This might have been a subcategory of “Health” and the subject has come up indirectly under “Environment” (see the documentary “Eating Our Way to Extinction” on Netflix and other venues), but a recent article in “80000hours.org” reminded me of the scale of our cruelty to animals. Mahatma Gandhi once said: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”  Please allow yourself some time to read one of the best and most comprehensive articles I’ve encountered to date on this complex and troubling subject: https://80000hours.org/problem-profiles/factory-farming/

This article was published by Benjamin Hilton in July of 2024. The scope of it is remarkable. We DO have alternatives – even Burger King offers the “Impossible Burger” and it’s delicious. If the label on your meat products doesn’t have the “Certified Humane” label or otherwise indicate the animal was pasture raised, chances are it is Factory Farmed. That includes Costco, most meat in your supermarket, etc. Whole Foods is among the champions of ensuring the ethical handling and farming of animals.

Look, I enjoy a good steak every now and then, and our own Country Aire market here in Port Angeles, WA endeavors to provide organic foods and animal products that are more humanely raised. Enterprises like Oregon Meat Co sells beef that has been 100% grass fed and finished. And these are catching on, not only because people recognize the importance of treating animals ethically, but they taste better too!

Environmentally, we can do ourselves, the planet, and the animals a favor by going vegetarian. If that seems too radical or extreme, consider the https://reducitarian.org approach which posits the idea that ANY reduction in meat consumption is a win win win. They reject the premise that it’s all-in or forget it. As the documentary “Eating our Way to Extinction” reminds us, Agriculture and Factory Farming as practiced in the United States and elsewhere, is simply unsustainable. These animals ARE sentient and DO feel pain. This should be reason enough to rethink our diets even without considering Karma.