Yes, you bring up an interesting point platy. The difference between eating Guinea pigs, dogs, cats, etc -and cows, sheep, deer, etc ....is emotional attachment. Anyone who had got to know a sheep or cow, or pig or deer, and hadn't just viewed it as a "thing" or a "food source", but had received affection, emotional support, friendliness, from it -or who had noticed its intelligence in certain circumstances, or even ability to create humour...would be hard-pressed to keep it in slavery to human will, or cut its throat, or whatever -for food.
My feeling is that we separate those animals we are used to seeing as "food", don't have chance to, or avoid, connecting with them as individuals, and split off a part of ourselves to deal with eating them, or milking them, or turning a blind eye to intensive farming methods which cause suffering.
I've done it myself in the past, so I understand how we can shut off things like that. That tasty roast pork doesn't even LOOK like a pig. It looks and smells like "bacon". That roast chicken that smells so good with garlic doesn't look like a living, feeling Being who has been cooped up in a huge artificially-lit shed all of its life, lost most of its natural integrity as a result of being mishandled by human will, never saw the sunlight, and lived about 1/3 of its natural lifespan.
I think that what can change us is when we have a personal relationship with an animal. Then we really see and notice things we hadn't done before. And then we find things we have in common with the animal; we start to feel respect and love and kinship.
My own personal relationship with my dog Misty widened my horizons like nothing else had ever done. She showed me things I'd never known before, about the Souls of animals, and their incredible intelligence. And as a result I started to see those things also in other animals. At that point I became vegan.
My feeling is that we separate those animals we are used to seeing as "food", don't have chance to, or avoid, connecting with them as individuals, and split off a part of ourselves to deal with eating them, or milking them, or turning a blind eye to intensive farming methods which cause suffering.
I've done it myself in the past, so I understand how we can shut off things like that. That tasty roast pork doesn't even LOOK like a pig. It looks and smells like "bacon". That roast chicken that smells so good with garlic doesn't look like a living, feeling Being who has been cooped up in a huge artificially-lit shed all of its life, lost most of its natural integrity as a result of being mishandled by human will, never saw the sunlight, and lived about 1/3 of its natural lifespan.
I think that what can change us is when we have a personal relationship with an animal. Then we really see and notice things we hadn't done before. And then we find things we have in common with the animal; we start to feel respect and love and kinship.
My own personal relationship with my dog Misty widened my horizons like nothing else had ever done. She showed me things I'd never known before, about the Souls of animals, and their incredible intelligence. And as a result I started to see those things also in other animals. At that point I became vegan.
