Archaic Traditions
"The way we've always done it" is one of the weakest and least insightful reason to continue any behavior. Times change. Situations evolve. Problems require different solutions as we move forward.
In the past slavery of Black people in the US was legal. It was thought to be morally acceptable as well. Of course we know better than this now.
Toxic masculinity has been celebrated by some cultures that support the beating of wives. Of course we know better than this now although domestic violence does sadly persist, and it is not limited to any one gender.
Some measures of progress have been made through abolition of slavery, protective child labor laws, and other important issues. These arenas still definitely need our focus, but now it is time for us to also evolve regarding animal rights.
We have thought in the past we required animals as food, but we know now that humans do not need to eat animals or anything that comes out of them, to survive, to thrive. If we actually did require animal foods, the argument would be much different - it would be a discussion of how to ethically raise animals with the least amount of injury and suffering to them. This is not the case, though. We literally harm ourselves by eating animals. The leading causes of disease and death in humans worldwide come from eating animals. We thrive on only plants.
Raising animals so we can eat them is a massive assault on the environment as well, which we cannot sustain.
Raising animals for food is an inherently violent and cruel practice, no way around it. Since we know we do not need to eat animals at all, the only moral action we can take is to be vegan, to stop the gargantuan horror show called animal agriculture that has gone on far too long.
It is time to wake up, and to make the ethical choice to stop abusing animals, ourselves and the planet. We can create new, healthier, kinder, more sustainable traditions. We can evolve. We can choose better, more ethical lifestyles. We can abandon harmful, outdated traditions such as the archaic, barbaric notion of eating animals. It's time. Learn how here.
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