What do I mean by “deliberate blindness”? I’ll give you one
example: We’re chatting with a person who claims that she “loves
animals,” and she starts talking about restaurants in our area that
she has been to and praises various meat dishes she enjoys eating
there. Then she asks us if we have been there, etc. When we say that
we are vegan, she seems uncomfortable and comes up with that over-used
excuse for resisting positive change: “Everything in moderation!”
Another example of deliberate blindness: People who say, “Don’t tell
me; I don’t want to know,” so they can continue indulging in
animal-derived products.
What is so disturbing about these people is the fact that they
consider themselves to be “kind,” when in fact they are “kind” of
dishonest! Their selective compassion and “kill the messenger” mentality
plays right into the hands of the worst industries that exploit animals
who cannot speak for themselves. With their money, the public actively
contributes to the horrible suffering of billions of intelligent animals
who feel physical and emotional pain.
Even the latest issue of the National Geographic magazine’s feature
article “Inside Animal Minds: Birds, Apes, Dolphins, and a Dog with
World-Class Vocabulary” confirms that there is ever-increasing proof
that animals possess far more intelligence and special abilities than we
ever realized. Among the animal photos and descriptions is a Giant
Pacific Octopus who “has distinct personality, uses tools, recognizes
individuals.” The article goes on to state that “octopuses are known to
block their dens with rocks and amuse themselves shooting water at
plastic-bottle targets (the first reported invertebrate play behavior)
and at lab staff. They may even express basic emotions by changing
color…”
There is more than ample proof that animals have a right to live
without the manipulation of hard-hearted humans who keep themselves in a
state of deliberate spiritual blindness.
