If more people would recognize the horrors experienced by those poor cows who find themselves in the never ending milk lines of Cafo dairies and decide to give up dairy, hopefully one day those Cafos from hell will be dismantled. and the cows would be freed from suffering bondage.
A question -- Can we experience what it must be like to die? Maybe- if we
work in the medical profession. Maybe- if we minister to the dying as a priest or minister. Maybe if we work in hospice. But I think the idea of death is basically illusive for most of us. At least we don't spend a lot of time thinking about our own death. After all, we see plenty of violence and death on TV.
But what about the death of an animal? Perhaps those of us who are blessed with the love of a companion animal think about it when we find they have a serious illness. Then of course, that is a painful reality we all have to face.
But how many of us give any thought to the death of farm animals? I think ethical vegans and vegetarians do, but for the rest of us-no. We only think of the meat we are hungering for. Today on All-Creatures. org -Bernie Jones thought about this topic and wrote a poem called "Death of a Dairy Cow." Painful to read, at least for me, I believe it is an accurate depiction and portrayal of the life and death of a dairy cow:
My time to die is close now
Though I am too tired to fight
I see many others around me
Struggling with all their might
My bones, my skin, my innards ache
Worn out before my years
Soon to die, and I am glad
My fatigue outweighs my fears
Many offspring I have bore
Though I have reared none
I have grieved for each of my offspring,
Never known where they have gone
My life is to be extinguished
Though I am heavily with calf
I want to die, though fear for the pain
To be inflicted on this unborn life
The pain and terror of my slaughter
Will be less to bear than was my life
But I feel terror for my little one
To know nothing save the slaughter man's knife
I'm offloaded with the others
Herded and beaten to the killing floor
White eyes of terror all around me,
When my life will be extinguished, I am not sure......
I'm next...I'm restrained....I sh*t myself
A bolt is held to my head
A second and it will all be over...
I welcome being dead
Please let my baby's death be quick.....
Bernie Jones
I received my first puppy Peaches in 1975. She made me take a good look at the animal kingdom and I was shocked to see how badly we treat so many animals. At 77, I've been a vegan for the past 30 years and I thank God every day that I am. I am most disturbed at how little the Catholic Church and Christian churches generally give to concern re animal suffering in their ministry. I wrote to 350 bishops in 2001 and only 10-13 responded. I feel that the very least they can do is to instruct that the priests give one sermon a year on compassion to animals. I am still waiting for that sermon. I also belong to Catholic Concern for Animals - founded in England in 1929. (They are on the internet) I recently sent a sample copy of their bi-monthly publication called the ARK to the 8 Catholic bishops of Ohio. Only ONE kindly responded. Somehow we have to reach the Christian teaching magisterium. There is next to nothing re animal concerns and compassion for them. They basically believe that animals are the lesser of God's creation and that gives us the right to do anything we want to them. Way wrong. We need to change their mindsets. The animals are God's first and He expects us to treat them compassionately.
