Am I Dreaming, or Are People Still Paying for Animal Cruelty?

Waking up to the largest act of systematic violence in human history

Sometimes, I wonder if I’m dreaming. Surely, with all the progress we’ve made, with all our awareness of justice, compassion, and sustainability, we can’t still be living in a world where most people willingly fund animal suffering — can we?

And yet, here we are.

Every day, hundreds of millions of animals are bred into existence only to be used, exploited, and killed for products we don’t need. Products that, in many cases, actively harm our health and the planet we call home. It’s not a secret. It’s not hidden. The information is out there, waiting for anyone willing to look. So why does this continue?

The devastating power of conditioning

The answer isn’t that people are cruel. It’s that they’ve been conditioned — just like I was. Just like you probably were. From childhood, we’re told that some animals are to be loved while others are to be eaten. We’re given picture books of happy animals on idyllic farms, while the reality — cramped cages, brutal mutilations, and agonizing deaths — is kept far from sight.

Most of us grow up without ever questioning it. We don’t connect the neatly packaged products in the supermarket to the terrified individuals they once were.

But once you do see it, you can’t unsee it. And no, this realization is not a curse. In many ways, it’s the greatest gift you could ask for.

Imagine exploitation wasn't the norm

Imagine walking into a grocery store where, instead of rows of deceptive packaging, you saw labels that told the truth:

• Mother’s milk, taken from grieving cows

• Eggs, produced by hens whose brothers were ground up alive

• Sliced flesh from animals who wanted to live

Would you reach for them so casually?

The only reason people keep paying for this is that society hides the truth behind comforting words — free-range, humane slaughter, grass-fed. But let’s be honest: there’s no kind way to steal a mother’s babies, or to kill someone who doesn’t want to die.

The choice we all have

Here’s the thing: the power to change this doesn’t lie in some distant future. It’s in every single meal, every single purchase. Right now, in this very moment, we have a choice.

To look away — or to face the truth.

To continue funding suffering — or to opt out.

To hold onto old habits — or to create a world that aligns with the values we already claim to have.

Because deep down, we all know it: compassion is the way forward. And the good news? It’s easier than ever. Plant-based alternatives are everywhere. Delicious, accessible, and growing every day.

So, I’ll ask again — am I dreaming? Or can we finally wake up and start living the values we already believe in?

The choice is yours.

Learn more:

It's Time to End Humanity's Largest Act of Violence

13 Disturbing World Records Held by Animal Agriculture

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