Curse You, Chipotle

Or maybe bless you.  I'm not sure which.  Here's the story:

 I saw this ad the other night during the Grammys.  I love the song, I love the animation, and really, it's a good ad.

But I was incredibly upset about the farmer.  My grandparents are farmers out in the midwest, and actually, most of my dad's family is filled with farmers.  I hated seeing the little farm get swallowed up by the meat packing plant. 

And I hated what happened to the pigs.  Now, I'm not a vegetarian by any means.  In fact, I had a burger for dinner last night.  But that made me want to stop eating meat all together.  Or at least switiching to free range food.

(None of this made me want to eat Chipotle, by the way.)

It made me think about life.  The more I think about how things work in modern day American, the more upset it makes me.  Why?  Why are small businesses swallowed whole by the machine?  Why are animals treated so inhumanely, and the people who work and live here even worse?  Why does corporation seem to own everything?

The more you work, the harder it is to get ahead.  If it's the American dream to be able to come and start your own business and to own your own life, then why is it so hard to get started?  You have to have a ton of money for down payments.  You have to be able to pay the rent, the utilities, and the supplies.  And chances are, unless you're just really fortunate, you're probably going to go under by the cheaper, mega stores.

It's not fair.  Is there anything we can do?

I think so.  Maybe change starts inside each of us.  I've decided I want to start changing my life so that I can go and influence the world.  I'm trying to cut back on meat.  When I go shopping on my own, I'm going to look for locally raised animals and products.  I try to support local endeavors, like the local yarn shops and eateries.

And I'm going to simplify.  Clean out the clutter, cut back on what I need.  I'm already working on becoming self sufficient; I can knit clothing.  Maybe this spring I'll set up a small herb garden on my window sill. 

The more I find my inner self and my inner peace, the more I can act upon it.  The less I can rely on corporations, the better off I'll be.  And slowly but surely, a difference will be made.

Maybe that's why people get so hung up on religion.  They are trying to find their inner peace so they can make a difference and find contentment.  I think I understand now.  Or maybe I don't.  

The more I go through life, the more I realize that I really don't know squat about anything.  I can try to figure it out, but other than that, I don't think there truly are answers.

But maybe that's a blog for another time.

What do you think, dear readers?

~Meaghan