I feel so stupid and Idk what to do (1 Viewer)

[Wingfrost]

A while back my mom decided to buy a whole cow (for meat) and it didn’t bother me at all in the beginning, I am trying to stop eating animal products but it’s been a slow process. It didn’t become difficult until we went to the place that actually was going to slaughter the cow, I cried like a baby after seeing all these animals looking happy and healthy and not knowing their fate, when we were driving away I felt like I let them all down because I knew they were going to be killed in a few months. A few weeks ago I also had a horrible dream about one of the cows I saw their and today we finally got all the meat of this cow, as I was helping my family store it all into our freezer I felt so sick as they were naming off all the different kinds of meats from this one cow, I was shaking d trying not to cry in front of them because I felt so stupid. I still eat meat but it was just something about knowing that I walked away from this animal when it was alive and then now packaging him into my freezer. I don’t know if I can even bring myself to eat any of it and IDK how to tell my mom this. I just feel so stupid because I still eat meat but this particular cow I can’t bring myself to eat anything from him.

I really don’t know what to do, I feel so bad and just want to say sorry to this animal. I feel so stupid for crying over this.

 

[kodoku]

there's nothing stupid about this, I think it's moving that you care and have this much heart...... I hope you feel better soon <3

 

[Venomous]

I'm probably not going to be very well liked for this particular statement, but most of my family are farmers, so...
I personally find it insulting to the life of the cow to not eat it. Most cattle from family farms are raised well and dispatched quickly. These aren't pets, and they aren't really "wild" animals. This is their purpose in life. Every cow is the same, whether you've met it or not. Cows aren't like people, they don't think or feel the same way we do so anthropomorphizing them is a bad idea.

 

[Wicked]

I understand that it’s really different when you’ve actually met/seen the animal live. I've been in a similar situation and it felt... really awkward.

 

[Wingfrost]

I'm probably not going to be very well liked for this particular statement, but most of my family are farmers, so...
I personally find it insulting to the life of the cow to not eat it. Most cattle from family farms are raised well and dispatched quickly. These aren't pets, and they aren't really "wild" animals. This is their purpose in life. Every cow is the same, whether you've met it or not. Cows aren't like people, they don't think or feel the same way we do so anthropomorphizing them is a bad idea.

I understand your opinion on the situation, my grandpa used to raise his own meat so I’ve grown up in that environment, I never actually saw the animals when they were alive but I was aware that he was the one who raised them up and everything.That’s why I found this so random for me because I’ve never had a problem with things like this.

 

[Ahsoka]

I think it's pretty normal actually, its one thing when you know you're eating an animal in an abstract sense and another when you're actually confronted with the situation.

 

[Venomous]

I understand your opinion on the situation, my grandpa used to raise his own meat so I’ve grown up in that environment, I never actually saw the animals when they were alive but I was aware that he was the one who raised them up and everything.That’s why I found this so random for me because I’ve never had a problem with things like this.

It's probably because you're projecting your feelings onto the cow. Cows don't feel emotions the way humans do, nor do they feel pain the way we do. You'd think it barbaric to perform surgery on a person who was awake and standing up, but that is done to cows all the time. It's one of those things that is a byproduct of not teaching people where their food comes from. I was raised seeing and knowing what happens to beef cattle, so it doesn't bother me. Meanwhile you were removed from the process because by the time you see that cow, it's already pre-cut and packaged into containers. This is why we need to educate more on food production.

 

[lexus]

You shouldn’t feel stupid about it at all. 6 years ago I stopped eating meat and eventually gave up eating animal products altogether because I saw videos and a documentary about the treatment of animals in slaughterhouses.

If you don’t feel comfortable eating the meat then you shouldn’t make yourself eat it. If you feel okay eating it after awhile then that’s up to you.

 

[Ahsoka]

Cows don't feel emotions the way humans do, nor do they feel pain the way we do.

What do you mean by this?

 

[Venomous]

What do you mean by this?

I mean there is no one-to-one comparison between what we experience as people and what cows experience. While they do express complex emotions, we're not sure to what level or their awareness and understanding. The same goes for pain. We know cows do feel pain, but whether or not their pain tolerances are comparable to humans is totally unknown. We do know they're far more stoic and tolerant.


Basically what I mean is, there is no way to directly understand what cows think and feel, because their brains work in similar yet different ways as our own. A lot of what we experience may not be what they do, based on the evolutionary development of our brains versus theirs.

 

[Ahsoka]

I mean there is no one-to-one comparison between what we experience as people and what cows experience. While they do express complex emotions, we're not sure to what level or their awareness and understanding. The same goes for pain. We know cows do feel pain, but whether or not their pain tolerances are comparable to humans is totally unknown. We do know they're far more stoic and tolerant.


Basically what I mean is, there is no way to directly understand what cows think and feel, because their brains work in similar yet different ways as our own. A lot of what we experience may not be what they do, based on the evolutionary development of our brains versus theirs.

So for all we know they could be experiencing the same emotions as us?

 

[Venomous]

So for all we know they could be experiencing the same emotions as us?

Yes, but not necessarily the same way we do. However we also have to remember that cattle are no longer wild. They were domesticated for the purpose of consumption. Humans are omnivores, meat is a part of our diet.

 

[mysteric]

I mean there is no one-to-one comparison between what we experience as people and what cows experience. While they do express complex emotions, we're not sure to what level or their awareness and understanding. The same goes for pain. We know cows do feel pain, but whether or not their pain tolerances are comparable to humans is totally unknown. We do know they're far more stoic and tolerant.


Basically what I mean is, there is no way to directly understand what cows think and feel, because their brains work in similar yet different ways as our own. A lot of what we experience may not be what they do, based on the evolutionary development of our brains versus theirs.

slight tangent, but yeah scientists are still confused ?? ig?? about animals' emotions and such. I read an article like 2 months ago about the classification of personality types of humans to animals, and how they're similar, but not the same

 

[yeji]

don’t feel stupid about this. a lot of people who are thinking of stopping eating meat/animal products. I haven’t eaten anything like that for two years now and I can assure you that’s super normal. it’s a process and you have been thinking about these things which makes you more emotional in these aspects.