living near farm

[Guest guest]

Well, I just thought I'd put a post out for some moral support.

 

We live near my parents in a rural community in Canada. They have a small

hobby farm where they raise animals to eat. In many ways I respect their

decision to want some control over the kind of meat they put in their body

and also they are fully aware of the violence committed for their food. (I

think so many people are far too distanced from food production & don't give

any thought at all to the animals they consume.) At least my parents have

to look the animals in the eye when they kill them and they have to live

with it.

 

I just have a very hard time with how they justify it to themselves and I

don't know how to explain it to my son except to say " they must not know

that it hurts the animals. " or " Gramma & Grampa grew up eating meat and

don't know how to change their ways. " I guess it must be an ongoing dilema

for all vegetarians.

 

This week the two cows had babies. It was so exciting and miraculous -- the

calves are so cute and tiny. Even my parents are moved by the birth and how

the mothers so naturally bond and care for their infants. But, this new

generation signals the death knell for the fathers who are to be slaughtered

within the month. It just breaks my heart to hear about it...I have to

cover my ears and leave when I overhear the plans. It seems so cruel and

malicious and yet they seem to have no second thoughts about it. I wish I

could somehow buy the animals to save their lives but it would seem to be to

no avail (besides being cost prohibitive) as I have no place to keep the

animals myself and would have to feed them for the rest of their lives. And

my parents would end up buying meat from a factory farm where the living

conditions are much worse for the animals.

 

Anyway this all creates a strange message for my son who only being 3 years

old hasn't yet quite figured out the reason that the animals on the farm

keep disappearing. I have alternating urges to avoid visiting the animals

to block the thought of their demise from my mind, vs a desire to bear

witness to their short lives and make them as comfortable as possible.

 

thoughts? advice?

 

Mel.