I started watching Earthlings around a year back. After seeing it for about 20 minutes, I could not watch any more. The scene where I left off was that of cows with their throats being slit and hung upon a peg on a moving assembly line. I stopped there, not sure if I have the capacity to watch any more of it. Months since, I have skirted the film whenever I wanted to watch a documentary because I don't think I had courage to do that - to face a painful truth.
Today, I decided to watch Earthlings because "ignorance though blissful, is only a false one". Earthlings has been shot using mostly spy cameras and stock-footage of slaughterhouses and animal shelters in USA, fur farms in China, tanneries in India, dolphin hunting places in Japan. Some of the visuals are shocking in their cruelty and insensitivity towards animals.
It is a must watch for everyone irrespective of whether they are vegetarian or non-vegetarian, animal-lover or not. A film like Earthlings makes my resolve to screen documentaries even stronger. Strangely, our quest for knowledge is still limited by our reluctance to leave our comfort zones. We choose to know about things which make us look knowledgeable but do not put us off or show us as less practical beings in our circle. And this documentary drags you out of your comfort zone where you were sitting pretty saying "Don't tell me something that I cannot do anything about".
There are harsh realities of animal treatment that I witness in my city on a daily basis - men bunching 10-20 chickens at their legs and hanging them upside down on their two wheelers, scores of cattle thrown into a truck where they are barely fitting if at all, animals (mostly dogs) run over by speeding vehicles.
I think as human beings we need to re-think our roles on this planet. It cannot be plundering the natural resources and killing the so called lesser beings mercilessly. And this attitude of ours shows not just in how we treat animals, it manifests itself in how we treat our fellow human beings too. As rightly said by Leo Tolstoy
Shaun Monson, the director of Earthlings, has made another movie named Unity in the trilogy. I am looking forward to eviction from my comfort zone.
It is a must watch for everyone irrespective of whether they are vegetarian or non-vegetarian, animal-lover or not. A film like Earthlings makes my resolve to screen documentaries even stronger. Strangely, our quest for knowledge is still limited by our reluctance to leave our comfort zones. We choose to know about things which make us look knowledgeable but do not put us off or show us as less practical beings in our circle. And this documentary drags you out of your comfort zone where you were sitting pretty saying "Don't tell me something that I cannot do anything about".
There are harsh realities of animal treatment that I witness in my city on a daily basis - men bunching 10-20 chickens at their legs and hanging them upside down on their two wheelers, scores of cattle thrown into a truck where they are barely fitting if at all, animals (mostly dogs) run over by speeding vehicles.
I think as human beings we need to re-think our roles on this planet. It cannot be plundering the natural resources and killing the so called lesser beings mercilessly. And this attitude of ours shows not just in how we treat animals, it manifests itself in how we treat our fellow human beings too. As rightly said by Leo Tolstoy
As long as there are slaughter houses there will always be battlefieldsDo not wait for a time when things will come a full circle and when nature reclaims what rightfully belonged to it always. We are, but, only a part of a very complex and dynamic eco-system and it is upon all of us to ensure that the eco-system continues with everyone in it. Earth Nation, the organization which produced Earthlings have hosted the full feature film on their website. Read more about the documentary on the Earthlings website.
Shaun Monson, the director of Earthlings, has made another movie named Unity in the trilogy. I am looking forward to eviction from my comfort zone.
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