Julia Jones

This move almost didn’t exist. Well it still would’ve existed, but if it weren’t for a last minute college visit to Portland it would’ve been a lot less meaningful. I read Eating Animals, by Jonathon Safron Foer, and originally planned on simply going into depth about the book and how it relates to the ethics of eating what we do in today’s society. This is a tricky subject to cover about because it is all relative to culture, so it’s hard to come up with a black and white answer regarding what is right or wrong. It is especially difficult because humans have been altering and distorting our relationships with animals since the concept of agriculture was created thousands of years ago. Modern society finds value in animals for what they can be used for, rather than valuing them as living beings. This way of thinking causes our relationship with animals to be corrupted and blurred, and raises lots of questions. Is one species better than another? More deserving of life? Why do we grow up with farm animals in our story books and then eat bacon for breakfast, where is the connection lost? These questions I couldn’t answer with facts or figures but instead required me to look deeper into what it means to be a human on this earth that we share with so many creatures. Visiting the Animal Sanctuary was a perfect closing to my project.  We spent nearly two hours there, petting the animals, taking pictures, observing and appreciating the beauty and peace that surrounded this farm. Sitting there, with those animals who were so trusting, so vulnerable, and knowing I no longer contributed to the violent industry  they were lucky to be safe from was a good feeling. I looked at them with a new sense of compassion and understanding of their sorrow, and they looked back, almost as if they knew I was on their side.