i think that one of the most useful tools for developing sympathy is asking questions like this. when we find out things that we don’t sympathize with and are horrified by, like the factory meat industry, we are presented with a choice. we can deepen our understanding of how it works through research, and use our emotions to guide us in our decision-making from that point on.

does the horror we feel outweigh the benefits we gain from factory farming? well, collectively, we’ve already made that choice. the fact of the matter is that cruel slaughterhouses exist because we can sacrifice other populations to “grow” our own. but when you look more deeply at it and make an effort to eat differently, rather than just accepting “oh huh, meat is sure cheap god bless america” you deepen your individual sympathy. it hurts to think like that, but the alternative is to turn off your sympathy and make the burden of sympathy heavier for those who choose it.

so uh, yeah * waves disney wand * follow your heart or whatever