I discovered when we suffer, we suffer as equals. And in their capacity to suffer, a dog is a pig, is a bear...is a boy.
Philip WollenRead
We torture and kill two billion sentient living beings every week. 10,000 entire species are wiped out every year because of the actions of one, and we are now facing the sixth mass extinction in cosmological history. If any other organism did this, a biologist would consider them a virus.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote highlights the destructive impact humans have on the planet and its biodiversity.
Philip Wollen's quote underscores the alarming reality of human actions leading to the massive suffering and extinction of countless living beings. Through the metaphor of a virus, he emphasizes the detrimental role that humanity plays in the natural world, likening our destructive tendencies to those of a pathogen that harms the host organism.
Themes
EnvironmentExtinctionBiodiversityHuman ImpactVirusNature
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on environmental conservation, one might use this quote to stress the urgency of the ecological crisis.
More from Philip Wollen
All quotes →When I travel around the world, I see that poor countries sell their grain to the West while their own children starve in their arms. And we feed it to livestock. So we can eat a steak? Am I the only one who sees this as a crime? Every morsel of meat we eat is slapping the tear-stained face of a starving child. When I look into her eyes, should I be silent? The Earth can produce enough for everyone’s need. But not enough for everyone’s greed.
Philip WollenRead
We obey people we don't trust, to buy things we don't need, to impress people we don't like, using money we don't have, for gratifications that don't last, killing animals we don't hate, for pleasures that don't satisfy, dreaming of a life we don't deserve, and praying for an afterlife that doesn't exist, we are a stupid species
Philip WollenRead
In their capacity to feel pain and fear, a pig is a dog is a bear is a boy.
Philip WollenRead
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