Wednesday, 22 August 2012

Accepting the Unpalatable.

There’s been a change at the top of the lane. The lambs are now back in the bottom field, but there are no ewes with them. There are no ewes in the middle or top fields either. It appears the lambs and their mothers have been parted, and I suspect the young ones aren’t much longer for this world.

I’ve been watching those little guys since they were tiny and frisky. I’ve watched them grow up and develop their temperaments and habits. I’ve become a bit fond of them.

I’m making no ethical point here. Farm animals might be mere commodities to the bigger farmers, but they’re not entirely so to the smaller ones. There is humanity and compassion there, it’s just that even the smaller farmers are in the business of producing the food that 85-90% of the population eat. That’s their role in life, and their humanity and compassion has to be balanced with that role. They simply have a different take on reality, one that I have no option but to tolerate if I want to accept this living space for what it is.

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