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Extending Our Circle of Compassion, TedX Youth, by Zoe Weil

by Jennie Richards · Published June 16, 2019 · Updated September 23, 2024

“Examine the effects of our choices so we can live according to our values. Is our momentary pleasure worth the price of another’s suffering or life?”

Zoe Weil is the co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education (www.HumaneEducation.org) and is considered a pioneer in the comprehensive humane education movement, which provides people with the knowledge, tools, and motivation to be conscientious choice-makers and engaged change-makers for a better world.

Zoe created the first Master of Education and Certificate Program in Humane Education in the U.S. covering the interconnected issues of human rights, environmental preservation, and animal protection. She has also created acclaimed online programs and leads workshops and speaks at universities, conferences, and events across the U.S. and Canada. She has taught tens of thousands of students through her innovative school presentations, and has trained several thousand teachers through her workshops and programs.

Zoe’s most recent book, Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life, won the 2010 Nautilus silver medal in sustainability and green values. She is the author of several other books including Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times for parents; The Power and Promise of Humane Education for educators; and Claude and Medea: The Hellburn Dogs, winner of the Moonbeam gold medal in juvenile fiction, which follows the exploits of two seventh graders who become clandestine activists in New York City, righting wrongs where they find them.

Zoe received a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a Master of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. Her portrait was painted for the Americans Who Tell the Truth series and she was honored with the Women in Environmental Leadership Award from Unity College.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event.

Published: March 4, 2014

Video Length: 13 Minutes, 34 seconds

Quotes from the Video

“I tried really hard not to make the connection between the sheep that I loved, and the lamb chop that I desired. But the logical Mr. Spock, made me consider my choices in relationship to animals and to make choices that did much less harm to animals.”

“There is no essential difference between a dog, a pig, a parrot, a chicken, or a cow – they all feel pain the exact same way. But the difference lies in our human perception of them. Some we call pets, some we call food.”

“We all should ask ourselves — How can we do the most good and the least harm to people, animals, and the environment, through all of our choices – from our entertainment choices, to what we eat, to what we wear, to the products we buy.”

“If you were to take a hot iron to the flesh of your dog and leave a mark, and someone reported you—you would be arrested and tried in a court of law for criminal cruelty. But it’s perfectly legal to do this to other animals who feel just as much pain and suffering as dogs do—it’s called BRANDING. It’s done routinely to cows and calves without any pain killers or anesthesia.”

“It would also be illegal to take your dog and put her in a cage so small she was never able to turn around for the duration of her life, but it’s perfectly legal to do it to other animals who feel just as much as dogs—like mother pigs. Mother pigs are forced to bear litter after litter of piglets, most of whom are slaughtered for food at 6 months old, but the mothers are again impregnated and forced to live in such filth, squalor and confinement – it’s unbearable.”

“Ask yourself how you would feel if someone harmed an animal you loved – for a fur coat, for food, for entertainment, or to test a new shampoo. If you wouldn’t want this done to the animal you love, then consider divesting yourself from buying and supporting any service or product that causes animal cruelty.”

“Most of us don’t seek out this knowledge, many of us would prefer not to know how animals are treated. Because then we would be faced with a moral quandary that arises if we allow our desires to eclipse our values.”

“When we buy the products and services from animals that suffer, we are encouraging more of the same for them. But we can instead help to bring about a more humane world, when we buy products and services that do not cause animal suffering and do not come from animals..”