Why I am not a vegan

[anagogy]

Could anyone please tell me, and I would appreciate honesty, how you could watch animals being tortured (living lives where they can hardly move in darkness, not being able to walk, feel the sun, the rain, the grass under their feet, not being able to care for their young, or have community with others of their kind, being fed unnatural food to fatten them, being shot up with antibiotics and steroids, and so on) and then go to be slaughtered (and hear their cries of terror and see them trying to get away and finally watching as their pitiable lives are ended in inhumane ways) and not feel almost unbearable sadness IF YOUR HEART IS OPEN?

This is where I can't go along with those who say they are okay with it because of the bigger picture. Could someone make me understand how this is possible? And you must make a good argument, and not some new age la-la stuff even if it comes from Ra (as what Ra has said is so often used to twist concepts, because of Ra's concern with free will and not wanting to unduly influence us), in order to have any affect on me—not because I am rigid or unswayable, but because I am intelligent and discerning and I think things out for myself.

I don't think very many people on this forum disagree that there are major problems with factory farming.  There is suffering there, obviously.  Ideally, an animal should get to roam free, and enjoy the pleasures of living in the physical form it has come to inhabit.  And no, I'm not against eating meat.  There will always be meat eating.  Even if you pass laws to stop all the humans, they will do it in secret.  And no one will ever stop animals from eating each other, because it is a natural part of life.   

Choosing to not eat meat from factory farms is not even making an iota of a dent in the problem, of factory farm suffering. Do you honestly think that being a vegetarian makes a significant impact in factory farming?  I assure you, it doesn't.  You know why?  Because most of the world doesn't care.   Their numbers completely overwhelm you! They don't have that open heart you're referring to.  So at the end of the day, the only way it is going to end is if the people doing the killing stop, and isn't realistic from my point of view.  A Lot of vegetarian/vegan folk want to think that eating meat is synonymous with the killing of the animals.  It's not from my perspective.  And not eating the meat is no better than eating the meat.  Not eating it is making their sacrifice truly meaningless, and is wasteful of their vessel.  And also, again, doesn't significantly affect the problem of factory farming suffering (maybe if you got the whole world to do it -- good luck).

I know you don't want metaphysical explanations, but sorry, that's part of the reality.  Every being is creating its own reality.  I know it has been said a hundred times before, and seems like the universal cop out, but it's absolutely true IMO.  It doesn't mean that all beings are getting what they want (I very much doubt any being *wants* to suffer), just what they tune to via the consistent nature of their conscious thoughts.  Victimizers will attract victims, and vice versa.  Fear will attract circumstances to fear, even if humans and their factory farms aren't around.  One is attracted into the conditions they focus upon, this is true of all consciousness.  So if a being is attuned to fear, they will attract circumstances to fear.  They can even attract torturous conditions for themselves (again, even if no humans are around).  Fear is a natural vibrational state for many in the animal kingdom, since they are often existing in red ray survival consciousness.

So does this mean we shouldn't do anything?  Not necessarily.  You can tune your thoughts to well being, and be a shining beacon of well being for others.  And if eating vegetarian/vegan causes you to feel more in alignment with well being than the alternative, I think that is great.  But accept the truth that there will *always* be beings suffering, somewhere, and the there will always be beings enjoying life immensely, somewhere.  It is all part and parcel of the infinite ingredients of our cosmos.  And without that duality, we couldn't experience anything but monochrome.  The creator is not all love and light.  It is darkness too.  And coming to terms with that isn't easy, but at some point you have to ask yourself, do I want to focus my consciousness into where all the misery is, or where all the well being is?  And then also accept that all beings will grow in understanding of how their experience comes into being in the course of time.  One who sees him or herself as a savior, will be delivered a *never-ending* stream of beings that need saving by the universe.  And if filling that role is what makes that person whole, more power to them.   

Karma is the force which inevitably elevates all beings back to the one original thought.  Again, I know you don't want woo woo explanations, but all suffering is healed in the course of time, with equally wonderful experiences to balance the horrible ones.  And of course, this is a grand illusion, and no beings are lost.  All is well in the end.  Sorry had to go to woo woo town.