What if Humans are analyzed by Aliens in How we Treat Animals? Equals same Fate?

[Sebastion]

I have to say your personal attack on another member of this forum by accusing them of "pretending" to have merged with The Source, making "delusional statements" and that "such egotism has lead to delusions of grandeur" is way over the top and totally uncalled for.

Your argument lost all credibility at that point as far as I'm concerned!

Posted by realitycorrodes (here)
Illustrating how humans are behaving cruelly to innocent beings (animals) is not misanthropic talk. It is talk designed to enlighten such humans so they can behave more compassionately and as such is done as love to see such humans improve in their behavior.

This is ironically a perfect example of dissonance.

Avoiding paying for the slaughter of another being (animals) is not about gaining favor with some human made "god" or "alien".

Talk about missing the point??? Cognitive Dissonance again

Its about letting another being live who does not need to be slaughtered - this is known as "compassion".

Why would one wish to be compassionate?
One wishes to be compassionate, so that when other(s) (beings or nature herself) who are in a position to be compassionate towards us, may be inspired by our compassion and continue through with such compassion towards us.

When one is compassionate towards others...it is actually about being compassionate towards oneself - there is a slightly bigger picture at play here - if only one could expand their awareness to see how it is all connected. Killing others that do not need to be killed in order for one to enjoy the taste of blood in one's mouth is like killing oneself. This somehow has to be experienced for oneself....I guess?? One can only point the way?

Being compassionate is a way of being harmonic! And in certain ways sustainable!
Of course one can leave their body without being compassionate and pretend they have merged with "The Source" - whatever that means - as lets be honest...no-one can prove or disprove such delusional statements - such egotism leads to delusions of grandeur and the making of statements that wrongly conclude (at least at the physical level - which is the level we deal with every day) that being compassionate in the physical does not matter. It matters to us!!! Or some of us it seems?

Personally I would rather be a compassionate human first and foremost than become a psychic or an energy worker if it was at the expense of losing my compassion towards other living beings (animals).

Wanting such attributes above being compassionate is about wanting "power" or "fame" both of which are based in fear. Fear being the lowest vibration of all IMHO>

What ultimately matters is more fully understanding who we truly are.

One is very far away from understanding themselves when they have no compassion for other living beings (animals).

Tigers kill and eat meat and in the most "inhuman" ways might I add. So do wolves and bears, etc.

This is were the cognitive dissonance seeks biased or illogical information to support the "UN-compassionate" behavior.

Just because someone else is behaving badly who does not have the faculties to reason/or create a more compassionate way of living does not mean that humans must imitate their behavior like "mindless sheep"?

There are genuine psychics, energy healers and mediums in the world who smoke 60 packs a day, eat all manner of meat and are absolute "b%*!@%*s to their friends, family and clients, but their abilites don't change if they eat "less meat" or "smoked less" or had the attitude of Mother Teresa.

The topic is not about being

psychic or
an energy healer

one can be these things with or without slaughtering or paying to have other beings slaughtered

pretending it is, is a distraction technique due to cognitive dissonance in order to blur the original point of the topic, as it is obvious that the original point is correct, then one has to include other (irrelevant)points to the original point in the hope that such irrelevant points may give the altered subject matter the illusion of being incorrect - this is all done to avoid the glaring truth. To know oneself would be to know about such behavior.

There are many behaviors that make one compassionate.

Mother Teresa I am told was a compassionate lady, so perhaps was Gandhi.

How much more compassionate would she have been if she did not slaughter other beings (animals) or pay others to slaughter animals - especially when it is obvious that humans do not need to slaughter animals to live!!!

But it is not about Mother Teresa or Gandhi - it is about us!!! Time to take responsibility - we are all waiting and rooting for us!

Let us drop the cognitive dissonance and denial and expand our compassion to other beings who perhaps we did not realize were sentient beings very similar to ourselves.

