A letter to my kids...
"Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar."
- Bradley Millar
- Bradley Millar
For the whales and dolphins who twirl around in endless circles in tiny concrete pools instead of swimming freely in the ocean… we will never go to a marine park or aquarium.
For the millions of homeless dogs and cats sitting behind bars in shelters… we will never buy an animal from a pet store or breeder.
For the sad elephants in the circus who are chained and forced to perform meaningless tricks for the sake of entertainment… we will never buy a ticket to the circus.
For the vulnerable rabbits and mice who have chemicals dripped into their eyes and rubbed onto their sensitive skin… we will never buy products that have been tested on animals.
For the foxes caged or trapped for the beautiful fur on their backs… we will never buy bags, boots or jackets made with fur.
For the pigs forced to live in a crate so small they can’t even turn around… we will never eat hot dogs or bacon.
For the elephants and rhinos being brutally poached to the point of extinction for one of their body parts... we will never buy anything made from ivory or horns.
For the sweet cows who have their babies taken from them right after birth, and are treated as milk machines… we will never eat ice cream, cheese, yogurt, or drink milk that was made for baby calves.
For the hens who have their beaks cut off and are crammed into tiny cages so tightly they’re unable to even spread their wings… we will never eat eggs.
For the over-worked horses forced to pull heavy carriages in loud, crowded cities… we will never ride in a horse drawn-carriage.
For the fish who just want to be left alone, and not yanked out of the water by a hook through their mouth for the sake of someone's entertainment… we will never go fishing.
For the horses and dogs forced to race around tracks for our amusement… we will never attend any animal races.
For the miserable bears and gorillas living lonely, stressed-out and unnatural lives in captivity in zoos… we will never visit the zoo.
For the calves and bulls roped, chased and slammed to the ground in an arena full of cheering fans... we will never attend a rodeo.
For the ducks who have their feathers painfully plucked, and the sheep who have chunks of skin painfully cut from their back ends… we will never buy blankets, sweaters or winter hats made with down or wool.
For the cows and snakes who have their skin taken from them... we will never buy leather or snakeskin clothing or purses.
That’s what we won’t do…. but here’s what we will do!
We’ll go whale watching in the ocean to see whales and dolphins swimming freely. We’ll have coconut milk ice-cream on a hot summer day. We’ll buy tickets to see incredible acrobats in Cirque Du Soleil. We’ll make the best vegan mac & cheese in the world! We’ll take baths with cruelty-free bubbles. We’ll visit farm sanctuaries and cuddle with animals who’ve been rescued from abuse and neglect. We’ll bake vegan cupcakes together. We’ll dye ceramic eggs on Easter. We’ll decorate vegan gingerbread houses. We'll have non-dairy hot cocoa with vegan marshmallows on snowy days. We’ll go to Africa to see elephants, lions and giraffes living with their families in the wild. We’ll adopt a sweet dog from an animal shelter. We’ll read books and watch movies that portray animals in a positive light. We’ll spend time with other vegan families who are living according to the same values of compassion. We'll walk in the park and listen to the birds, spot the squirrels and crouch down to see caterpillars and ants up close.
We’ll do all of these things together as a family because we are strong, courageous and compassionate. In our actions, we will try to do the most good, and the least harm. We won’t take the easy path just because it’s been laid out for us. We’ll take the path that is good for the animals, and good for our souls.
Someday we will look back on this time when humans caused countless animals to suffer so intensely for our food, entertainment, clothing and products, and people will talk about the heroes who stood up for these voiceless animals. You will be one of these heroes.
Love,
Mom
We’ll go whale watching in the ocean to see whales and dolphins swimming freely. We’ll have coconut milk ice-cream on a hot summer day. We’ll buy tickets to see incredible acrobats in Cirque Du Soleil. We’ll make the best vegan mac & cheese in the world! We’ll take baths with cruelty-free bubbles. We’ll visit farm sanctuaries and cuddle with animals who’ve been rescued from abuse and neglect. We’ll bake vegan cupcakes together. We’ll dye ceramic eggs on Easter. We’ll decorate vegan gingerbread houses. We'll have non-dairy hot cocoa with vegan marshmallows on snowy days. We’ll go to Africa to see elephants, lions and giraffes living with their families in the wild. We’ll adopt a sweet dog from an animal shelter. We’ll read books and watch movies that portray animals in a positive light. We’ll spend time with other vegan families who are living according to the same values of compassion. We'll walk in the park and listen to the birds, spot the squirrels and crouch down to see caterpillars and ants up close.
We’ll do all of these things together as a family because we are strong, courageous and compassionate. In our actions, we will try to do the most good, and the least harm. We won’t take the easy path just because it’s been laid out for us. We’ll take the path that is good for the animals, and good for our souls.
Someday we will look back on this time when humans caused countless animals to suffer so intensely for our food, entertainment, clothing and products, and people will talk about the heroes who stood up for these voiceless animals. You will be one of these heroes.
Love,
Mom
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