Any vibes on the future fate of animals in our shifting reality?

[amitten]

I have a feeling the tide is turning toward greater consideration toward animals. I hope that's the case.

[I Have A Dream]

1. I've been wondering this myself, amitten.

Additionally, I've been wondering if we will collectively decide to become vegetarian. It's so hard to imagine this given how people currently eat, but I'm thinking that it will ultimately happen due to people's free will choices, and there will be things to eat that are viewed as much tastier than meat.

[northernlights]

2. interesting...

A couple minutes before you posted this, the thread was started about Madeline (Mrs. T Bones) Pickens using her fabulous wealth to save the wild mustangs that were slated for slaughter.

I was having a hard time reconciling the old oilman Pickens with the new windman Pickens. But I'm starting to think he's not all bad after all....

[Cleita]

3. I don't know about becoming vegetarian.

The bad side is it could make our food animals become extinct, however, I hope we see a trend to treating these animals with kindness during their lifetimes and making their killing merciful and pain free. I think there is a trend toward eating less meat like our ancestors did. A century ago there wasn't meat on the table at every meal. And most of the poor people only ate meat for Sunday supper. Also, what would you feed your carnivorous pets like dogs and cats?

[I Have A Dream]

4. I certainly respect every person's right to decide whether...

or not to eat meat. However, I wanted to share my perspective on this issue. Personally, if humans were a food source, I'd rather humans became extinct than stick around just because we're food for another species. (Please note that I'm not equating the taking of a human life with the taking of an animal's life.)

In reference to the carnivorous pet issue, my hope is that they'd also evolve to no longer require eating meat. (Obviously, this is not in the foreseeable future.)

As I stated in my post above, I wouldn't want becoming vegetarian to be a forced thing but rather a free-will choice. My hope is that someday this will happen because humans one-by-one decided that this is how they want the world to be.

If not on Earth, I hope that I someday go somewhere where this is the case.

[Cleita]

5. Also, some people have medical conditions where they can't be

vegetarians. They need the electrolytes that can only be obtained from animal food. My husband was one because he had kidney failure and he couldn't get enough protein from plant food because the dialysis removes it so thoroughly. The Dalai Lama is also one of those people who has a medical condition that requires him to eat animal protein. Buddhist monks are traditionally vegetarian and they have invented some wonderful food like seitan to substitute for meat, but the head guy needs to eat meat it seems.

I do believe there was an era on earth when there were no predators. I think it was the era of little sea animals known as trilobytes. I think they were called that. Don't quote me. I'm going by memory and am frankly kind of rushed right now to look it up.

[Fire Walk With Me]

6. Pendulum swings create their opposite.

Losing our freedom and safety require a change to the political process. Losing our human rights requires new laws for equality. Losing our environment and its creatures requires that we take our place as its keepers and loving caretakers.