Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson is the bestselling author of 9 books on the emotional life of animals.

"I am constantly thinking about how we can enlarge our circle of compassion.  Originally, it would seem, humans cared only about themselves (pure narcissism).  Then a mate.  Then immediate family.  Then extended family.  Then the tribe.  Finally the nation.  Rare is the human who goes beyond that.  But those of us who care about animals, want to extend our altruistic tendencies, our mercy, our love, and our compassion to ALL sentient creatures who share the earth with us:  the dogs and cats we play with, the birds we see and admire, the so-called farm animals (so-called because they never chose to be there), the fish in the sea, and yes, even the shelff-fish who only very remotely resemble us.  

The way we show this concern is that we do not want to harm these animals in any way, any more than we would want to harm a member of our family.  This means that we don’t kill them for food.  We don’t take their eggs, their milk, their young, their fur, their skin.  We attempt, as far as is possible, to live with them in harmony.  We do not exploit them.  So we are vegetarians (and the next logical step) vegans.  How did I come to this position?  Simply by watching animals, and realizing how much they want to live, how much they avoid pain and suffering.  Exactly like us.  To inflict suffering on any of these animals merely to satisfy some desire of my own (for their flesh, or their fur, or their eggs) now seems to me almost barbaric.  There is no reason why I need to do this.  It is bad for them; it is bad for me; and now it is becoming increasingly clear to nearly everyone, it is bad for our planet.  

Surely to extend the circle of compassion is of benefit to all.  It is the next obvious evolutionary step for humankind, and I am glad to be participating.  We may not see it come to fruition in our lifetime, but it will, I am convinced, eventually become the only sane way to live.  I hope you agree".