During a History class, we talked about India and their unconventional way, compared to the rest of…

During a History class, we talked about India and their unconventional way, compared to the rest of the world, of dealing with animals that, to us, are considered expendable. The teacher mentioned an incident in which, once, one of her students, with her “radical veganism” — as the teacher herself pointed out that veganism was not even widely discussed at the time — had one of the most exaggerated and unexpected reactions, at least compared to the other students. Considering who she was, if we stop to think about it, it even made sense, based on her mindset; yet all of it happened because of the death of a cockroach that had been stepped on by someone else without a second thought — she was deeply affected. “I would have liked to see that cockroach crushed to pieces; I’d exterminate them all myself,” the teacher said in a humorous tone, and I agreed. I mean, such a tiny and repulsive little creature, capable of causing so much discomfort, disgust, commotion, and revulsion, truly feels like an affront; not to mention the despair when the thing spreads its wings. Believe me — or at least imagine, and, if applicable, remember — the overwhelming shock when that small flying monster suddenly becomes disproportionately terrifying. Anyway, none of that had mattered to me when a thought came to my youthful and hazy mind, compact and concise. Although I noticed I was unconsciously searching for justifications, I was bothered — no, rather, unsettled. Cockroaches are living beings; I would never willingly share a space with them. Even so, why does it seem so unquestionably right to kill them outright? During the Nazi period, Jews were compared to rats — rats that spread disease. I do not intend to delve into the historical context here; I only want to show that this association turned into a doubt within me and, in that moment, completely took hold of my thoughts. It felt wrong — it still feels wrong; it contradicts the very idea of the right to exist. As repugnant and disease-spreading as they may be, they are living beings who have no awareness of why they are being denied the possibility of life. From this, I think that perhaps they are dismissed precisely because of this fact: they do not live long, nor do they develop enough to reflect upon their own existence. Yet I now conclude, still somewhat unsettled, that this is rather anthropocentric, since animals deemed unimportant are subjected to aggressive laboratory testing or simply killed in the cruelest ways. Without dignity, without love — without anything. But what could I do? After all, by common instinct, I would never love them either

Conceived, written and published by Lima