Reading, It's Good For The Mind!

“There is no friend as loyal as a book.”  – Ernest Hemingway

When I was young, my mother would always make sure I read books. She didn't really care what books, but just read them. I never really understood why, and I grew to kind of resent reading books. Now that I have grown up some, and I've had some real-world experiences, I know the importance of reading. I read books, papers, magazines, commentaries and blogs. These things have helped me keep my mind sharp.

Now I enjoy having time to read after a busy day or even on a lazy day (college seniors tend to have lots of those). I enjoy learning about the world around me and I find it interesting (and sometimes frustrating) to see how people think differently. This summer while I was on my internship at Fair Oaks Farms, I was asked to take some time to read A Rat Is A Pig Is A Dog Is A Boy and then have some time in reflection with my boss. I thought he was crazy, but once I read throughout he book, I realized that the reflection time was every bit as important as the book itself.  My boss said, "the more you read, the more you understand about the world; and the more you understand, the greater chance you have at making an impact."

That has stuck with me since last summer, and I have read more in the past six months than I had in the previous three years of my college career (outside of textbooks…of course). Having friends who enjoy reading and discussing these things really makes it more fun and interesting for me to read. I never thought I would participate in a "book club" of any kind, but I sure am glad I have made a commitment to read more, ask more questions, discuss more with others, and hopefully make an impact somewhere in the world.

If you're curious what I've been reading, feel free to jump over to my bookshelf tab to see what's on my shelf!

“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines what you will be when you can’t help it.” — Oscar Wilde

It's Not Science, Must Be Something More

Recently I was shown an article that profiles my friend and colleague as an "animal exploitation expert" and someone who cares not about animals, but about making money, no matter what the cost. The group that is accusing him, and everyone who works at Fair Oaks Farms and The Pig Adventure, is a radical vegan group known as Free From Harm.

Anti-ag groups like this one are waging an issue of morality against the animal agriculture industry and we have repeatedly defended ourselves with scientific based arguments. This is a problem because we can not use science to say that a moral issue has been satisfied. They claim that moral relativism does not justify the action of farmers, and that there is no such thing as human exceptionalism.

I am an evangelical christian, I worship God because I believe that sent his son Jesus to the world to die for our sins. I also believe that creation was part of His glorious and masterful plan.

I believe that man was put on the earth to serve a purpose, to live in God's light. According to the book of Genesis, before sin entered the world, God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." 

This simple charge from God has given me a purpose. As a God-fearing christian, it is my responsibility to care for the world to the best of my ability so that God's plan can be done. All of this that you read is part of my worldview and it is simply a backdrop for what I am about to say.

In order to believe that you have a calling or a duty or a purpose on this earth, than you must believe that earth was part of an immaculate plan for a greater reason. My belief, as outlined above, is that the human race is exceptional to all other beings and in being so, we have the moral duty to serve our purpose as caretakers with "dominion over all the earth."

This anthropocentrism is what gives me the calling as a farmer to care for the environment, livestock, crops and all that I control, in a way that promotes the glory of God. I believe that I have a moral responsibility to help feed the world and provide nutrient to the land.

I believe that much of the worldview surrounding radical animal & environmental rights and also anti bio-tech groups doesn't have much holding in belief of a God, a purpose, or a greater calling.

 Author Wesley J. Smith writes about these and many other issues revolving around the the human cost of the animal rights movement in his book "A Rat is a Pig is a Dog is a Boy" This book helps to outline the differences in animal rights and animal welfare, morality issues, and ruthless campaigns from anti animal ag groups. I suggest that anyone who reads this picks up a copy, it will greatly help you understand why people think the way they do about animal ag, and not on a scientific level, but as a moral issue.