off topic, but worthy of reflection

"Alpabzug" or Alpine Descent in Switzerland

I met up with a friend at our favorite restaurant the other night. It's something of a joke between us because I can order her meal from memory. Steak. And she can predict what I will have. Seafood. It's as predictable as the tide. It never changes. There's a story behind it, though.

Perhaps you have already noticed this. There are certain books that leave a lasting impression on you. Others, you can't even remember having read. I picked up a copy of "The Mind Illuminated" by John Yates, PhD this week. It has been collecting dust on my bookshelf for a while now. It's a guide to meditation based on Buddhist wisdom and modern neuroscience. It sounded interesting. Imagine my surprise when I opened it up and discovered I had already read it, complete with underlining, notations, and dog ears. Obviously, though, I'd forgotten about it.

On the other hand, I read "The Jungle" by Upton Sinclair when I was in high school. The book is an expose of the greed, cruelty, and indifference Sinclair uncovered in the meat packing industry. It changed me, but I didn't respond to the horrors and cruelty he exposed right away. After all, I was still expected to eat what my mother put in front of me...meat and potatoes. Still, the images of cruel and abusive breeding and butchering of animals stuck with me until I made the transition to vegetarianism, actually pescatarianism (veggies and occasionally seafood) in my later years. Almost fifty years later.

"All animals just want to be loved."

~Anthony Douglas Williams~

I won't bore you with arguments for or against vegetarianism except to suggest you give it some thought. Or read "The Jungle" yourself, or read something by Jane Goodall, or check in with Joar Berge online at https://moustache-farmer.de/en 

'Nuff said. Pictures speak louder than words:

~Joar Berge
 @moustache_farmer~

~@thegentlebarn~

~Arik Vasquez~

~estherthewonderpig.com~

~Tatyana_tomsickova~

Consider this:

"The greatness of a nation

and its moral progress can be judged

by the way its animals are treated."

~Mahatma Gandhi~

...and not just its pets, I would add. Also, according to Darwin:

"The love for all living creatures is

the most noble attribute of man."

~Charles Darwin~

No offense intended, but if you love animals, you could consider not eating them. If you can't resist a good steak or chop once in a while, you should offer deepest reverence and gratitude to the being that offered it up for you. Or, in deference to hunters:

"Don't eat anything

you aren't willing to kill yourself."

~Lorene Lavora~

jan