Kathy Freston on HuffingtonPost.com
June 2009
Are we killing ourselves?
There has been a lot of talk in recent days about how factory farmed
animals are the cause of the deadly hybrid virus that is eerily mutating,
and some are calling it cosmic retribution, a sort of "chickens coming home
to roost" scenario. I don't know about that, but an animal virus like swine
flu is a completely predictable (and was a widely predicted) response to our
modern horribly cruel and appallingly filthy factory farming systems.
Undoubtedly, some animal welfare people are hoping that swine flu will serve
as a wake-up call for humanity, that the "groupthink" in support of
intensive farming might move toward thoughtfulness about the health hazards
and cruelty of intensively confining animals, and that governments will pass
laws to make these "confined animal feeding operations" (CAFOs, the industry
term for "factory farm") smaller, cleaner, less cruel, and less dependent on
drugs--which are used to keep the animals alive through the filthy and
stressful conditions that would otherwise kill them in much greater numbers.
I must admit that this does feel like a wake-up call: Are we really so
addicted to eating meat (even as we demand that meat be inexpensive, meat
processors want to make more money, which means faster, meaner ways of
raising and slaughtering animals for food) that we're willing to risk the
millions who could die from such mutating viruses? Has our desire for
gustatory pleasure at any cost pushed us into terrible consequences as we
creep toward an ugly future? The "big one" may not be this particular
version of the flu, but scientists say we have not seen the last of H1N1;
not by a long shot.
When the swine flu hit, I was already wondering and talking with friends
about whether the economic crisis might inspire a paradigm shift in how we
live our lives, especially after reading a remarkable column by generally
sober and hyper-realistic Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. Writes
Friedman, "What if the crisis of 2008 represents something much more
fundamental than a deep recession? What if it's telling us that the whole
growth model we created over the last 50 years is simply unsustainable
economically and ecologically...?"
Friedman concludes that "Often in the middle of something momentous, we
can't see its significance. But for me there is no doubt: 2008 will be the
marker--the year when 'The Great Disruption' began."
Of course, the economic meltdown is already forcing us to rethink our
priorities and what we value, so there is a process of letting go of a lot
of things we considered important. People have cut back on buying
non-essential items; we're eating out less, using the library more, and
generally becoming more reasonable in our consumption and more civic-minded
in our overall way of being--the economic crunch is, as Friedman predicted,
causing a reevaluation of our priorities.
But will the changes be as massive as Friedman predicts? President Obama
certainly hopes so. I recently saw a quote by the president: "History
reminds us that, at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation,
this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas." Yes, we have; and
we can again, of course.
In the past, America has faced and overcome enormous difficulties again and
again, from the Revolutionary War to World War II to the obstacles of racism
and sexism. These challenges, and our ability as a people to address
them--with both individual and societal change--should inspire us to
optimism in the face of current challenges.
What can we do, as individuals, to create a sea change, to halt the mutation
of deadly viruses, to say no to out-of-control business practices, to stop
creating environmental havoc, and to bring our health up to a better level?
All of this can be covered, incredibly, by thinking very seriously about the
foods we choose to eat, and then changing our habits if we find that our
choices are generating problems. And as we change as individuals, society
and governments will change with us.
Here's a home run solution that I can't help coming back to: eat less (and
eventually no) animal protein. A diet high in animal protein bloats us
physically by clogging our bodies with saturated fat, growth hormones, and
antibiotics; it has been proven conclusively to cause cancer, heart disease,
and obesity.
And the meat industry poisons and depletes our clean air, potable water, and
fertile topsoil almost more than any other sector of business. As just one
example, the meat industry is responsible for about 18 percent of all global
warming--that's almost half again as much as all cars, planes, and trucks
combined.
And now it's become all too clear that factory farms are breeding grounds
for viruses to mutate and become deadly.
Basically, our current food choices (the average American eats about 200
pounds of meat annually) are killing us on a host of different levels.
Perhaps now more than ever, it's time to clear out old, tired, uninformed
ways of eating and opt instead for food that nourishes us, is easy on the
planet, and gives the animals some breathing room.
Oh, and especially useful in these exceedingly difficult economic times:
Eating a plant-based diet is cheap relative to eating meat. Compare the
price of grains and beans with that of chicken and cheese. And growing
grains and vegetables is by no means the filthy business that animal
agriculture has become.
I realize it's not painless to give up what we are used to, what we like the
taste and tradition of, in favor of a diet that we know is better for us and
the planet. But if we lean into the shift of eating consciously by giving up
one animal at a time (give up chickens first, as I discuss here), or eating
only vegetarian for two out of three meals, we will find our way and get
used to new tastes. We will grow to love different foods that are kinder to
our bodies, the environment, and the animals.
As I ponder Obama's call for change and Friedman's vision of a paradigm
shift, and I think about recent predictions that unless we turn back now,
ecological disaster is inevitable, I wonder if economic collapse and swine
flu might be our only hope.
Perhaps in these trying days, the law of unintended consequences may
represent our salvation. No one is glad for the swine flu or the economic
meltdown, but maybe these great calamities are the push we needed to re-boot
and start afresh.
We are a world out of balance, to be sure. But we can begin to eat (so
simply!) in a way that brings us back to equilibrium, personally and
globally. I just hope enough of us answer the call.
Visit our online Vegan Recipe Book to aid you in your transition!
Number of animals killed in the world by the fishing, meat, dairy and egg industries, since you opened this webpage.
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