Conversations with Animal Farmers
By Asa - 12 Nov 2012
Thanks Frank!,
I appreciate your response. I was raised a vegetarian, by my parents...their perspective was that the world can support more people eating plants than animals. Which I believe is true. But I believe that our cultures and our livelihoods are determined by the landscapes and ecosystems which we inhabit, as well as by our intentions, morals, desires, etc. I've slaughtered a lot of pigs, cows, and chickens myself, and even in the act of slaughter, I feel compassion at work inside me. I look at the animal, and wish that I can do this deed as humanely as possible. It certainly a contradiction It's a very hard thing to do, and I'm interested in examining more deeply the mix of things I feel when it happens. Interestingly, I feel something similar, certainly not the same, when I harvest a field of carrots or onions...and I wonder if these plants are just as worthy of our compassion as are the animals...that it is just our similarity to the animals that makes us better understand their suffering.
What do you mean when you say that, on any farm, animals are meant to do things that are not natural to them? I'm can't figure out what you mean.
Also, I wanted to say that I appreciate very much the fact that the message you take form the Bible is one of compassion, kindness, and giving....far too often I see people interpret the Bible to mean bigotry, taking, greed...all that crap. Thanks for standing strong, and looking hard at the difficult things we need to do to be good people.
Take 'er easy,
-Asa
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