A friend is visiting Bali and posted a photo of two ducks with a caption saying these ducks would be her dinner. She exclaimed how she wanted her animal protein to be a little less recognizable.
Really?
If you get your duck breasts plastic wrapped from a supermarket or paper wrapped from a butcher does that mean no duck was killed for your dinner?
I’m an omnivore. I eat animals along with many, many vegetables. But here’s the difference, I accept responsibility for my actions and do everything to alleviate the suffering of animals I eat. Every protein is humanely raised, eggs, chicken, beef and cheese. Once every year or two someone raises a cow and a few goats for me. They live a bucolic life with lots of grass, sunshine and treats. They are humanely slaughtered (an oxymoron) and even then I am conscious that something alive has died for my dinner.
This carries over, this is how a life should be lived. We are responsible for our words and the power they have to hurt, help, create and destroy.
a gentle pat on someone’s hand can bring comfort
a harsh word can bring pain
a thoughtless moment can bring grief
ours actions create ripples.
Hopefully my actions create more positive and joyous ripples, even to the cow who will one day be my dinner
Now if only I would stop squashing spiders!
