The Stages of a Heartbreak... Human Victims of the Animal Industries

Since it's Valentines Day - Maybe it's okay to talk about emotional things. Specifically what happens when people discover the truth about the treatment of others... And the inevitable heartbreak that ensues.

We all like to think we're kind - It's the way we were brought up to be... Nice.  Good.  And fair.  And if there's ever a reason to cause harm... It's only to protect the underling.  Well, lots happens when someone is exposed to the reality that they've been living their lives in the a way that goes against their perceived values.  People get shocked, regretful, angry, sad and resolved... Not unlike the 7 stages of grief.

Recently I saw this occur at the state fair that my group participated in... We set up a FARM sponsored pay per view outreach where the 12 minute video Farm to Fridge was shown.

And the reactions are the same as I've seen many times before. Ask someone what they think happens to boy calves at a dairy.  Explain to an acquaintance the life of a caged pig. Meet a stranger and reveal the fate of chicks in a hatchery. It's always the same.  Witnessing these incidents of discovery, I always initially see a kind of disbelief. I guess they figure it just can't be so!  But reason kicks in - Sometimes with the aid of visual proof and their shock turns to regret.

They usually regret not thinking things through enough... I've heard "how could I be so" blind, stupid, deceived, conned, duped, dumb, or whatever description one can use if they think they've been a chump.

And then they get mad! Mad at themselves. Mad at our culture. The system. The industry. The lies... I think they are like me - They get mad that our own species is capable of such hideous acts. They see humankind in tatters.

And that brings a terrible sadness...

And with this broken heart... Some tell their story in the form of videos like Kay7271 did in this Letter to the World part 1

and part 2

Kay7271 like countless others did the only thing that would mend her heart and give her open eyes new direction... She refused to support systems that were an abomination to her kind senses. And so begins restoration - Or something as close to a cure as one can find.

And yet... The heartbreak I must admit does continue. Not only because of the incessant malicious treatment to the gentle beings killed for gluttony... But also because of witnessing still, the heartbreak others endure in the learning of it. It creates quite a dichotomy... To want to teach, inform and expose - And then to want all the right reactions -  The sorrow a necessary part of it all... 

If it's true that the only way to heal grief is to go through the experience of each stage... Maybe that's why advocates are so solid in their resolve? We see the heartbreak over and over again - We live the solutions and stay at the message - Regardless.

If you are not already living your life awake, aware and engaged... Please get your heart broken! Please really love the animals enough to stop killing them. And speak up for them whenever you get the chance. Please.

<3

A man should not strive to eliminate his complexes but to get into accord with them: they are legitimately what directs his conduct in the world.

Sigmund Freud