After nearly a month of contemplation, there are a number of things that come to mind that I feel a need to clarify and to explore. Whereas I can’t see doing all that in one post, this is the first of several. The others will follow as Part 4.1 of 4, etc.
1. All of this is clearly for Joy and me. We consider it binding on us, but on no one else.
2. There is content that is at very least confusing, if not in contradiction with commonly held beliefs, and perhaps even wrong? For example, I am spending a fair amount of time trying to understand the timing of evens in the “four gospels.” The more I learn, the more confusing it gets. More later.
3. For this post, a couple of sub-points regarding flesh/meat.
- I’m really grateful to my daughter for sending me a vegetarian cookbook. While I don’t think that we will be full-on vegetarians, compared to the general population, we will probably lean more in that direction than the three-portions-of-meat-a-day practitioners.
- We took a look at sources of happy cows and happy chickens. This stuff is pretty expensive, unless one purchases large quantities. We have a neighbor that is interested in “going in” with us to purchase a 1/2 side. Given our current rate of consumption, it would take years to go through all that meat. We need more participants.
- The last trek past the local store’s meat department had me imagining all that food sizzling on the grill or otherwise cooked into succulent fair.
- A couple of days later, I was imagining instead the animals themselves — how they lived and how they died. I’m not sure that I will be able to walk through a meat department again. :- (
- As we empty out our store, I find myself apologetic to the “souls” who’s remnants occupy our freezer. While I briefly entertained disposing of all that (including giving it away to someone absent of our current sensitivities), it seemed more appropriate to express gratitude and enjoy/rejoice. Hopefully this is not some kind of JERC.
- As I have driven past herds, I’ve wanted to get out and hug a cow. :- )
- I haven’t felt that way towards birds. :- ) :- )