BLEEDING HEARTS, CLOSED MINDS

[sooZen]

I have friends on social media, usually ones that live in highly urbanized areas, that are what are known as “bleeding hearts” because of their empathy for animals and their choice never to kill or eat one. Now, vegetarianism or being a vegan for whatever the reason is fine with me. It is a healthy (mostly) lifestyle and I can understand the love of animals as I love them better than I like most people (with my own personal exceptions of family and friends.)

But, living in a city like New York (or any skyscraper city in the world) and never having been exposed to what it is like living in a rural setting, living off the land, raising your own food does not make one an “expert” or a judge of those who actually do raise their own grains or veggies, pluck their own fowl, raise livestock, or fish a clear stream or coastal waters and all the things that puts food on a families table for the cold winter months. (Not like buying or seeing meat or veggies prepackaged and nicely presented as most Americans do in their local grocery or market.)

Face it, the real Americans are natives and they are the real experts on living off the land. I dare any of those urbanites to walk into a reservation (where the European aliens put them) and tell an Apache or a Choctaw or a Nez Perce they can’t hunt a deer or kill an elk (which are proliferating because the wolves and mountain lions were decimated by you know who…) Or walk into any pueblo and tell them they can’t shear or slaughter their sheep or goats or keep a dog to herd them. Or tell an Tlingit or Aleut that they shouldn’t trap fur animals, or have sled dogs (those that still do), or hunt seal and whales since they do it sustainably and reasonably to survive in a harsh climate and feed their families and village. And I will bet you that would put an end to any of those arguments, pronto!

Yeah, I think it is pretty easy to sit in an apartment in a high rise and make snap judgements about real life and survival in the real world. IF one wants to eat meat, make it meat that you know where it came from, was raised humanely, sanely and give thanks for its' life that it gives to you. If you want people to not have dogs, raise chickens for eggs and meat, then consider the source. If you want people to not fish, not hunt (and don’t be one of those yahoos that goes out with his buddies once a year, gets drunk and burns down the forest because fishing and hunting is the “manly” thing to do) think about the fact that those that spend time in nature, living off the land, respect is a natural byproduct.

Killing endangered species or destroying their habitat is specious (read: wrong!) We all need to preserve our wilds, what their is left of it, but we also need to respect those that live the old ways, the true ways and stay in touch with our true selves. Don’t eat meat if you don’t want to…fine. Cecil, Nate nor I eat pork or beef because we cannot, our bodies won’t let us without paying a price. But we do enjoy a fowl or a fish (sustainably raised or fished.) Be conscious of what you eat, be thankful you have something to eat, be aware that not all of us multitudes of big apes have enough to eat because we are out of control!

Recently, an endangered Blue Whale was spotted off the coast of Mexico dragging large amounts of fishing net and a buoy. According to ABC news “the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a whale rescue expert responded to the distressed 75-foot mammal and attempted to remove the netting from around its fin.” These people do this on a regular basis and there is actually a phone number, (877) SOS-WHALE to report such incidences. People do care, they will respond to distress, no doubt and despite all the stupidity of our species, there is brilliance and caring and love all about us…

Be kind my friends, to yourselves and others on this melting planet. Live each day as best you can and try and make a difference and for pete’s sake, WAKE UP!

S.E.A. Lee
Friday, Sept. 11, 2015, 6:43 am
The day my Dad, a hunter, fisherman and horseman, Robert R. Ellison died in 2006… RIP Daddy.

[judih]

It seems mankind outgrew its sense of ecological balance along with its growth to how many billions we now number.
Fake food, fake platitudes, belief in pop nutrition and plastic decorated edibles have done their bit to obliterate general common sense.
Yes, I'm a vegan, for health reasons but I watch the "trendies" come and go.

but there's no need to elaborate, Soozen. You've done it beautifully.

[sooZen]

Yes, Yes, and Yes! Thanks dear judih... You always bring a smile.