I am immersed in the suffering of these animals during Ringlings stay in the Bay Area yet even I try to block it out. While alone up in the parking garage in Stockton I filmed the tigers for quite some time. I could literally see the hours, days, months, years in my mind. This is their entire life- a few steps this way, a few steps that way, cold/hot/hard metal floors, constantly surrounded by walls and bars, with no fresh air, no sunlight and no escape. This video may be just 15 seconds but please realize, that at this very moment, this is where that tiger is, this is the stereotypic behavior he does every day and this has been and will be his life until he dies. If you can view this animal and not be disgusted, I would question not only your humanity but your intelligence. Our world lacks compassion. I sometimes look at people who are so indifferent to suffering and wonder; what has happened to them in their lives that they now lack such basic compassion. I empathize to my core with these people. After my sister was murdered I was so cold and shut off to anyone elses pain because I was so wrapped up in my own. I just didnt care. So a part of me understands it, yet mainly I cannot fathom how anyone can see someone, animal or human, suffering so immensely and not care. Further, how they can contribute to that beings suffering with their money. How did our world become so callous? What has happened to us, as human beings, who are capable of such love and compassion, to be so selfish and uncaring? We all have the capability of love and kindness yet there is such a small minority of people, who through their actions, really live a compassionate life. It hurts my heart and I just want to take each individual person into my arms and ask them; why? Why dont you care? Why do you contribute to the suffering of others? Why wont you change so others wont suffer? If you are looking at this right now and it disgusts you or hurts your heart to the core and you are someone who eats animal products, I beg you to explain to me the difference between this tiger and the animals you call food. You support the same torture, confinement and misery just to different species but with billions of animals being tortured & killed every year. Own your actions and indifference to the suffering you contribute to. Feel their sadness and pain and know with everything in you that you no longer have to be a part of this brutal and uncaring system. Everyone has a journey and veganism isnt about being perfect and not all vegans are good people. If you just went vegetarian, fantastic! If you just stopped eating red meat, great! If you just stopped attending circuses, awesome! I commend you wholeheartedly with every compassionate step you make but encourage you to not stop there, but to go further in your journey. I continue to try and lesson suffering but I am not delusional- simply living on this planet causes inherent suffering, no doubt. Yet we all can make an honest effort to lesson our impact and make logical decisions, compassionate choices or common sense deductions into how we live our lives. Go vegan. Kindness is never wrong.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Sep 2014 20:44:06 +0000