Resolved

I don't routinely make resolutions for New Year's. Sometimes I do, mostly I don't. This year, it seemed like a convenient time to make a change.

It is this: in the next year, I intend not to eat meat that I don't feel good about.

Philosophically, I've been against industrialized meat production for several years now. From the treatment of the animals to the healthfulness of the meat itself to the environmental costs of the methods of agriculture that I'm calling "industrial," there are a lot of things not to like. I've long believed that the facts of industrial meat production are not necessarily an argument for vegetarianism, because there are alternative agricultural methods that give the animals a better quality of life, that produce healthier meats for us, and that can be a benefit to the environment rather than a detriment.

And while we've supported just such a farmer, buying beef and chicken ever since we arrived in Indiana, I've also continued sending my dollars to the meat industry by buying meat at grocers that comes from I know not where, by eating meat from fast food restaurants (and slower restaurants, too), etc.

So, as I said, my intention is to eat only meats that I can believe in. This is, admittedly, only a step in what I believe to be the right direction. It's not going to solve the world's problems, it's not going to make me the healthiest guy in the world, and it's not even going to get me into full compliance with what I should be doing.

But it's a start.