Friday, May 18, 2007 . 5/18/2007

I'm ashamed of being a human. I really am.

The human race has got to be the most pathetic creature that has ever walked this planet. Think about it:

• Religion - It started out innocent enough, with people wondering where the earth came from, where storms came from, where diseases came from, and wondering if you went anywhere after death. The idea of a god(s) and/or goddess(es) popped up and explained everything. The story of a divine being or beings was probably then passed down from generation to generation, when eventually people started to believe in him/her/it seriously enough so as to warrant sacrifice or something similar. Ages pass. Holy books/myths were written with, most likely, good intention. Wars rage for religion. In fact, most wars are started because of religion in some way or another. More ages pass, and even with the coming of science and reason, many people still believe in this bullshit, so much as to consume their entire lives, have prejudices, and ignore the facts of the world.
• Pollution - While it is probably true that the air has been filled with pollution since the beginning of time due to volcanoes, animal waste, and other such factors, humans have managed to increase this so much more with technology. Cars, factories, and so on have polluted the air so bad in some cities that I'd dare say it would be the near equivalent as to living near a live volcano. Not to mention all the crap that people throw carelessly on the ground and in the rivers, hurting the animals that live there, themselves included.
• Animal Slaughter - The sheer population of humans has increased so much that we rely on other people to kill animals for food. So large is the demand for meat that it also requires the killing to be just plain slaughter in an effort to make the whole process cheaper, and not to mention more painful, for the animals themselves. While it is true that wild animals such as antelope or zebra often suffer for several minutes before dying to their captor(s), it is far better than living off of flesh from the same species, manure, and being cramped in a cage or stall. What's worse is the lack of apathy by the person doing the slaughtering. They just don't care.
• Fur and leather trade - Thousands of animals, both domesticated and wild, are slaughtered for their fur and hide mostly for the purpose of making people look good. This process often involves skinning the animal alive, and the poaching of protected species. To some peoples' perverted minds, wearing animal flesh or an animal carcass just looks good.
• Poaching - Some people are so caught up and seduced by money that killing an innocent and wild animal for it just doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is that they get that fur, horn, or tusk on the market so that they can bag in the riches.
• Animal Abuse- Being the unique species that we are, we also come with unique mental problems not normally seen in other animals (at least, not that I've seen or heard of). This can result in the lack of feeling of remorse or guilt, senseless rage, or an inability to reason properly, which can also result in the abuse, neglect, or slaughtering of animals and perhaps even people.
• Murder - Personally, I do not really give a rat's ass if a person is killed. What I do give a rat's ass about, however, is the reasoning being the killer's motives. These can range from murder for religion, revenge, or even a goddamn Xbox.
• The media - It's known for making a big deal of celebrities and only focusing on the negative things. Most of this negativity consists of trivial matters that happen every fucking day such as a murder, a robbery, or a house getting caught on fire. Truly interesting or important things rarely ever get reported.

I could go on and on. The point that I'm getting at here is something that all of us (hopefully) already know: humans are unique in that we are so smart and yet so dumb at the same time. We have gained much knowledge, but we must learn to use it wisely.

And for anyone who may be reading this, let me just clarify something here: I am not a vegetarian nor a vegan, which of course makes me a hypocrite, unfortunately. I have seen countless videos on animal slaughter, but I cannot get myself to give up meat. Actually, as long as a huge and very deadly disease doesn't pop up, I'm likely to continue eating it (unless of course I happen to go to a slaughter house myself - then I will most likely break down and cry). I would very much like to stop the inhumane treatment of slaughter animals, however, but I don't know how to go about this, and becoming a vegetarian most certainly will not help. A few thousand people is not enough for the demand for meat to stop, and you can't expect everyone to give up meat. Humans have evolved to eat meat, after all; we are omnivores, and for most, the desire for meat runs strong just as it does in a bear.