Lets face it - one would not want to be slaughtered in order that someone else could become psychic by eating one, (it is kind of like having double standards?)

or be slaughtered in order that someone else could become an energy healer

or be butchered in order that someone else could somehow curry favor with a man made political agenda called "God".

And finally, do we really think we would be personally happy with being butchered just because someone told us it was going to be done in a "halal" way (ritually significant manner to a bunch of "brainwashed" religious fanatics)???? Like that really makes a difference. Come on??

One day when we awaken to our-self we also will see how ludicrous our denial and cognitive dissonance really was.

P.S. It really does not matter if someone who is arguing for what is the truth is succumbing to "righteous indignation" that is their problem - it does not mean the truth that they are presenting is in anyway incorrect. That is called character assassination, a technique commonly used by our governments to control our minds.

As much as I intuitively suspect I am not a fan of Winston Churchill I tend to agree with his statement below:

The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.
Winston Churchill

[wynderer]

Hi John --

if one is at a certain distance above planet Earth at this time [& for far-too-long millennia in the past] -- one can hear an endless cry/scream of pain & torment arising all the time -- right now -- from billions of Animals & many millions of Humans [who are also Animals]

a sphere of darkness encircling this planet -- not especially attractive to higher-dimensional beings

i am an abductee, a milab, & a contactee

i try to tell Humans that everything the ETs -- the Reptilians, Greys, Tall Whites etc -- are reported to be doing to Humans -- the Humans are doing the same to Animals, either directly, or thru the willfull denial at which, as i see it, Earth Humans excel

i think i am understanding that on this 3D level of existence -- that big 3D Universe seen thru Hubbel etc -- it seems that beings who live in this highly-polarized 3D universe -- it seems that compassion & empathy are the exception , rather than the norm

i have been a vegan for well over 40 yrs -- as soon as i learned this was possible -- & i have been a peaceful Animal Rights activist for about as long -- i sometimes think : To find those among us who are truly of Higher Consciousness , look for those who speak & fight for Momma Earth, for the Animals, & for the Children

the terrible cruelties to non-Human Animals on this planet are practiced/accepted by Humans of all cultures/races/creeds -- massive collective karma [ best to disconnect from the collective around this time, should one want a better chance of survival at a higher-consciousness level]

Humans are thus conditioned to live on a planet resonating w/the vibrations of pain, suffering, cruelty -- makes it easier for them to kill each other also

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn9qWnGbZtw

Peace & Freedom for All Beings, wyn

Posted by ExomatrixTV (here)

Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNOuSZC2EXI

source video

Published on Aug 4, 2012 by women4truth


~DISCLAIMER: Gary Yourofsky did NOT ask that question ... I did ~credit video: http://youtube.com/TheAnimalHolocaust

Gary Yourofsky's entire inspirational speech on animal rights and veganism held at Georgia Tech in summer of 2010. Listen to this amazing speaker who will blow away the myths, fill your mind with interesting facts, and help you make ethical choices for a healthy heart and soul. His charismatic and straightforward style is one of a kind - a must-see for anyone who cares about nonhuman animals or wishes to make the world a better place.

The Q&A session can be seen here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WIkC4OJEx3c

Another great lecture by James Wildman:
http://bit.ly/101arff

PLEASE SHARE this brilliant speech in any way you can. Read the amount of positive feedback this speech creates:
http://adaptt.org/comments-students.html

Learn more:
http://adaptt.org
http://chooseveg.com
http://30bananasaday.com
http://foodnsport.com
http://pcrm.org
http://veganbodybuilding.com
http://veganhealth.org
http://drmcdougall.com/misc/2007nl/nov/b12.htm

