By now, the story of Cecil the lion is old news. For about a week I couldn't go anywhere without seeing or hearing about his story. In case you're not familiar, Cecil was a lion living in Zimbabwe who was killed by a trio of hunters led by an American dentist. He apparently spent $50,000 to pay for the privilege. The killing was illegal, as Cecil was a protected lion living on protected land and was lured away from that land with food. After being shot, Cecil lived for another two days before he succumbed to his injury.

I’m writing to share a huge success story. A larger success than I ever imagined. Last year, 400 million fewer animals were killed in the U.S. than in 2007. That’s more lives saved in America than there are American citizens.

I think it's safe to say most people reading this will have heard that humans and chimps are more than 98% genetically identical. We're just as close to bonobos, another great ape, though they're not the same species. Like two distant cousins, we share the same amount of genes with each, while they remain distinct from one another. They are about 99% identical to one another, and together are the only two species in the genus Pan.

I almost said that I'm expanding my focus with this article, since I usually write about animal rights. But really I'm narrowing my focus to one particular animal: the human animal.

A friend's dad has been going through some serious health issues that have impacted his quality of life. Though it's hard to point to a cause in any particular case, his symptoms are all strongly associated with animal foods. She's been frustrated and scared because even though all the evidence is there, he won't make even minimal changes to the way he eats. Not even to save his own life.

You may have heard recently that Ringling Brothers is phasing out elephant performers.

I don’t usually write about “single issues” because I like to go after the fundamentals - compassion, moral exclusion, and so on. But the news that Ringling Bros. will free 13 Asiatic elephants is exactly why we take action: to save innocents from misery.

After the destruction of Hurricane Katrina, a lot of talking heads said that the people deserved what they got because they knew the storm was coming but didn't evacuate. What a lot of them didn't realize is that many of the people didn't have the means to leave, or anywhere to go if they did.

Raise your hand if you feel like an oppressor.

...Did you raise your hand?

When you take a moral stance, on some level you're accusing others of taking an immoral stance. When you fight for justice, it must mean some people are unjust. There's not really a way around that unless you draw really vague boundaries.

It's not a perfect world. I'm reminded every day of my own imperfections. As I gossip at work when I know I shouldn't. When someone is insulted and I don't stick up for them, because I fear being thought of as difficult or a goody-goody, or I'm just too tired to bother.

To be an activist, very often, is to be angry.

An activist is a person with a sacred vision of the world that they are trying to manifest. That means living in a world that runs counter to what you hold most sacred. Otherwise, what are you acting for or against? And in my experience, activists aren't just working for a world that would be nice, but fighting for the world that they believe should be. That’s not always emotionally easy.