An Inspiring Friend and A Movie to See
An Inspiring Friend
Nearly every day I seem to be inspired by people. I know that’s so contrary to how the media wants us to feel. The media wants us to stay in our houses, be scared of people, and buy stuff to make ourselves feel better. I really think people are starting to stand up and say “enough”!
Last week I was so incredibly inspired by my dear friend Mireille. You see Mireille and I have differing views on many things including religion and animals. Mireille is not what I would call an animal lover in the same way that I am. She has a dog and a cat. She likes them and provides them with food, water, shelter, etc. I on the other hand spend much of my time advocating for animal rights, helping stray animals, and volunteering at local rescues. You get the idea.
One thing Mireille loves to do is watch documentaries. So I told her about Earthlings and I warned her of its graphic nature but she rose to the occasion out of her love for honest film. She watched the entire thing (I still have not gone past part 4) and in just a few hours completely changed her perspective on food animals. She said “enough” of this horrible treatment of animals and decided to go vegetarian. I was so surprised, I thought surely it would not last more than a day or two. But I was wrong. And I could not be happier! Mireille has now been vegetarian for two weeks! I am so excited and proud of her. We had a nutrition discussion and I introduced her to some new foods. Now she is on her way to a healthier, more compassionate lifestyle.
A Move to See
Food, Inc.
There’s another film coming out in June called Food, Inc. It is more in keeping with Fast Food Nation and Super Size Me than with Earthlings but inspiring nevertheless. I am so excited to see it because I love these films that don’t necessarily promote a vegan lifestyle but their depiction of the food industry leaves you thinking it is the best way to live. Here’s the movie description. I hope you go see it and we can talk about its influence over people’s eating habits.
“In Food, Inc., filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation’s food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that’s been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government’s regulatory agencies, USDA and FDA. Our nation’s food supply is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers and our own environment. Food, Inc. reveals surprising — and often shocking truths — about what we eat, how it’s produced, who we have become as a nation and where we are going from here.”
Just for Kicks (an education too)
Another inspiring person in my life is Kari. She’s the Arizona director for the United States Humane Society. This week she enlightened me with this great (not horribly graphic) app from Animal Visuals that shows the rate at which animals are slaughtered in the United States every second. It is staggering to watch as the animals fly by: 287 chickens per second, 3.68 pigs per second, and 1.12 cows per second. It just boggles my mind.
Rate of Slaughter of Chickens, Pigs, and Cows in the United States, 2008
I hope this post about my inspiring friends and movie makers inspires you to go out and make a difference in the lives of animals today. I know that’s a lot of inspiring … but would you rather talk about taxes? No thanks. 🙂
Ha! Another Earthlings success story. Thanks for posting it!