other living things, the animals, on our planet. These ways are: as pets, as food, as entertainment, for science, and clothes. It is a very powerful and sometimes graphic representation of the harm that we are doing to our fellow inhabitants and the planet we share. I HIGHLY recommend it to everyone, and have provided a link to it above. Please, spare 90 minutes and watch it if you have not. You will not regret it.

The central thesis that I took away from the movie is that we, humans, are but one of millions of species on the planet but we are the only one that is exacting calculated and vicious effects as a result of our own speciesism. This was a new word and concept to me (and is not recognized by the latest version of Word) but it follows along some of the other heinous ‘isms’ that we have tried to put in our past. Speciesim is the belief that we are justified to take whatever means necessary to ensure the survival and growth of our species, regardless of the cost to others. In essence, by entrenching ourselves as the most important species we have granted the mental freedom to trounce on every other living thing on the Earth in the name of our benefit, even though we are all, actually, Earthlings. The movie outlined this ‘ism’ in parallel with racism and sexism as misguided patterns of thought that require understanding and then conquering. It provided hope that we will be able to do so before it is too late for our world, and I share that hope.

Needless to say, the images and concepts that were presented in the documentary were powerful and hard to stomach. My first embarrassment in watching was a result of the dissolution of my first emotive reaction: anger. Ten minutes into the movie I was angry at Brooke, our expedition leader, for putting the movie on and forcing our exposure to the thoughts and images. I asked myself ‘what right do they think they have in making this some kind of requirement of the course, forcing me to sit through their preaching.’ But I kept watching. And within the next five minutes my anger turned into embarrassment and gratitude. While chewing on my hatred I realized that the anger I felt could not be directed anywhere but at myself, for wanting to turn the movie off and my mind out. I felt embarrassed for having the initial call to arms that I did, and for not immediately understanding that any internal friction I felt was my guilt and not something to blame others for. I was also beginning to develop a sense of gratitude to Brooke and to Soul Projects as a whole, for holding and forcing my hand through this realization.

The movie is difficult to watch, especially for someone who enjoys eating meat. The methods and manner in which a large portion of our meat is produced is mind-boggling and disturbing. The scariest part about the equation, though, is that everyone is, on some level, completely aware that there is something glaringly wrong with the way we eat and yet we all choose to bury our heads in the smoked-meat sandwiches.

My second-level embarrassment is that I chose, for a very long time, to be one of the ignorant masses, mindlessly consuming other species, even though a part of me prevented total bliss. The movie discusses the disconnect, both physically and mentally, that the meat industries thrive within: the farms in which animals are mass produced for mass consumption are tucked out of sight and imagery of slaughterhouses rarely make the news or other programming because people don’t want to see them and eyeballs sell ad space. By the time meat makes it to our grocery aisles or plates the packaging, pricing, preparation, and presentation prevent us from having to ingest the realities of the process of its production and allow us to consume it with detachment. We never have to think about where all of this meat has come from, and that’s just the way we like it, because if we did have to ponder this we might end up ruining our appetites. But then, none of this is news to any of us.

I am embarrassed to say that it took watching this documentary for things to finally make an impact on me. I wish I could say that I didn’t need a piece of programming to set me straight, but I can’t make that noble claim.

I am aware that outlining all of the reasons for my embarrassment will do nothing to help ease the suffering of any of the animals that I demanded slaughtered for my consumption, but my guilt and grief can help prevent further suffering on my behalf. I am blessed to have Robyn by my side, who has for a few years now been much more sensitive to the need to remove meat from our diets. I am embarrassed for any time that I pressured her into making a food choice that she felt went against her beliefs, or tempted her to eat something that she was hesitant to. I am blessed to have her with me as we learn new recipes and nutritional approaches that do not include meat.

I beg you to please watch the video if any of this rings true to you. I promise you that no one will judge you if you feel embarrassed too. I am afraid, though, of how the globe will judge us if we do not act on these feelings of shame.

Thank you.