Let me tell you about a friend of mine named Nancy.
She had a very stressful and traumatic life, especially early on. She was taken away from her mother when she was very young, and like her mother, she got pregnant at a very early age. Then the tragic story repeated itself, and Nancy's children were taken away from her. I'm not a mother myself, but I still felt waves of horror and despair coursing through my body when I heard this. It's hard to imagine anything worse than having your own children ripped away from you.
This was done to Nancy and her children because she was a pig.
Fortunately, Nancy got connected with good-hearted people who helped her break this cycle of grief. They were able to get her out of the abusive space she'd been living in, and relocate her to a safe, loving environment. There, she and her two children, who would turn out to be her last, were able to live together in peace. Tragically Nancy died a few years ago due to complications caused by the breeding done in the animal-agriculture industry.
This was Nancy; she was lucky to get out of it. The majority of animals – approximately 75 billion land animals worldwide and a few hundred billion fish a year - live and die within this system with no regards to family ties.
Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix
Longtime vegan Joaquin Phoenix used his Best Actor Oscars speech (at the 92nd Academy Awards where Phoenix won the Oscar for his performance in Joker) to condemn the dairy industry for tearing baby calves from their mothers. He said: :
I think we've become very disconnected from the natural world. We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow and when she gives birth, we steal her baby, even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. And then we take her milk that's intended for the calf and we put it in our coffee and cereal. We fear the idea of personal change because we think we need to sacrifice something to give something up. But human beings at our best are so creative and inventive, and we can create, develop, and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and the environment.
You can listen to his speech in full here:
It doesn't have to be this way
Fortunately, we can change this system, turn things around and choose kindness and justice. And the good news is, it is not that hard.
What we can do, on our own, without having to wait for anyone else is to pay more attention to what we buy. We get to control what we put into our shopping basket. It's a question of supply and demand
More plant-based products will be produced and less animal-derived products will be made if we buy more plant-based products.
This goes for the food we eat, the clothes we wear and other things like cosmetics and cleaning products.
The organisation "Four Paws" has put together a handy list of suggestions of gifts for Mother’s Day. Check it out and get inspired!
We can choose
This Mother's Day, let's celebrate ALL mothers and honour all mother-child relationships.
I have realised that one of the big "secrets" of life is discovering what we can and cannot change.
And the exploitation and suffering of female animal mothers and their children is something that we can change. Every purchase makes a difference.
Love to all mothers, including all mamma pigs, cows, chicken and their children!
And a special shout-out to my own mother and my mother-in-law! Love you both, Happy Mothers Day!
PS. Enjoy this short and sweet video