International versions:
Arabic: http://youtube.com/watch?v=69450xPtX7k
Bulgarian version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8-uMsEgEkBQ
Chinese Simplified version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=lKwLQuKSQS4
Chinese Traditional version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=u4a_ewFCwHw
Croatian version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=oBSiRTdLmp8
Czech version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=zMuJ-bDs30M
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French version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9ivPJUypbVs
German version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=9d44U5pvTmU
Greek version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=37GRXaIgVwY
Hebrew version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=omweihtaYwI
Hebrew censored version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ittFtDAAab0
Hungarian version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=mLk0hYiX_Ak
Indonesian version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=KU-ogfvoAkw
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Lithuanian version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=IB-7rPT5Dk8
Mongolian version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=KxM8PXqMWaM
Polish version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=t3DPCQjlanM
Portuguese-BR version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8bH-doHSY_o
Romanian version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=nAu_TxmvCEg
Russian version : http://youtube.com/watch?v=eYp6ABzUuKQ
Russian voice-over version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=GqwUXA2k52A
Serbian version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=YnONLDo6PWI
Slovenian version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=Qi7A20SM3OI
Spanish version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZzvK5uLu7F0
Swedish version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=CP-HOe1OdvI
Turkish version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=8ocqCy0qEkA

Esperanto, Hindi, Japanese, Persian, Thai, Vietnamese are in progress (help is needed).


Download Link (avi, 1.44GB; send me a private message if the file is not available):
http://bit.ly/GaryFile
http://bit.ly/speechfile

Send me a message if you want to translate this speech to another language - IT"S EASIER THAN YOU THINK !!

Gary is a national lecturer on veganism and does over 200 talks each year.
Book Gary Yourofsky at your school:
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[Kristin]

This entire thread is an argument between Vegans/vegetarians and Omnivores. Who is more advanced and who is not. Does it matter... etc. Exactly what one would expect with this very intense topic. Both sides of the fence are tossing out daggers to the other. Both sides have a good basis for why they are right and reasons why they are both wrong. It's not just one post or another here that is an issue IMO.

Are vegetarians potentially more advanced? Well, Bob Dean likes a steak, a cigar, and whiskey and I would say he is rather advanced. Gandhi was a vegetarian and I would call him advanced. This list can go on either way.

Are their people who are vegetarians who are "evil?" Sure. Why not? That is the same for any number of meat eaters as well.

Is it wrong to butcher animals? Well, many have grown up on farms and butcher their own food; plant and animal alike. Most would do it again and have very strong feelings of joy and sorrow with regards to taking care of the animals. Plants have feelings too by the way. Is there a difference?

Perhaps the difference is in having reverence for what we consume. I happen to thank all my food for being there to nurture me. I thank my water too. That is a spirit also. I am thankful for the air that I breathe and for the ground beneath my feet. Everything is sacred, everything.

This thread will not come up with an answer either way. However I feel it is important to look at our choices and do the best we can with regards to how we see not only the food we eat, but how we see and treat each other. Is it with respect? If you have an opinion do you respectfully state that opinion and create a space for a conversation?

From the Heart,
Wormhole

[13th Warrior]

I think it's sad that in every corner of the Earth food serves as a means of bringing people together...but, not at Avalon...

[13th Warrior]

"If ifs and buts where candy and nuts; we would all have a Merry Christmas"

[wynderer]

as i see it, it's not about eating dead animals or not -- it's about having compassion/empathy for weaker beings, at one's mercy [this includes a Bear vs a gun], or not having it

discussions re 'to eat meat or not' to me are 3D spiritual-consciousness level discussions

a 5D spiritual-consciousness discussion, imo, would revolve more around, 'How can we live in peace & harmony w/all sentient beings?'

in 5D dimension, beings are not killed to feed other beings

[ExomatrixTV]

@realitycorrodes your contribution resonates all over ... and is very powerful Thank you!

