03.09.07
Meet Whom You Eat
This October, members of the American University Animal Rights Effort (AUARE) and I volunteered at the Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary in Maryland. We mucked the horse barn, and the pig and horse pastures. We brushed down the horses and fed the pigs. And we spent time with the animals.
It is so soothing and peaceful to quietly observe the chickens and turkeys. Listening to their cooing and soft, gentle gurgling noises causes my stress to melt away. To watch them peck and scratch the earth is as calming as meditation, and it reveals them to be dignified and regal creatures in their own right.
Watching the chickens, I often wonder what their lives must be like. What do they experience? What does it feel like to be in their body? What do they enjoy and what do they dislike? Do they care about their lives? What if I had been a chicken? How would I have wanted to be treated?
How do you think it feels to be a chicken, pig, goat, or a cow? Would you still love your life? How would you want to be treated?
This text was written in 2007 by Freeman Wicklund of FreemanWicklund.org, and it may be freely reprinted or distributed in its entirety in any e-zine, e-mail, newsletter or blog as long as this sentence and Web link are included.