Hello, my dear friends, good evening! A very good evening to you all. I hope you've had a great day, with lots of light and positive energy. May today have been a very special day, for each one of you. You know that, in the nightly Drop, I usually try to reflect and think, with you, with much affection, for our joint learning, about questions that our friends ask us.
Today's questions are about animals.
I think it'll touch many people's hearts, starting with mine, because I love animals. These questions come from people who want to know why animals suffer since they are unaware, wouldn't have karma, to what extent euthanasia is allowed, what is animals' function, before the human being, and so on. The first point is that animals are evolving beings and an intelligent principle that evolves, just like us, but on another scale. From the evolutionary point of view, we have our animal brothers, as the spiritual benefactor, Emmanuel reminds us, in his wonderful book, whose reading,
I, indeed, recommend you.
It's the book "Alvorada do Reino".
It reminds us that animals move towards the human condition state, as human beings move towards the angelic state. We're all evolving, on God's eyes. Therefore, we have the duty of taking care of the evolution of our brothers, animals, with all affection in the world. Of course, each one has a role, in society, because animals aren't human beings and human beings aren't animals. But, unfortunately, there're many though hearts that still confuse various concepts and will pay a heavy price for it, because nobody attacks a being, created by God, without hurting themselves firstly.
As Jesus said, "He who strikes with the iron will be hurt'.
Many people mistreat and attack animals, victims of abuse; others use animals, in a derogatory and negative way, that's terrible. We must be very careful about this, because this negative energy comes back to us, in the same way. People, yes, generate karma by treating animals badly, for sure.
"Ricardo, what about eating meat"?
It's another delicate issue. This topic deserves a lecture so that we can talk about it. In short, we know that the world is evolving and that everything has its time. Of course, it's inconceivable to imagine an evolved humanity
where beings must kill others, in order to survive. The tendency - this has already started to happen, in many places - is that, as we evolve, spiritually, we're no longer comfortable in eating animal flesh. It's a very weird situation because we rather not approach this subject but, if people knew how animals are killed, raised, mistreated, in other words, how the animal killing industry works, certainly, they wouldn't eat animal meat or, at least, they would decrease its consumption. But we prefer to pretend that we know nothing, about it, don't we?
People prefer not to talk about it and see the packaged meat, in the supermarket. This doesn't bring guilt to the conscience, but we ignore that we're still co-responsible for all this killing, because we consume meat, deliberately. Conscious beings, at least, if they can't set themselves free, totally, from the meat vice, what's understandable, in a certain way, too many of us, have a duty to try to reduce it. This, for sure!
As far as possible, you should refrain from red meat. Why?
Because it's mammalian meat, that has a more evolved nervous system,
suffer much more, and convey this suffering to the meat. It's worthless to say that death is made with electrical pulses. "This is bull talk", as the saying goes. Sorry for the pun. Why?
Because the animal is suffering. We know that, out of all meats, for sure,
the mammalian meat is the one that most hurts us, psychically and spiritually. No wonder, great mediators and spiritual leaders abstain, totally, from meat, mainly red meat. If you still feel the need to eat meat, eat chicken because of the lesser of two evils. But give preference to free-range chickens that, at least, are freely raised, to the organic egg, because those chickens aren't subjected to poor treatment conditions, to produce eggs, having neither space nor their beaks cut so that they can survive.
We can do it, as conscious and even charitable consumers, grateful to God and to animals that are yielding their flesh to nourish our bodies.
The ideal is not to eat, but if you do, between a chicken and fish, eat fish, that's an animal, within the evolutionary scale, that has a simpler nervous system, suffer less and, consequently, has a very high nutritional power.
Without going into nutrition merits, although we know there are several alternatives to replacing protein that we find in the animals' flesh - we see it, everywhere - the important thing is to thank.
At least, when eating the animal meat, be grateful, because it's another living being that gave its life so that you can have physical vigor. It's the least we can do, but we don't. When Emmanuel reminds us that we owe respect to animals, it's in all ways.
"Conduta Espírita" is an interesting and wonderful book, by André Luiz, who, through Chico's blessed hands, in a chapter called "Perante os Animais", says that we have the duty to take care of them, with all resources, including spiritual ones. It means, if an animal is sick, you have the duty to take care of it, give it food, water, and treat it, properly, because many people bring animals indoors and don't treat them properly. It's such absurd!