[realitycorrodes]

Thank you ExomatrixTV, for trying to counteract the "deliberate misrepresentation of my words" by Sebastion. This being was attempting to discredit me so as to persuade others not to read my heartfelt words - a form of character assassination...which ironically was mentioned in my comment. Personally I am shocked (again and again) by such "underhand" and illogical (denial) by such beings in order to defend their sense of feeling like a good person. As paying people to slaughter animals definitely threatens this concept of feeling like a good person that these beings have about themselves. Ironically in contrast I neither feel good nor bad..."I merely am" perhaps therein lies the difference in perceptive. I feel profound sadness that this experience is so cruel. The buddha IMHO (if such a being was real) was correct IMHO when the being stated that the root cause of such "suffering" is indeed "ignorance". I have said my peace in regard to the unnecessary slaughter of other beings. I was not going to comment on Sebastion's comment as such comments illustrate the mind of such a being is closed and not open to logical communication - only pain and suffering will be able to open such a being's mind - hence I guess the reason for such a mind to be experiencing this earth experience?? I do not have the answers to such cruelty and suffering...I can only speculate. But as you came forward to try and counteract Sebastion's intentions I felt honored and felt I should try one last time to explain myself!?

Finally, to try and dissuade beings from having such discussions because it appears to cause such "heated debate" only causes the problems to go unsolved. One must take courage and have the discussions IMHO even though people will behave badly during such discussions - otherwise nothing will change!

Wishing profound peace and absolute freedom to all sentient beings (animals too) now and always!

I have copied and pasted Sebastion's comment below and encourage people to read my comments above regardless of Sebastion's attempt at dissuading them from doing so - and I ask them to critically think for themselves if I have been unfair and if I have (which I am open to having been) is such unfairness justified at curtailing my freedom of speech?

Whoever we are....never let another being try and do our thinking for us! Expose ourselves to all knowledge and with an informed mind bravely make our own decisions!

What Sebastion is trying to do below is attempting to get others to not read my comments (censorship of free speech) based on ideas about having offended someone who feels they have more authority on such matters because they claim they have merged with the source or similar unprovable and irrelevant details about their opinion. Such appeals to authority over logic is another form of mind control. Religious organizations are always using "divine authority" to justify there misdeeds - knowing that no one can prove one way or another whether such an authority is genuine.

I say we are capable of deciding for ourselves what is the best way to proceed - it is called a "conscience"!! No mythical Gods required.



I have to say your personal attack on another member of this forum by accusing them of "pretending" to have merged with The Source, making "delusional statements" and that "such egotism has lead to delusions of grandeur" is way over the top and totally uncalled for.

Your argument lost all credibility at that point as far as I'm concerned!

[The Truth Is In There]

Posted by wynderer (here)
as i see it, it's not about eating dead animals or not -- it's about having compassion/empathy for weaker beings, at one's mercy [this includes a Bear vs a gun], or not having it

discussions re 'to eat meat or not' to me are 3D spiritual-consciousness level discussions

a 5D spiritual-consciousness discussion, imo, would revolve more around, 'How can we live in peace & harmony w/all sentient beings?'

in 5D dimension, beings are not killed to feed other beings

one can have compassion for one's food and live in harmony with animals one is going to kill for food. people have done this for thousands of years.

in the 5th dimension we're not likely to require food like in the 3rd so i wouldn't throw the two into the same pot. besides, we're 3rd dimensional now so 5th dimensional eating habits seem quite irrelevant to me at this point.

btw, that the animal is dead doesn't mean that the food as such is dead. as long as it's raw the meat is still alive, full of enzymes and very healthy & nutritious.

[ExomatrixTV]

~maybe plants WANT to be part of us but animals do not want to die and treated badly ... if you treat plants with respect you can even ASK plants if it is okay to eat them ... not kidding you ... study "The Secret Life of Plants" by Cleve Backster (many very powerful experiments YOU can duplicate ... instead of sitting comfortable on a chair being a side-critic!

Maybe it is an honor for a Plant to become a part of you ... better than to die without "ascension" from their point of view.

Actually, The parts of a plant that we are supposed to eat are simply that parts that Ripen & fall off or the "Fruit".

As to the other aspects of Pruning a plant by selective & intelligent eating of the parts not considered "Fruit", it actually helps the plant produce MORE. It's Symbiotic.

