Dreamy Dreams: Animal Sanctuaries and King Arthur’s Court
Hello Guys,
Recently I have been dreaming about the countryside.
I have been dreaming about owning an animal sanctuary with my future significant other and maybe even giving pole dancing lessons to women on the side that would teach them about their own unique power and beauty.
I went to the house I grew up in in the country the other day. It was sooo beautiful. I don’t think I am a city person at heart.
I saw the stars for about the first time in a year.
I saw maybe 5 shooting stars.
There were plants in the windows at night and dark plants from the forest and the bushes and the grass all around.
The crickets were singing. It was like these thick waves of sound coming from deep in the forest.
I don’t hear any crickets in nyc.
I really have a desire to be around animals. Dogs. Pigs.
I feel a bit out there saying it, but I want to know what pigs are like.
I think I mentioned on this blog before, that I went to this place called The Mountain School in Vermont for a semester my junior year in high school. They had animals there that they raised…for meat. Horrors.
They had pigs there.
The pigs were enormous and I was scared of them. They were so big it was like they could run you over and you didn’t know what they would do.
I avoided their tiny stall. But I was really curious about those pigs.
Back then, I was a vegetarian but I had not “SEEN THE GHOSTS” with my own eyes. I did not feel a sense of outrage that the pigs were being killed, and that the turkeys I was in charge of for a few weeks would be killed too.
It was so hidden from our view.
They slaughtered the chickens in front of us though. It was shocking. But I kind of felt numb. At first I was horrified but then the feeling faded. I guess I just thought I couldn’t stop it. I must have rationalized it like it will be over quick. So I just looked away.
I wish I had done something like this though. Check out Anita Krajnc standing up for the pigs in the trucks. A video you won’t soon forget and a true example of heroism against an seemingly unstoppable killing machine (the chickens were being slaughtered in this mobile slaughtering contraption).
I have been thinking about this a lot. What is the missing link. The Link that allows you to SEE THE GHOSTS. Is it just bearing witness like Anita says? Is it that simple?
If so, wow.
Back then, I had less respect for life.
I had less ideals.
King Arthur’s court was all about the ideals of chivalry and nobility and truth and goodness and gentleness…and chastity? OK… sure.
An animal sanctuary kind of reminds me of King Arthur’s court.
A sanctuary is kind of a round fenced in court of those ideals.
Out of those fences…the world doesn’t respect these ideals. They don’t respect things that are as gentle and noble and unable to fight back as farm animals
….like the chickens.
from Jenny Brown’s book The Lucky Ones about Woodstock Animal Sanctuary
Inside that “protective bubble”, a dome of happiness and goodness… things are different.
I’ve never even been to a sanctuary! As I said, my goal is before the summer ends. I think I’m going next weekend.
Have any of you guys ever dreamed about owning an animal sanctuary or been to one? What do you think is THE KEY to “seeing the ghosts”, the missing link that stops people from “getting it”. Is it as simple as Bearing Witness?
That’s quite a big question. I think that it helps to know and love animals, but I think focusing on how easy being vegan really is, is an easier way to get people to actually change. We all do things that we know have ugly consequences. Driving and flying, wasting natural resources, buying items made in sweat shops, etc. It’s hard to avoid doing or buying things that harm the environment or other people. I think it’s pretty obvious that even when people understand that they are buying products made under horrible conditions, they are able to justify it to themselves, i.e. Apple, Walmart. Maybe the missing link is the realization that they can eat easy, delicious food that doesn’t harm animals, just as easily as they can eat animals. Compared to ditching the car for a bike or buying a more expensive, responsibly made product in place of something from Target, going vegan seems like an easy change.
That is a really good point. Focusing on how easy being vegan is…I agree, that as soon as I found stuff like DAIYA (vegan cheese for anyone reading who doesn’t know) and made pizza with it and found vegan fast food–I didn’t feel like I’d ever be really tempted to go back to nonveganism. Cause it was so good. Hmm thank you for the insight!