God Does Not Eat Meat By Arthur Poletti
From All-Creatures.org Book Archive

Chapter Two: How Kindness to Animals Has Changed the World

Arthur Poletti

It was the first day of philosophy class presentations.

“Good morning, my name is Bradford Knox. The title of my presentation is:

How Kindness to Animals Has Changed the World.

“First we will evaluate how animals are treated in 2065 and how the quality of their lives has improved. Then we will evaluate some of the gains realized over the last fifty-seven years as a result of Americans removing meat from the food chain for humans and animals. This remarkable, incomparable change began with the Animal Welfare Act on September 1, 2008. Surprisingly, we now enjoy many residual benefits and our country has become far less violent and far more compassionate to all living creatures. Let me begin.

“Today, in America animals are cherished and protected by most people, and are special members of our nation. The no-kill laws put into effect in 2008 were intended to protect all animal life. They included provisions to implement birth control measures of spaying and neutering in order to humanely reduce, control, provide for, and protect the overall animal population. Within several months the new practices began to dramatically reduce the heavy overpopulation of most animals, especially dogs and cats.

“Since the elimination of all animal factory-farms and the continuous expanded nationwide effort of spaying and neutering for nearly fifty-seven years, the population of animals in the United States each year has been significantly reduced. The overall animal population has declined by approximately 74 percent from 2008 to 2065.

“During the last fifty seven years hundreds of new animal reserves and sanctuaries have been continually developed throughout the United States and are thriving. The main purpose and goal of creating the reserves and sanctuaries was to one day have the physical capabilities to provide safe haven for all wild animals in America. That goal was finally achieved in November of 2029.

“The gruesome sport of hunting, as well as the raising and killing of animals for their fur or other body parts, have been nearly nonexistent for over fifty-six years.

“Now animals receive many of the same health care benefits and modern hospital services that humans receive. There are 187 large state of the art animal hospitals in the United States. Highly skilled doctors and staff members are well paid to provide the finest technology and medicine for every species of animal.

“Animal hospitals, shelters, humane societies, reserves, and sanctuaries can no longer put animals to death unless they can convince a state official that the animal is either so critically ill or so severely injured that nothing else can be done to save its life.

“L.A.P. Day (Love and Protection Day), the national holiday for animals in the United States, is celebrated each year on September 1 to commemorate the Animal Welfare Act of 2008 and to remind our citizens how important it is to love and protect all animal life. Many countries in the world have a similar holiday at different times of the year.

“This country and most of the world are now far safer and healthier for humans and animals to live in largely because of changes in our educational systems.

“Our goal was to use the most effective methods to help develop a permanent habit in our children of loving and protecting all animal life.

“The ancient theories that we began to teach in our education systems in 2007 planted the seeds of hope. By July 2007, all elementary schools in the United States were required to include classes on kindness to animals beginning in the third or fourth grade.

“In addition, our earliest childhood teachings incorporated the oriental concept of ahimsa (nonviolence), which expresses the sacredness of all life, a unity that includes even insects.

“I will now read to you two Hindu verses both of which were often read to students by our teachers and also recited by most students from third to eighth grade. Many of us used and referred to these verses throughout our school years and will continue to practice these beliefs for the remainder of our lives. The first Hindu verse was written about 2200 years ago in the Tirukural by the simple weaver saint poet Tiruvalluvar. The next verse is the words of Gandhi.

As long as human society continues to allow cows to be regularly killed in slaughterhouses, there cannot be any question of peace and prosperity.
- A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

If we are to reach real peace in this world and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with children; and if they grow up in their natural innocence, we won’t have to struggle; we won’t have to pass fruitless idle resolutions, but we shall go from love to love and peace to peace, until at last all the corners of the world are covered with that peace and love for which consciously or unconsciously the whole world is hungering.
- Mahatma Gandhi

Brad continued, “For nearly six decades our children have been raised in a non-violent society. Our children have been raised as vegans. Every day they are exposed to nonviolence as a principle of peace and compassion. Every day they are reminded in some way to not kill.

“This love, compassion, and protection have had a huge impact, resulting in a society that commits far fewer acts of violence against animals and people.

“During the last fifty-seven years, the vast majority of our children have been taught by their families and educated in our schools to believe that animals are one of God’s most glorious gifts to the world, all of which must be protected and cared for, and never harmed.

“For the last twenty-two years all states have added animal welfare courses to high school and college curricula. Now animal welfare degrees are sought by thousands of students who will be seeking the high-paying jobs that are now available for such graduates.

“For Americans, living in a nonviolent society has significantly contributed to a large reduction in every type of crime, especially severe felonies. The most dramatic reductions in crime when comparing 2064 with 2007 are that murder, rape, armed robbery, and domestic violence have been reduced by 85 to 92 percent.

“The Nonviolence Act of 2009 forced writers, movie and radio producers, and the news media to refrain from using any type of violence in their productions. The restriction also applied to manufacturers of toys and games. The Nonviolence Act concluded that freedom of speech does not mean freedom to exhibit or promote any type of violence.

Mahatma Gandhi once said: “Liberty never meant the license to do anything at will.”

“The proven methods we established in America have now been endorsed and instituted by many countries in the world. In today’s world, most people believe we are all, animals and humans, of the same race and religion. We are all holy beings established in divinity itself. This is the reason sages have emphatically proclaimed again and again that it is necessary to love all existing lives as one’s own. This belief played a large role in creating the practice of vegetarianism, as did the theory that there is little difference between the soul of an animal and that of a man, and that through reincarnation a human soul might enter the body of an animal.

“This ends my report for today. Tomorrow I will begin my presentation explaining how the state of our health has improved. Thank you.”

As Brad began to walk back to his seat, some of his classmates applauded him and someone yelled out, “Good job, Brad!”

As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields. What I think about vivisection (operating on a live animal for the purpose of scientific research) is that if people admit that they have the right to take or endanger the life of living beings for the benefit of many, there will be no limit to their cruelty.
-
Leo Tolstoy, author


The author obtained Copyright Certificate of Registration March 23, 2004.

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Go on to Chapter Three: How Bad Things Used to Be
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