After The fall of mankind from obedience where "Fruit" was the diet, Mankind was given permission to eat living food as the animals ate: Green Herbs & vegetables (Like Garlic, Onions, Carrots) for "Healing"

~imagine he is an Alien giving a lecture to other Aliens about how they treat Humans ... in the same context & level of abuse what we do to animals ... what would you think about that "Alien" lecturing other "Aliens" would you be at least happy that 1 Alien is speaking on your behalf? What if Earth is a Giant Breeding Zoo or Giant Laboratory ... would that be " far fetched"? Scary thoughts, I certainly hope it is NOT true and that there is a bigger overlooked picture!

cheers,
John

[realitycorrodes]

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
Mahatma Ghandi

Slaughtering them...Enough Said?

[Ry.com]

I thought I knew quite alot abot aliens/ufos .but ivenever heard that before could be sumthing in it

[wynderer]

Posted by The Truth Is In There (here)

Posted by wynderer (here)
as i see it, it's not about eating dead animals or not -- it's about having compassion/empathy for weaker beings, at one's mercy [this includes a Bear vs a gun], or not having it

discussions re 'to eat meat or not' to me are 3D spiritual-consciousness level discussions

a 5D spiritual-consciousness discussion, imo, would revolve more around, 'How can we live in peace & harmony w/all sentient beings?'

in 5D dimension, beings are not killed to feed other beings

one can have compassion for one's food and live in harmony with animals one is going to kill for food. people have done this for thousands of years.

in the 5th dimension we're not likely to require food like in the 3rd so i wouldn't throw the two into the same pot. besides, we're 3rd dimensional now so 5th dimensional eating habits seem quite irrelevant to me at this point.

btw, that the animal is dead doesn't mean that the food as such is dead. as long as it's raw the meat is still alive, full of enzymes and very healthy & nutritious.

re yr last paragraph : imo, spoken like a true participant in the world-wide satanic blood ritual ensnaring your souls -- Observer describes this very well in Houman's thread on the archons [Horus-Ra etc]

[Houman]

This is from Cathy O Brien (former MK Ultra presidential sex slave)

http://ctrl.org/essay2/SLMC.html
By 1987, I couldn't think to know that good people even existed any more. I'd long since lost that hope. But I'd noticed for years that people who abuse their children often abuse animals. Seems to go hand in-hand somehow.

In 1988, Mark Phillips rescued my daughter Kelly and me from mind control victimization. There we were, under the gun of the CIA, he's in a big hurry to scoop us out of that environment and take us to safety. And yet he took time to rescue our animals, because our animals were being tortured in order to control us further. If we didn't follow orders we lost a pet. He rescued our horses, our cows. our guineas. our chickens, our dogs. He rescued them all and took them all to safety. This had an enormous impact on Kelly and I both because we sensed that if the animals could trust him, we could trust him.

Mark took us to the safety and serenity of Alaska. I couldn't think to know that Mark Phillips was any different except for the fact that he didn't talk about mass genocide mind control . He didn't talk about New World Order. He talked about how he had rescued his pet raccoons from certain death. And I saw how his animals loved him.

[The Truth Is In There]

Posted by wynderer (here)

Posted by The Truth Is In There (here)

Posted by wynderer (here)
as i see it, it's not about eating dead animals or not -- it's about having compassion/empathy for weaker beings, at one's mercy [this includes a Bear vs a gun], or not having it

discussions re 'to eat meat or not' to me are 3D spiritual-consciousness level discussions

a 5D spiritual-consciousness discussion, imo, would revolve more around, 'How can we live in peace & harmony w/all sentient beings?'

in 5D dimension, beings are not killed to feed other beings

one can have compassion for one's food and live in harmony with animals one is going to kill for food. people have done this for thousands of years.

in the 5th dimension we're not likely to require food like in the 3rd so i wouldn't throw the two into the same pot. besides, we're 3rd dimensional now so 5th dimensional eating habits seem quite irrelevant to me at this point.

btw, that the animal is dead doesn't mean that the food as such is dead. as long as it's raw the meat is still alive, full of enzymes and very healthy & nutritious.

re yr last paragraph : imo, spoken like a true participant in the world-wide satanic blood ritual ensnaring your souls -- Observer describes this very well in Houman's thread on the archons [Horus-Ra etc]

seen from this angle blood rituals have been going on here on earth since the first human being killed and ate an animal. but wait...animals do that too so they must be in on the blood ritual conspiracy, too. what a horrible thought...

