Why we “Pardon” a Turkey…

Why do we pardon a turkey in act of magnanimity and promptly proceed to cook another in the oven? We carve and consume the bird without a second thought ! Are we heartless? No, we’re conditioned.

The pardoning of the turkey is a classic moral dilemma for us to learn the layers and ability of the human mind to block out the truth. Instead of pardoning a turkey, we should be thanking and revering the animal being slaughtered to provide our meal.

On Thanksgiving, it may seem like all the focus is on getting a good meal. But that’s not the only reason why we celebrate this holiday: We also know about loved ones and what it means to be thankful for God’s gifts. This holiday has been around for many years, but it wasn’t always so commercialized. In fact, there are some parts of it that have become controversial as time passes by.

Pardoning the turkey is the ultimate case of human hypocrisy. We steal their lives and they die for our own consumption!

The turkey pardoning is a classic moral dilemma. The turkey has no choice, but the festival and the pardon are symbols of assuaging our guilt at eating it. This is another symbolic gesture that commodified an animal in the worst way possible. It involves not only carrying out the actual pardon, but also carrying out a mass slaughter of the same thing. This disconnect encourages systemic violence against animals.

Regardless of the crime you steal from nature, the pardoning of a turkey forces us to remember how we’ve been treating our animals. This tradition reminds us that when we put down an animal, it’s not like we’re just killing an innocent chicken or a cute lamb or whatever – it’s actually taking away life from something else! And as we all know, taking away life is taking away the one thing that would make this world better if everyone collectively were responsible for saving every living creature out there.

This is not an argument about traditional hunter gatherers or hunting communities. There was and still is not the ability to mass produce and kill animals. The hunt is fair and both prey and hunter are equally at risk.

In our industrialised food system, the animals and workers in these fast paced institutes are at risk. There is little respect or connection to the process and so it should make us think- what are we thankful for on Thanksgiving Day?

Every Thanksgiving, it’s a mad dash to the oven. But before you stuff the bird, stop and consider some common myths about turkey farming.

It’s an inefficient procedure that causes unnecessary suffering and death. However, the pardon is a way to pretend that you are doing something good for the animal in order not to make yourself feel guilt. It was also a popular method used by people to “hide the fact” that they were eating meat or other products that were considered as cruelty when compared with mammal-free alternatives.

As we are increasingly controlled by ‘influencers and marketing experts’ we’re loosing sight of what is real and what is contrived reality. Days like these are becoming harder to accept for so many thinking minds.

We’re thankful for the small things and big, but are we ever going to be thankful to know the truth? So we can change for the better?

Where is the Joy?

Joy eludes us. It eludes our hearts and to distract ourselves we seek it in things and actions. So we travel, read, marry, study, move all in the pursuit of joy.

Are we addicted to a public spectacle of the pursuit of joy? Or have we been seduced as a society to believe it is our life’s goal? What if, just what if, this elusive joy is a myth? And no one is really happy for the sake of being happy?

There is overwhelming attention to mindfulness and finding your place in the world. How can we achieve that with any sincerity if we’re busy chasing joy on our plates, in our jobs, for our families and communities, for our extended family and forget about it our hearts and actions.

Living your moments, capture moments of joy and consign them to memory. It may just become your eternal joyful place!

The world tells us to be joyful and mindful, that our life mantra’s should be to shine, be kind, and succeed. But at what? There is no path, no map and we seem to be meandering along paths leading to more uncertainty.

We’ve learned to put on a good theatre and stay on the move… but the curtains come down.

And what will do when they fall?

Illiteracy in Action

 “primum non nocere” “first, do no harm” these are the words a doctor in Jodhpur, a city in the state of Rajasthan, India, took on qualifying to practice medicine.
This is from all reports a renowned plastic surgeon. We’re shocked and horrified this helpless dog is mercilessly dragged through the streets. News reports state the doctor was annoyed by the dogs barking and planed to leave it at a municipal shelter.

Then why tie the dog to the car? Why not put it in the car? Or try and find a humane solution.