No! As Chico said: "Animals are worth as the best friends", no matter what they are. We have the duty to treat them well. Are they sick? Give them medicine, including spiritual medication. Fluidized water, passes in some cases, and pray for them so that they can be benefited just as we are.
Remember that they have the evolving pain, the one that helps them evolve, from the inside out and from the outside in, that helps them multiply their sensitivity, that's why they suffer, even without karma. Likewise, old age is a pain that we often must go through, that prepares us for a bigger life, as dear Richard Simonetti reminds us, in a beautiful work about human and animal suffering.
If our body is prepared for sufferings that, sometimes, we don't need because it's good for us, animals intelligent principle is also living the same experience. But whoever wants to know more, in the book "Acão e Reação", the mentor Druso talks, magnificently, about the evolution of pain related to animals. In "The Spirits' Book" there are also important issues in this regard.
Finally, my friends, related to euthanasia, that's what people, who have animals, are most worried about, don't practice it. Definitely, if we take care of a sick relative, until the end, we have the duty to strive and take care of our animals, until the end, as well. I know this is a controversial topic.
Sometimes people say, "It's suffering".
But suffering is good for it to grow. Won't it do you good? Are you going to kill your father because he's suffering? Will you allow others to kill you because you're suffering?
"But animals have no conscience".
They don't have it, like yours but, as Emmanuel says, they're evolving.
So, learning along with us is important to them, and also to us, from an emotional point of view. Simonetti goes even further and has my support because I agree with the reasoning line. Even in some delicate situations, as we see in leishmaniasis cases, that's a matter of public health and, sometimes, you sacrifice a healthy animal, for prevention, he says: "It's funny, because if human beings had leishmaniasis, no one would sacrifice them, but would try to isolate and treat them".
It's our duty to do the same thing, with animals. It's very simplistic for authorities to catch and kill animals instead of having a more creative decision. Thank God, we have some pioneer universities, including UFMG, in Minas Gerais, developing medicines and advanced research for leishmaniasis cure, especially in dogs. Anyway, we have the duty to take care of our animals, with affection. That's what the spiritual world teaches us: respect for them. Respect, because they're, with us, helping us in our evolution and making our lives better. We know that if it wasn't for animals, the suicide rate, in the world, unfortunately, would be much larger than it is.
Love animals, respect them, don't mistreat them, whatever the animal is. May we have a respectful and understanding relationship with all animals, inside their kingdom. Understanding, respectful and, especially affectionate with those animals that are closer to us. Well, I'll end up by telling you a funny Chico's story, for those who don't know it, yet.
When he still lived in Pedro Leopoldo, there was a beautiful rose bush, that he loved. Ants made an anthill at the rose bush ground. Friends said: "Throw boiling water into this anthill because it kills them all".
Chico felt sorry because the ants had a right to have their home. When no one was looking, Chico went there and knelt, with that magnetism that only those who love can have, and said: "My sister's ants, get out of here. You have the right to build your home, but not by destroying the rose bush. They want me to throw boiling water on you. I don't want to do this but, if by tomorrow morning, you haven't left here, I won't be able to prevent my friends from doing it".
The day went by and the night, too. The next day, Chico went back, there, and 90% of the ants were gone, taking the anthill. There were just a few, there. Chico didn't give second thoughts: he boiled water and threw it on those that remained. When the friends came and asked about what has happened, Chico told them everything that has happened.
They laughed and said: "But, Chico why, then, did you throw water on those who stayed"?
He smiled and said: "My dears because those were the subversives".
Even among animals, there're different evolution levels, even in a simple ant's sensitivity, and what will you say about a more complex animal, like a dog, a cat, a parrot, a parakeet, and so many others of the most diverse orders, OK?
As I've said, this is a passionate subject. I wonder that you may have even more doubts than you had before we started here. I suggest you watch a lecture - if you liked, of course, this reflection - that I recorded, last year, for the Drops of Inspiration. It's on our "Drops of Inspiration - Pílulas do Evangelho in Portuguese" YouTube channel.
It's about animals, where I talk about animals that return, reincarnate again and, sometimes, in the same family. This is a theme that, certainly, arouses much reflection in all of us. The bottom line is that animals, in their evolution pain, help us work on our inner awakening. It's a double gain because animals gain, by living with us, learning a bit more about noble feelings, and we gain, exercising our noble feeling toward animals whatever they may be, in whatever kingdom or whatever condition. May God bless your night. Light and peace for your heart. May God allow us to value the animals around us, more lovingly.
May you stay with God. See you soon, see you very soon!