[sarcasm off]

my statement was a simple observation. it is a scientific fact that raw meat, just like raw plants, is full of enzymes and thus alive. ask some of the inuit who live on nothing but land animals and fish and are among the healthiest people on the planet.

as regards the whole archons stuff, it's only real for those who believe in it and need it for their experiences here on earth. the archons that harass people are of their own making.

last but not least, there's nothing negative about blood rituals. like anything else in creation, they just are. what you do is judging the creator based on what you learned as a human. hardly an enlightened position imo, so maybe you should leave the moral high ground.

[wynderer]

part of the MK Ultra procedure for breaking down the child to install alters is forcing them to witness &/or take part in the torture & killing of animals -- some break at that point; others don't -- this actually says something good about the Human spirit, that gifted & sensitive children need to have innate compassion/empathy shocked out of them

all the animals who were sharing my home at the time of the abduction by the Reptilian -- all died cruel deaths at the hands of individual Humans -- i no longer take in animals, because of what can/most likely will happen to them

i don't think this is off-topic, John -- as i see it, you can bet that many ETs and EDs are observing how Humans are treating their Animal brothers & sisters -- some use the rampant cruelty/indifference to their advantage

Posted by Houman (here)
This is from Cathy O Brien (former MK Ultra presidential sex slave)

http://ctrl.org/essay2/SLMC.html
By 1987, I couldn't think to know that good people even existed any more. I'd long since lost that hope. But I'd noticed for years that people who abuse their children often abuse animals. Seems to go hand in-hand somehow.

In 1988, Mark Phillips rescued my daughter Kelly and me from mind control victimization. There we were, under the gun of the CIA, he's in a big hurry to scoop us out of that environment and take us to safety. And yet he took time to rescue our animals, because our animals were being tortured in order to control us further. If we didn't follow orders we lost a pet. He rescued our horses, our cows. our guineas. our chickens, our dogs. He rescued them all and took them all to safety. This had an enormous impact on Kelly and I both because we sensed that if the animals could trust him, we could trust him.

Mark took us to the safety and serenity of Alaska. I couldn't think to know that Mark Phillips was any different except for the fact that he didn't talk about mass genocide mind control . He didn't talk about New World Order. He talked about how he had rescued his pet raccoons from certain death. And I saw how his animals loved him.

[ExomatrixTV]

~very powerful Houman !!

[realitycorrodes]

Scientists Finally Conclude Nonhuman Animals Are Conscious Beings

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/...nscious-beings

Didn't we already know this? Yes we did
Published on August 10, 2012 by Marc Bekoff, Ph.D. in Animal Emotions

Every now and again I receive an email message I ignore after reading the subject line. I know I'm not alone in following this rule of thumb, but today I broke down and opened a message the subject line of which read "Scientists Declare: Nonhuman Animals Are Conscious". I honestly thought it was a joke, likely from one of my favorite newspapers, The Onion. However, it wasn't.

My colleague Michael Mountain published a summary of a recent meeting held in Cambridge, England at which "Science leaders have reached a critical consensus: Humans are not the only conscious beings; other animals, specifically mammals and birds, are indeed conscious, too." At this gathering, called The Francis Crick Memorial Conference, a number of scientists presented evidence that led to this self-obvious conclusion. It's difficult to believe that those who have shared their homes with companion animals didn't already know this. And, of course, many renowned and award-winning field researchers had reached the same conclusion years ago (see also).

