Films / Movies / Stories of Transformation

Documentary Film: Peaceable Kingdom, the Journey Home

by Jennie Richards · Published February 3, 2016 · Updated June 15, 2017

A story of awakening, courage and transformation. The film, Peaceable Kingdom, The Journey Home examines the lives of several traditional animal farmers who grew up with certain assumptions about farming and animals, but are awakened to the realization that their farm practices and way of thinking cause their animals deep pain and suffering. It’s through opening their eyes, awakening their heart and trusting their feelings and humanity, that each farmer begins to deeply question their own belief system and what is right and best for the animals. As they begin to trust their intuition and hearts, they begin to see the animals not as machines that produce food and profit, but as sentient, feeling beings that deserve life. Suddenly, their lives become changed forever.

This film is deeply touching, inspiring and heart-wrenching all at the same time. With strikingly honest interviews and film footage that portrays the very real emotional lives of animals and their intense family bonds, this groundbreaking documentary has the power to change your life, forever. In the film, Howard Lyman says, “We’re here on this planet to learn one thing, it’s unconditional love for all beings on the planet.”

“It’s not a question whether we as humans are greater or more intelligent, we’re just different, we speak a different language, we look different. In our evolution, our differences don’t entitle us to Domination.”

Quotes from the Film

“The greatest gift we can give to them, is to recognize them as individuals.”

“Humane farming is a complete myth. There is no federal mandate that this animal is living a happy life.”

“So many animals are hurt in transport, they are so weak. They can’t even get out of the transport, so they are just left to die in the stockyards.”

“I never again wanted to take the life out of anything.”

“There’s no such thing as humane slaughter.”

“Being a former farmer, at times you don’t feel worthy of forgiveness for the things you’ve done.

“Violence is such a part of that environment, that it contributes to the desensitization.”

“I had to shut off my heart since I was a kid to farm the animals so I could slaughter them.”

“I saw this light switch in my head and heart, and I was able to turn it off for farm animals, but on for my cats and dogs and people.”

“The courage it takes to examine the basic assumptions that you’ve had since childhood, and change them, and find there’s another way to be in the world, it’s really a great thing. It’s going home.”

“You toughen up and get hard to the animals bellowing and crying. But there’s something in the back of my mind that didn’t feel right about how we treated animals on the farm.”

“Slaughtering an animal, it takes something away from you, then it got easier, until I didn’t feel anything at all.”

“You have to take the calf away from the cow in order to give their milk to humans. The calf either becomes a veal calf with a very short life, or they go to slaughter with their umbilical cords still on them.”

“It was during the selling of the goats that we had these deep changes of feelings. We would sell them, and had befriended these goats—suddenly, we were hogtying them and the transports would pick them up screaming and handling them so roughly.”

“We just knew it wasn’t right what we were doing on our goat farm, keeping the mama goats pregnant and selling off the babies for slaughter.”

“When you make that change, and then try to interact with that farming life, the community can turn their back on you—but you also find a new community.”

“To have this feeling that they are sentient beings, instead of food, is such a turnaround.”

“Farm animals are subjected to the most egregious forms of cruelty and violence I have ever witnessed.”

“We have this short period of time to do something positive with our lives, and make a change. That’s why we became a sanctuary.”