Ahimsa Jude

I've often found myself on both ends of the animal cruelty debate. One reason is because my diet consists of vegetarian tendancies, so that means that I have to justify why I eat meat on occasion.  My genuine answer is that it is a necessary part of my diet.  As a society, I think we eat a little more meat than is necessary. Not only that, but the way we go about slaughtering meat is atrocious and inhumane. 

For arguments sake, I've often taken the corner of people like, Mike Vick, the infamous dog-fighter. Presenting a philosophical argument in the context of how cultures perceive these practices as norms is a rather simple task.  The hard part is being a dog lover making these kinds of arguments. Even harder is the task of convincing other dog lovers to view these issues through another culture's perspective to suit your argument, for argument's sake.  Through these "leisurely" arguments I've found one thing that most people can agree on. The methods that we use to slaughter animals needs to improve and become more humane.  It's one thing to slaughter an animal out of necessity for diet. It's another thing to do so without considering the animal's right to die swiftly and humanely. Our society ignores this issue--big time. 

I could never find myself engaging in animal cruelty. I just lost my dog and I already miss having that little booger around with his ears perked, nose whiffing and tail wagging... I've just always had an ability to look at things from various perspectives, even when I don't agree with what I'm saying or arguing. However, Jude's conscience wouldn't even allow him to argue. 

"I'll stick him [the pig] effectually, so as to make short work of it. That's the chief thing". (65)

"However unworkmanlike the deed, it had been mercifully done. The blood flowed out in a torrent instead of in the trickling stream she had desired. The dying animal's cry assumed its third and final tone, the shriek of agony; his glazing eyes riveting themselves on Arabella with the eloquently keen reproach of a creature recognizing at last the treachery of those who had seemed his only friends".  (66)

When I drive down the roads in rural Texas and see chickens stacked up on top of each other, some dead, some half-dead while others are diseased and malnourished, I think to myself there has to be a better way to do that. When I think of swine and bovine being hung upside down to bleed to death I think to myself there has to be a better way. Perhaps, as consumers, we could advocate more humane treatment of animals with Jude's level of compassion and conscience in mind.    "Jude felt dissatisfied with himself as a man at what he had done, though aware of his lack of common sense, and that the deed would have amounted to the same thing if carried out by deputy. The white snow, stained with the blood of his fellow-moral, wore an illogical look to him as a lover of justice, not to say Christian, but he could not see how the matter was to be mended. No doubt he was, as his wife had called him, a tender-hearted fool." (67)

C'mon... what's foolish about being tenderhearted?