Chapter Two

I am one-hundred and eleven less than perfection. This means I no longer exist and am without any second chances at a new beginning. I deceived myself and, in turn, am deceived by the inevitable nature of things. I have no morality. My soul was taken from me. All I am left with is my smitten stream of conscience and memory that compose what I am made of. That is the distinction between ghost and spirit. I am a ghost.

            There is no single God, but everything which burdens a body harbors a spirit as well; and that, I've come to realize, is where our faith lies. I was a soul that had been damaged, revived, and then shattered: many times before and again. But if we go back in time it was more than a round surface, a cycle per se. That cycle was the air I breathed, the water I drank, and the blood that coursed through my poisoned veins. The cycle is me. And it is you. It is everything that is born and everything that goes in the ground whence it came. It is every story that is told. It is everything that blows in the wind. It is the wind. And I was a rabbit. And I had a foot, but I certainly wasn't lucky. However, that is another story that wouldn't make for very good table conversation. Alas, I have eaten my last supper. Had I not, I would cease to be here.

             I have lost my purpose. Or moreover, I suppose my purpose was to tell how it came to be. But first, I must state that nothing is and nothing will be. Everything is gilded and has a flip-side. Luck, for instance, is far from fair game. Chance is synonymous with luck, but one does not call oneself "chancy" because chance implies both the "good" and "bad" side of things, which is the coin in it's entirety,  whilst when one is "lucky" it means they have good fortune: merely by the outcome of chance. I am "chancy".

             There is no place, there is only space. There is no other side, but only an in-between. Everywhere is nowhere, and nowhere is the universe. It is simply impossible for a human to grasp due to his or her fist-sized mind. No one can imagine beyond the universe if they tried without scratching their head.  This is because it doesn't exist. But a human-animal would like to believe there is something "out there', they would say. I am putting my foot down now: the only "out there" is here. When one passes, it is not "where they pass", but "when they pass".

            Every story begins with "once upon a time". Where one travels when they pass is not a place but a time where nothing happens. This being the case, there is no feasible time but only the repetitiveness of occurrences that give us the illusion of time. When we remember past events they appear all too dream-like, save for the very moment we live in. Then it's gone and followed by a "replacement moment" that, to a conscience, imprints the illusion of reality. To break it down: our memory is a slave of time. One's life is that but a dream, a series of occurrences that never really happened but only seem to exist because of the consequence. That is where I lie. And my memory serves me well.

            I have been "here" many "times" before, as will anyone else. Only now I stay here for good, deprived of second chances and a fork for my meal. All of life is laced by a long, thin string. How we view our past lives, in the end, is the aftermath of how we lived our lives accordingly. There is no higher justice and there is no cleansing of bad actions. It is safe to say that we are a slave to ourselves. The only enlightenment we will ever receive in our final destination is the knowledge that we had lived our lives accordingly; for ourselves, granted we do not to intrude on any other one's ability to do the same.  The journey is the ultimate purpose, not where we will end up. A rabbit never has a second chance, and that is why I am here. Sat down and left with no other option I am bound eternally to watch my many lives unravel on the screen bit by bit, each viewing another piece of the puzzle, sin by sin.

            The more humanity has advanced, the more ridiculous their theories of the afterlife conveyed. There are no devils, and angels are a pipe-dream. There are only us. When we turn to their more primitive species, they seemed to have a more intimare understanding of the way things are. However, "intimate" is as far as anyone will achieve on the subject. Life will never understand itself. Only that which steps outside and observes will find answers. Life is grey, whilst that which comes before is white and after black.

            I am able to tell my tale due to the transcendence of my existence. I am between and through you; not on the other side as aforementioned. And I possess a conscience and a memory that never fail me, also previously stated. One who has served their very last term in life has a memory that stays with them forever.

            The Eskimos have thirty-two ways of saying the many gradations of any type of love. The English language is less equipped, only using one. My story is a romance, and in it are different levels of love: the love of oneself, the love of a material possession, the love of friendship, and the sensuality of loving and being loved in return by a kin soul. I am finally able to share my history with you, dear reader. Many metaphors abound. Metaphors tell the truth through lies.

            On the not-so-off-track, the number seven-hundred and seven in many civilizations depict enlightenment, or perfection....

Human + Animal Responsibility

            “The question is not, can they [animals] reason? Nor, can they talk? But, can they suffer?” The answer, I will state firmly, to this self-evident quote produced by Jeremy Bentham, is without a doubt, yes; any non-human animal is fully capable of enduring any amount of physical pain as to the extent of the reader of this article.

            Let us first consider the question of equality for all beings, human and non-human alike. Equality, in this fashion, has been a much contemplated and polemic topic for more than eighteen-hundred years since the birth of moral and religious text, not excluding the bible, being the most widely misinterpreted on the list. I am absolutely indignant when the Jesus-card trespasses onto the discussion of animal rights. It’s about as ignorant as theologian Thomas Aquinas’ proposition that it is perfectly OK to deliver suffering unto animals, as long as it does not meddle with human prosperity, a value adopted by the Roman Catholic Church. For this reason, I will leave out the presence of religion in my argument.

            Animals are more often than not seen as a lesser being for their lack of intelligence in contrast to a human being’s. In a time, the same ideal was shared by slave-owners towards African Americans and society towards women. Not a single valid reason was given towards that way of thinking. Non-human animals face a dangerously amplified version of that today, and for the most part, have been for a frightening amount of time.

            I am very libertarian in my views so I sleep on the idea that one can do whatever he or she wants so far as it does not interfere with another’s well-being. The unjust treatment of animals dictated by specism (an obscure term we can thank animal-activist Peter Singer for) comes between me and my peace of mind. I believe that every human has a given responsibility towards animals. We are given this responsibility not because we are more dominant than any other creature but because we have the ability to put ourselves in the shoes of another living being, human or animal. Basically, we can empathize. Non-human animals lack that trait and show no sign of displaying it. The lion will stalk her prey without giving it any consideration, in opposition to the notion of the early Native Americans whom gave thanks and reserved a spot of sympathy for their bounty. However, it is below our publicized position to, then, breed animals for the sole purpose of mass producing them for our ravenous appetites. One of America's most overlooked problems is the unnecessary slaughtering of animals. I know how this works.

             In short, the calf is taken from her mother as soon as she’s dry from the womb and taken to a machine to be fed calf starter ration. Also, she is force-fed milk with drugs and antibiotics used to deprive the calf from energy and reduce the amount of energy-sustaining food she must consume. For the next eighteen months she is given processed feed to promote faster growth until she reaches more than twice of 500lbs. From there, she is confined to a crate and drugged to eat an excessive amount of tasteless pellets until her slaughter is ready and waiting. This practice is very much contrary to how steer were bred fifty years ago. With an extended lifespan, they were able and free to graze the land, eat, drink, and live as they please. The number one culprit for this utmost change is profit. And we, the consumers, not only buy into it willingly but excessively. Comedian George Carlin asked us “Have you taken a good look at America lately? It’s composed of one big shopping mall”. The resemblance is so strikingly true that it’s almost frightening to me. Granted, most of Americans are meat-eaters and the way our meat is processed is savage-like, but recently I've witnessed a Burger King distributing meatless hamburgers. Ever since, I've noticed other facilities and local restaurants resorting to the same model.

             I am not writing to promote any specific model of diet. I am writing with the intention to inform anybody with an open heart and mind on the unjust actions burdened on animals and society’s state of affairs on this underrated issue. With the aforementioned assertions, do you think America is genuinely taking heed to our natural responsibility towards animals and their unalienable rights to live, grow, and reproduce, despite us? Let’s take a second look.