When I saw my dog at the pet store I knew right away that he was perfect. Taking him home, we did some research on pet stores and were shocked to hear about the conditions of the puppy mills that the dogs came from. While I cannot do anything about it now, I know for certain as a family we will never give in and support something so terrible again. One other example comes from foie gras. As a huge foodie I decided to try something that much of my immediate family said I should try. Not really thinking about what I put in my mouth, I later realized it was force fed goose liver and swore off it forever. To this day some restaurants make me feel sick thinking about the inhumane torture of the birds.
What makes these two examples significant to me is that both of them are effects of ignorance. The bad in both easily overlooked and many people "stay". While only a small victory I "walked away" and feel that much more informed. Until next week!
I really liked your examples and how you walked away from both of these 'suffering children.' However I wonder if any harder decisions you have made, because while swearing off from buying more dogs that come from puppy mills and not eating foie gras is definitely noble, it also seems like an easier decision than say, swearing off of all fast food burgers because of the terrible conditions of cows. Just something else, you could think about. Otherwise, nice blog post.
ReplyDeleteHi Jack,
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite thing about this post has to be its directness. Unlike many people when addressing the negative or shameful things in their lives, you addressed some of the problems you had with what you and your family purchase head on. I also like how you chose examples that were both impactful to you, and relatable for someone reading this blog for the first time. I would even like to see more exploration of other times you think you stayed or walked away from "Omelas". Great post!
-Jake