I am a recent import to Asheville and came here because I wanted to live in a small town that was progressive. My previous home was Denver, Colorado, and I’m originally from Wales. I must say that I am delighted with this area! The welcome my husband and I have received has been exceptional. I’m also impressed with the diversity and the free expression of enlightened, forward-thinking ideas, concepts and lifestyles. I’ve been reading the Xpress for several months, and I wanted to thank you for providing such a great platform for balanced intelligent discourse.
As a vegetarian, it is inspiring to read so many comments by compassionate and caring individuals. Through my dietary choices, I’ve found myself part of an unpopular and much feared minority group. It’s amazing how much opposition one can encounter through merely eliminating a food type. When asked why I choose my lifestyle, all I can tell people is that I try not to inflict harm on any living creature, but I usually like to stay silent on the matter. Most people close to me are, however, very accommodating and respectful of my choice.
But I do want to thank those who have the courage to speak out for their efforts in exposing the undeniable cruelty inflicted on sentient beings in factory farms and slaughterhouses. Gone are the days of small family farms where animals were allowed a natural existence and respected for the nourishment they provided. Now these poor creatures live out their miserable short lives in horrific conditions—talk about hell on earth. And they die an agonizing, terrifying death. They are just a commodity and a thing to be consumed on a mass scale. What happened to humanity for us to care so little? We can only imagine their fear and despair. Do we consume this fear and horror along with all the antibiotics and hormones when we ingest their flesh? Does this make us, as a society, more susceptible to “fear-factor” stories the media and politicians bombard us with daily? Is this idea far-fetched? Maybe. Maybe not. But it’s definitely food for thought.
Thank you, Asheville, for such a great welcome and for embracing diversity and all kinds of thoughts and ideas!
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