Unintended Consequences

Every day, each of makes hundreds of choices. Some are small, as in ‘Am I going to eat an apple or an orange?’ while some are a tad bit bigger.

How often do you weigh both sides of a decision? What are the unintended consequences of your choices and actions?

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) both claim to be animal welfare groups. Despite how they present information, they would like to end production agriculture.

What would be the unintended consequences if we quit producing cattle for food?

First off, cattle would overpopulate the land very quickly and then begin to go hungry (which is a complete contradiction to the animal rights groups). Cow/calf operators manage their herd based on the amount of land and grass that is available.

What about all the byproducts that cattle provide?

“I ♥ beef cattle because they provide all of us (even vegans) with the essentials to a good life: nutrition, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, deodorant, crayons, stearic acid in my tires, printing ink, asphalt, candles, soaps, shaving cream, detergents, plastics, pet food, toothpaste, fabric softeners…and the list could go on. Beef by-products enable us to use 99% of every beef animal, everything except the moo!” says Amanda Nolz, editor of the Beef Daily Blog.

According to the Agriculture Awareness Coalition in Nebraska, from one cow hide 12 basketballs or 144 baseballs or 20 footballs or 18 volleyballs or 18 soccer balls or 12 baseball gloves can be made.

Let’s take away cattle and see where we are with alternatives to all of these items that would be ridiculously priced.
The Bible amazes me because it addresses every question that could arise.

In Genesis 3, Eve was temped by the serpent to eat from the tree that God has specifically told them not to eat from.
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

I’m sure Eve didn’t intend to cause the downfall of man, but it was a consequence of her decision. Think about the decisions you make. Examine them from different angles. Make good choices.

Happy Trails & God Bless! To contact Kristen with questions or comments, email her at kristen_odom@hotmail.com