We need a better way to talk about eating animals, a way that doesn't ignore, or even just shruggingly accept things like habits, cravings, family and history, but rather incorporates them into the conversation. The more they are allowed in, the more strongly we will want to follow our best instincts.

I wanted to protect him, which I was sure I could do, even if I could not protect myself.

What if I never stop inventing?

We looked at each other until it felt like everything would burst into flames

Or maybe what he fears is just the opposite: that nobody is looking; that his death, like his life, is without purpose; that there is neither greater good nor evil--only people living and dying because their bodies function and then do not; that the universe is a rip.

Our relationship to the environment matters, our relationship to animals matters, and our relationship to culture matters.

If nothing matters, there's nothing to save.