If you could live your life without causing harm to other beings, would you?

Every day, millions of animals suffer and die in slaughterhouses to feed humanity's greed. From birth they suffer. Babies are ripped from mothers, often within hours of birth. Cows and pigs are confined in stalls so small they can't even turn around. Birds are packed into sheds so crowded that they struggle to reach food and water. Male calves and chicks born into the milk and egg industries are killed when they are just babies. This is the reality for countless millions of animals who are the source of the vast majority of meat, milk, and eggs found at grocery stores and restaurants. The suffering that is day-to-day life for them is nearly unimaginable for us.

Things do not have to be this way. It is up to all of us to help the victims of these horrors. But what can we do about it?

The first, and perhaps most important, thing that any of us can do is to stop participating in this madness. By stopping consuming the products of this genocide, we withdraw our own support and participation in the torture and murder inflicted upon these innocent beings. Of course, we must all strive to do all that we can to help the victims, to protect them, but change starts with ourselves, and the first thing we must do if we want this suffering to end is for us to stop participating in it. For us, it is just a meal. A few minutes of sensual gratification. For them, it is an entire lifetime of torment.

We must stay focused on the victims, not on ourselves. When focusing on the foods we no longer eat, it may seem difficult, but when focusing on the victims and the genocide we are no longer participating in and the suffering we are sparing, the difficulty vanishes. Any time you are tempted to give up and buy or eat anything that animals suffered for, you need only ask yourself: "Which is more important? The life and freedom of innocent beings, or my tastebuds and convenience?" Always remember that question, always ask yourself that question. Giving up would mean betraying the animals, and the animals don't need your excuses, they just need us to not murder them. We must do what is right. Always.

There are now more vegans than ever, and a vegan lifestyle is continuing to gain momentum. We must all do our part by not participating in the genocide, and by helping to create a compassionate vegan world.

To learn more about what animals go through on farms, check out Farm Sanctuary's factory farming page and Mercy For Animals's fish farming page. To learn more about commercial fishing, read Gentle World's commercial fishing article. If you prefer videos over articles and photos, you may be interested in watching Dominion and Seaspiracy. For answers to common questions, and to learn about the beneficial impact a vegan diet can have on the planet and on your own health, take a look at the FAQ page. For anything else, stop by the Resources page, and please send me an email if you want advice, support, or answers to any questions.