This is illiteracy in action. Degrees, certificates or qualifications do not define a person. Education is merely words on paper if we teach kindness and hand out

https://chng.it/S849n8Br

This person driving the car with this helpless animal dragged pledged his allegiance to the ideals and ‘rules’ of the Indian Medical Association.

The Indian Medical Association

Animals sent to slaughter suffer the indignity of confinement loosing their off spring beaten starved and then slaughtered- after watching their fellow beings killed.
If educators are serious about sending out well informed curious minds into the world it begins in schools at the earliest stages. Reinforced by homes. It involves difficult conversations and most of
all truths which adults refuse to acknowledge and this system of violence perpetuates.

A tragedy inevitably leads to dialogue as it should. “Now Is not the time “ has perpetuates more violence and tragedy. Do you think when we shield children from these incidents we do them a disservice ?

And we Shake our Heads…

“1/3 of Pakistan is underwater” which means one third of some 340,000 square miles is underwater. Approximately 200 million people live in Pakistan.

Is Pakistan a popular nation? Not really, it is based in the global south, a third world nation, neighbour to India, with whom it shares native soils. Politically Pakistan is on shaky ground, globally used as friend and foe – depending on the direction of political winds.

Lines on maps do not change geography, genetics or shared catastrophes. So is it a stretch to say what is happening in Pakistan is essentially happening in India? Much like the drought in Europe when the Rhine dries up in a human carved out nation of Germany- Spain, Portugal, France and other neighbours take careful notes.

Because political lines are for maps and politicians. Natural resources are for people and living. Amid all the political name calling and political struggles, the families affected are like yours and mine. These families are average people who go about their days carrying out such mundane tasks as attending school, going to work and shopping for groceries.

BBC News reports among the millions of displaced are of a 12 year girl in Pakistan caring for her baby sister.

Is climate change the only reason for the devastation to Pakistan, or the drought in Europe? No. It contributes greatly, has a significant role and impact and to ignore it is to be an ostrich. Human incompetence and greed feature prominently in climate catastrophes and disasters.

We watch in mute horror and shake our heads as we realised this little girl we just met, is trapped in this country turned ocean. She’s wading through flood waters, clutching her baby sister, we do not know if they are reunited with their family or ever will be.

But you see the Global south (it used to be the third world until political correctness came along) are hardy, after all they live in malaria riddled polluted dirty cities. Not entirely untrue, but why do they live as they do? Do they not have the will to lift themselves out of this miserable life?

They do, so does our little wonder woman who is carrying around her baby sister wading through flood waters. Lifting one’s self out of poverty, pain or illness has many common threads. It relies on perseverance, strength (of character and physical). But it undeniably relies on a helping hand.

Pakistan's devastating floods:

– 1350 people killed
– 50M people displaced
– 900K livestock deaths
– 1M houses washed away
– 40+ reservoirs breached
– 220+ bridges collapsed
– 90% cropped damaged
– $10B loss to economy
– 1/3 country underwater

Source – PDMA / NDMA

Originally tweeted by South Asia Index (@SouthAsiaIndex) on August 29, 2022.

And how do we know borders are really lines on maps? Parallel flooding and water disasters in Bengaluru, India, all in the same week.

Politicians and corporations debate and pledge to cut emissions in the meanwhile what happens to the children and soon your children?

All we can think about is a 12 year old child caring for her infant sister and we will never know if they survived.

Manners Matter

Manners matter they matter because without manners we end up with heartbreaking news. To christen an animal, enjoy it’s company, entertain yourself and then eliminate it because you have no manners or respect is the epitome of toddler behaviour.

She lost her home and then her life for no fault of her own
Source The Guardian

To parents, families, and teachers please use this tragic incident as a teachable moment. Help students and young learners understand respect for all life and the importance of boundaries.

Freya did not have to die. She is representative of the millions of species we are putting at risk, large and small, because we are an unteachable species. We can do better. We must for the next generation of species (human and animal) who will inherit the planet.