(25 September 2023 Note: Oh, the irony of this post! I remember this so clearly and I understand what I was feeling now. I was so offended that how I was living might be wrong that I didn’t want to hear about it. I had no evidence behind the claims I made in this post. None. I just wanted them to be true in the way so many want them to be true. It’s interesting how much I have changed.)
So, I have been in Alaska for two weeks! Considering I have spent the past 4 days mostly sick in bed, I have not found a job yet. I did get the paper this morning and it should be helpful as I am starting to get over my cold.
I’ve also gone for a change of scenery. I loved staying with Peter Ann, despite not enjoying her house or location, but this new leg of my trip should prove just as wonderful. I am staying on a lake near Wasilla, AK with 2 cats, 2.5 dogs, and a woman who turned 86 yesterday. The whole lot of them are nice. The .5 dog is actually a neighbors dog who usually sleeps here. It all seems relatively normal. It is not!
I am staying with friends of my dad again, Delisa & Charlie. That wasn’t Delisa’s original first name and they both took a new last name. That is great, I think. In a way. I like the idea of creating an identity for a marriage — unifying yourselves with a common new name. Perhaps I would have placed my former last name in as a second middle and I would not have changed my first, but all the same it is sweet. That isn’t even weird.
What I have found weird is the almost militant veganism they subscribe to. It is somewhat subtle, but borders on bitter and nasty. I attended the first meeting (potluck) of the Alaska Vegetarian Society as a guest last night. In and of itself, the dinner was nice and the people were so friendly. It was one of the happiest places on Earth. But I found that an underlying theme in the evening was how wasteful the planet is and how cruel we are to the “very intelligent” livestock we eat on a regular basis. I absolutely appreciate the argument, but I don’t agree. Mind you, I fully support vegetarianism for its many benefits, but this type of over-the-top veganism doesn’t sit well with me.
And I have a new found dislike of PETA. I had never felt one way or another about them, but seeing the pamphlets they distribute made me cautious in listening to them. Not so much fact, as careful crafted sentiment designed to make you feel like a horrible person for having ever in your life considered eating chicken, turkey, eggs, and the like. It didn’t really work on me. And then to say that fish experience emotions like love and fear — that isn’t even based in reality. We have no proof that fish experience emotions at all. The moment I stopped being involved was when I was told that only 5% of our diet needs to be protein, all of which can come from plants. What we need is carbohydrates. Again, I appreciate the idea behind it, but I don’t necessarily agree. And neither do nutritionists around the world.
I think it was a valuable experience for me. I think I understand this way of thinking a little more clearly and know I want to basically stay away from it. As a friend recently said to me, Jesus ate fish, so that can’t be wrong.
Images: Ray Troll, “Rockfish”; vector image of polar bear
Featured Image Art: Norval Morrisseau, “Giant Moose”