I'll never be a vegan. The scientist in me encourages me to believe that if it were not for humans eating them, chickens would be all but extinct. The delicious prey of a flightless bird, helpless without us. If we didn't sustain the chicken populations or any livestock in such an industrialised manner throughout the years, more humans would have perished. Of course the industry is probably unsustainable as it currently is due to population growth, but as science progresses, who knows how many cloned chickens we might eat into the future. Surely the future of chicken is replicating the meat in a lab without the need to kill off our dear stupid feathery friends.
Other predatory animals may have capitalised on the less primal instinct within some of us, to not eat other animals. They then might have evolved faster and smarter than us, contesting us as the apex predator ...however doubtful. Long in the past we didn't know about nutrition that can be used to sustain ourselves as with nowadays and our access and choice of alternative food resources. I don't consider it inhumane to eat a living thing just because it has a modicum of consciousness. The sole purpose and creation of many chickens existence is to feed us. The enjoyment I get from eating chicken increases my conscious well-being and potentially indirectly my peers and other humans. Eating chicken is a shared historical acknowledgement and ritualistic act of how far we've come as an advanced civilisation.
The meaning of life has been survival so far, if it was not, we wouldn't as animals have adapted in the ways we have. I don't think this core instinct animals are born with has ever changed. We are all, for the most part concerned with sustaining and maintaining life as long as possible for generations into the future, or as individuals for our own short time here alive on earth. We've accomplished so many amazing things as a species but we can't neglect that the planet and circle of life might be better off without our intruding intelligence. Our ability to rapidly change the environment for better or worse. The intelligent life that in selfishness takes it's eyes off the ultimate goal of escaping the planet to a sustainable ecosystem, capable of space travel and exploring the universe for better tasting chickens. We are too unsure of ourselves as owners of this planet and instead focus on the immediate greed of consumption and power.
When we are all aware our little planet is spiralling towards the sun and that our technological advancements are using up resources too fast. We have clearly lost vision of the larger picture. The moments when you kick back with some music and your friends, sharing stories and knowledge or simply exploring the endless creative intelligence we possess, hypnotized by your favourite drug or hobby. It's in these moments of peace and unity and togetherness that we truly feel there is good in the world. We are all fully capable as living creatures to distinguish the duality and difference between these moments and the completely destructive evil in the world that is militarism, extremism or any form of institutionalized enforcement.
If you are incapable of distinguishing for yourself after a sensible amount of research what is evil or wrong in the world, you are inhumane. For example if you choose to take a religion literally and let it warp your common sense, someone has power over you, be it an institution or person. I feel these people are a hindrance on those with their own life conscience, indirectly stifling people's acceptance of reality and pushing repetitive notions and arguments about some imaginary saviour that does not encourage advancement in the real physical world these days. If you want to follow some religious rules, "Thou shalt not kill" is an interesting one. It's a pity that this belief has not tricked you into not eating the chicken, it's sinful to condone the killing of life "god" created. If only your ancestors started believing it sooner and were more extreme about it, as during the evolutionary process, in many cases not killing livestock might have left people of that calibre butt-naked and protein deficient. Pretty much guaranteed death in their weakened state, survival of the fittest...
The internet, our pooled technological resource of intelligence, information and knowledge, to me... is the first step into the next stage of human evolution. When it gets more advanced, it won't need chicken to survive. If we get renewable energy resources right, it also won't need to consume destructively. Technology can out-live us and also survive in harsher conditions, there is a robot chilling on Mars right now. We have already started automating machines that build machines that build machines. I don't think it will be long before algorithms start coming up with better ideas than most humans. We are so early as humans into our technological and scientific development, it has never been a more exciting time to be alive. Look at the last 35 years of scientific achievement and the difference global communication and collaboration has made. Don't let the internet be controlled by the greedy, corrupt, powerful and evil. The fight for the internet is a fight for human survival.
Yes, I was under the influence when I wrote this. No, it hasn't told you anything new. Now go and live human, go science bitch.