Caring for Plants

The following is probably one of the most controversial topics in this book. Most people agree that animals have senses, thoughts, feelings, and the right to live, but few think that plants have the same senses and rights as animals and humans. No one is to blame, we simply don’t have enough education on the subject. Plant “sentiency” is such a rare concept that hardly anyone is considering it.

Most of us agree that eating another human is wrong. At the same time, there are cannibalistic cultures that are still in existence. For them, human-flesh consumption is acceptable. Making them change their ways could be an impossible challenge.

In more “civilized” societies, the great majority of people eat animal products every day. That is normal for them. Convincing them to stop would be equally challenging. The aggressive criticism vegans and vegetarians receive show that humans tend to be slow and resistant to changing habits.

Hypocrisy spreads in mainstream society. Many people claiming to love animals, they even spend thousands of dollars on their pets. Ironically, they spend even more hiring professionals to murder, process, and transport, the flesh of animals such as cows, chickens, and pigs. The hypocrecy shows up when these “animal lovers” criticize the consumption of cats and dogs in foreign cultures.

Our empathy for animals is selective, just like it is for humans. We know that cats, dogs, pigs, cows, and humans, have the same intrinsic value. A white man isn’t more important than a black person, or a woman, or someone from the LGBTQ community. It is our minds, lost in duality, that separate and misjudge, placing the value of any living being in a man-made hierarchy.

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