Michael Mountain was as incredulous as I and many others about something we already knew. It's interesting to note that of the 15 notables who spoke at this conference only one has actually done studies of wild animals. It would have been nice to hear from researchers who have conducted long-term studies of wild animals, including great apes, other nonhuman primates, social carnivores, cetaceans, rodents, and birds, for example, to add to the database. Be that as it may, I applaud their not so surprising conclusion and now I hope it will be used to protect animals from being treated abusively and inhumanely.

Some might say we didn't really know that other animals were conscious but this is an incredibly naive view given what we know about the neurobiology and cognitive and emotional lives of other animals. Indeed, it was appeals to these very data that led to the conclusions of this group of scientists. But did we really need a group of internationally recognized scientists to tell us that the data are really okay? Yes and no, but let's thank them for doing this.

I agree with Michael Mountain that "It’s a really important statement that will be used as evidence by those who are pushing for scientists to develop a more humane relationship with animals. It’s harder, for example, to justify experiments on nonhumans when you know that they are conscious beings and not just biological machines. Some of the conclusions reached in this declaration are the product of scientists who, to this day, still conduct experiments on animals in captivity, including dolphins, who are among the most intelligent species on Earth. Their own declaration will now be used as evidence that it’s time to stop using these animals in captivity and start finding new ways of making a living."

The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness

The scientists went as far as to write up what's called The Cambridge Decalration on Consciousness that basically declares that this prominent international group of scientists agree that "Convergent evidence indicates that non-human animals have the neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and neurophysiological substrates of conscious states along with the capacity to exhibit intentional behaviors. Consequently, the weight of evidence indicates that humans are not unique in possessing the neurological substrates that generate consciousness. Non-human animals, including all mammals and birds, and many other creatures, including octopuses, also possess these neurological substrates." They could also have included fish, for whom the evidence supporting sentience and consciousness is also compelling (see also).

So, what are we going to do with what we know (and have known)?

It's fair to ask what are these scientists and others going to do now that they agree that consciousness is widespread in the animal kingdom. We know, for example, that mice, rats, and chickens display empathy but this knowledge hasn't been factored into the Federal Animal Welfare Act in the United States.

I'm frankly astounded that these data and many other findings about animal cognition and animal emotions have been ignored by those who decide on regulations about the use and abuse of other animals. However, the Treaty of Lisbon, passed by member states of the European Union that went into force on December 1, 2009, recognizes that "In formulating and implementing the Union's agriculture, fisheries, transport, internal market, research and technological development and space policies, the Union and the Member States shall, since animals are sentient beings, pay full regard to the welfare requirements of animals, while respecting the legislative or administrative provisions and customs of the Member States relating in particular to religious rites, cultural traditions and regional heritage."

Let's applaud The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness and The Treaty of Lisbon and work hard to get animals the protection from invasive research and other forms of abuse, in many cases horrifically inhumane, they deserve.

Some recent essays I've written point out that there still are some people who feel comfortable killing individuals who they call "unneeded" or "surplus" animals and at least one animal welfarist, Oxford University's Marian Dawkins, continued as of a few months ago to claim we still don't know if other animals are conscious and that we should "remain skeptical and agnostic [about consciousness] ... Militantly agnostic if necessary, because this keeps alive the possibility that a large number of species have some sort of conscious experiences ... For all we know, many animals, not just the clever ones and not just the overtly emotional ones, also have conscious experiences."

Perhaps what I call "Dawkins' Dangerous Idea" will now finally be shelved given the conclusions of the Cambridge gathering. I frankly don't see how anyone who has worked closely with any of a wide array of animals or who lives with a companion animal(s) could remain uncertain and agnostic about whether they are conscious.

It's said that repetition is boring conversation but there's now a wealth of scientific data that makes skepticism, and surely agnosticism, to be anti-science and harmful to animals. Now, at last, the prestigious Cambridge group shows this to be so. Bravo for them! So, let's all work together to use this information to stop the abuse of millions upon millions of conscious animals in the name of science, education, food, amusement and entertainment, and clothing. We really owe it to them to use what we know on their behalf and to factor compassion and empathy into our treatment of these amazing beings.