The passage by Goska hit me deeply, especially the line “The problem is not that we have so little power. The problem is that we don’t use the power that we have.” This is kinda bizarre, but this immediately made me think of my journey with my diet.
We as people are empowered in the decisions we make, and I think sometimes people forget that even in the mundane purchases of clothing, random goods, and FOOD, we are using our influence and power to put money into an industry or company. Ever since I learned of it at the age of 16, I’ve wanted to be vegan, and eat less animal products, due to the immense amount of cruelty and suffering animals go through in the factory farming process. There is also incredible benefits for the environment by choosing to lessen the meat/dairy industry.
I’ll admit, even though it’s 4 years later, my journey to reaching that diet/lifestyle hasn’t been easy. But these readings reminded me that we cannot rob ourselves of the power we do hold. Many of us have the ability to at least control what items we choose to purchase, how much waste we produce, etc., and even those choices can feel incredibly empowering. Overall, I just now feel even more excited to continue living my life according to my values, and making the decisions necessary to support those causes.