I know...I know...

I know this is how people probably feel after talking to me for any length of time. I even admit that my passion and conviction can seem extreme. Hell, I annoy myself half the time. But, once I know something (especially something that affects the world outside my little sphere of existence) I can't ignore it.

I have a tremendous amount of guilt for having lived much of my life in a sublime ignorance. I will probably look back 10, 15, 20 years from now and still think the same thing. However, I feel more comfortable in my own skin right now than I ever have. I feel like I know who I am and who I want to be.

It was a several years ago that I decided that I was going to make a conscience effort to analyze how my actions were affecting the planet and the it's inhabitants.  It can feel exhausting to always be looking for the systemic affect of your behavior. Again though, I couldn't ignore the information I taking in.

I began watching documentary after documentary about our food system. I began to understand that our food system accounts for a great deal of poverty, starvation, and environmental ruin. I started to understand that my shopping habits can promote a world of exploitation and slavery. These are hard pills to sallow. We like our convenience...I liked it. We like to not scrutinize and just buy...I know I did. We like think that we deserve more...and more...and more. It kind of tarnishes the sparkiliness of it all when we began to realize that children are working as slave laborers, or that migrant workers is being denied pay after a full days work, or that animals are being unimaginably tortured. All of this so that we are not inconvenienced.

This is one of the documentaries that I consider to be a life-changer for me. Warning: It is intense and not for young children.  http://www.earthlings.com/ 

I had already come to the conclusion that we live in a society where we do not have to be dependent on meat for survival. We aren't on the frozen plains with nothing to eat but bison. We have Community Sponsored Agriculture (CSA) programs that operate year round, we have small locally owned organic stores, we have the ability to plant our own gardens, we have science that tells us that you don't need meat to live a healthy life.  So, when I saw this documentary...it sealed the deal for me. I refused to be a part of a food system that would promote this kind of behavior.

Another eye opening documentary for me was Food, Inc.  This is an excellent documentary. I have made all of my children watch it and I would encourage you to do the same.

There will be a part two to this blog post. I have some more thoughts, but I have probably thrown enough out there for now....