Showing posts with label Martin Luther King Jr.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Martin Luther King Jr.. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Eating Animals

Image via here

I finished the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer last night and I am a changed consumer. I know that sounds trite, but it's true.

I just began doing some research on local farms that raise animals for eggs and meat and will be posting about that soon...Foer is a big proponent of responsible, natural, humane raising and slaughtering of animals for consumption, even though he himself is a vegetarian now.

This book has educated me about the evils of factory farming--over 99% of the meat and animal products in America comes from factory farms--and now I wish to make informed decisions about where the animal products I ingest come from and how they were treated while alive and in death. Or if I personally want to consume animals at all.

A couple of my favorite quotes from the book:
"One of the greatest opportunities to live our values--or betray them--lies in the food we put on our plates. And we will live or betray our values not only as individuals, but as nations."
And:
"We have grander legacies than the quest for cheap products. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote passionately about the time when 'one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular.' Sometimes we simply have to make a decision because 'one's conscience tells one that it is right.'"

I recommend this book to anyone who is a self-proclaimed animal-lover- or just not an animal-hater, and anyone who wants to be more informed about where the meat you and your family are eating comes from.

Here's a link to Farm Forward, an organization that" implements innovative strategies to promote conscientious food choices, reduce farm animal suffering, and advance sustainable agriculture."

*A post is coming soon about local farms that humanely raise and slaughter animals.