laramie

This was my comment in a thread on the NaturalLiving community, talking about a vegetarian issue:

I'm not currently a vegetarian. I occasionally eat red meat, and more often eat fish or fowl. I've come to terms with my own conflicting feelings about eating animals. For me, it's a matter of trust. If I've won the trust of an animal and formed a relationship based on that (as with pets) I'm not going to betray that to eat the creature that's given me its trust. So, I wouldn't kill my cat for food - he's a member of the family.

On the other hand, in this world every creature eventually dies and is consumed in one way or another. A lot of animals that are raised for food would never have lived if they weren't bred for that. I prefer to get organically and humanely raised poultry or fish when I buy meat, but I don't put anyone on the spot if they're serving something different and I'm a guest at their table.

8,130 / 75,000 (10.8%)

Virtuously busy, but not much to speak of today: yoga, writing, research, typing, music practice, reading and some idle computer gaming.

Recent Reading:
Jennifer Scales and the Ancient Furnace,
Jennifer Scales and the Messenger of Light
Under Cover, all three by Mary Janice Davidson
Girl Genius (vol4 & vol5)

Today on Oprah they featured these people who are promoting the use of rubber bands on the wrist to remind people not to complain so much. Every time you notice yourself complain you're supposed to move the rubber band to the other wrist. The goal is to go without moving it for 21 straight days. This is done with the intention that changing the focus of one's awarenes changes ones experience of the world.

I have mixed reactions to this.

Yes; I can see how one's entire experience of the world could get wound up in complaints while all kinds of positive experiences are overlooked. But on the other hand: aren't there some things that should be complained about, because doing so will lead to change? The whole practice seems askew to me, itself putting attention on complaints it aims to downplay. Maybe it would be better to focus on some method of reinforcing a practice of noticing and appreciating the blessings in our lives.