As I sit here on a winter afternoon at the end of 2017, I
think back to a warm summer day when I pulled up behind a poultry transport
truck at a red light. These trucks are a
common site here in Fayetteville Arkansas.
We are a stone’s throw from Tyson Headquarters just north of us in
Springdale.
The industry’s presence in the northwest corner of our state is
pervasive. I’ve met line workers
employed at slaughter houses (oh, pardon me - processing plants), known
industry administration people - even the curator of Mrs. Tyson's art collection.
Tyson Foods, Inc. How we laud the titans of
industry. Can I argue with $40
billion in revenues annually?
Yes, I can argue against such staggering wealth when it is
built on the pain and suffering of millions of animals.
Let’s see a few more statistics I picked up on
Wikipedia regarding the Tyson empire: Every week, its 54 chicken plants, 13
beef plants, and six pork plants slaughter and package 170,938 cattle, 347,891 pigs and 42.5 million
chickens.
Wow. That’s a lot of
death. Are you OK with that? If you are, you’re at the wrong blog site.
Turkey Run Mission and Crossover, Fayetteville AR July 2017 |
During the year that I put out this blog, I endeavored to be
patient and polite regarding my motives for promoting vegan dining. Indeed, this approach is incorporated in my
mission statement. But as I conclude
this effort, I cannot walk away from this project without saying a few words regarding
the sheer hypocrisy of our society.
The truck I sat behind was packed with wilted, battered turkeys heading to their execution. All around me people could see perfectly well who (not what) was on board. But we all hurried on with our lives once the light turned green.
For Christians, this is a season of “Peace on Earth”. But we can never approach true peace until we
see the truth about agribusiness. How can we
preach harmony and mutual resepct when we ignore, institutionalize and even
applaud the excruciating suffering which is behind each serving on our
plate?
Here’s a New Year’s resolution which will have lasting
impact: Cut back on or even drop entirely
meat and dairy from your diet. This blog
and countless other websites, books, organizations and support groups show it’s
possible, it’s healthy, and it’s the future.
PEACE