A BUTCHERING DAY

I just finished, my part, in transforming ten chickens to food. Jamie is now preparing them for the freezer. Butchering is not getting easier. I long ago, decided that if I was going to eat meat, I had to be willing to do the butchering. Otherwise, it would seem like denial, that the meat came from a living breathing creature, like us. If you look around you, you will note, that creatures on this planet eat each other to survive. Is it better to eat, only, vegetable matter? I don't know; is the consciousness of vegetables different? I have thought a lot about this, and in my Buddhist period, I flirted with vegetarianism. But not for long; there is no question, I am an omnivore and I love meat.

I really love my animals and these chickens in particular. When I sat out by the pasture, for my Morning meditation, I was often startled by a hen jumping up on my lap. I know they love me. Some how, they know their purpose is to provide nourishment for us. I think it is our duty to provide the happiest life we can for them and to end their life painlessly and with as much dignity as possible. Butchering is a sacred task.

I don't like to buy meat at a grocery store. I don't like, what I know, about how animals are raised commercially. I can't imagine rationalizing, that it doesn't make a difference. We are fortunate, living in the country, where we can buy meat from people and be reasonably sure the animals were treated okay. If we can't do, what we do, with love, we are better off not doing it.

 There is much coming out now about the contamination of our food sources by GMO crops and chemicals, like Roundup. People, who pursued the truth, long knew how dangerous the practice of raising GMO crops was. Most of them, heavily rely on chemicals like Roundup [Glyphosate]. It has been the myth that glyphosates are harmless, although the industry has prevented any decent studies to show otherwise. The propaganda was heavy, that this weedkiller could be used without consequences. The chemical companies were so successful, that environmentalist believed the propaganda. Who wouldn't want a weedkiller that was harmless? It is clear now, that use of glysophates is dangerous and is linked to cancer.

Getting a good assessment of just how dangerous GMO crops are, has been extremely difficult as the industry did everything they could to block a definitive study. However, a comprehensive study has been completed. I will provide more information in my next blog and refer you to a website.

The world is changing very rapidly. We will look at some things next week.

Love and Peace,  Gregg