Saying Grace

I'v never been big on saying grace before eating. As a kid my brother and sisters took turns saying it before eating. But I never got into the spirit. I had memorized words and recited them. But I didn't feel those words. As I grew older, I liked the idea of spending a moment in gratitude. But never got into a habit. In part, I didn't want the practice to become obvious to others. I didn't want to make a show of it.

But recently, I have begun to rethink all of this. Maybe it's time to make a show of expressing gratitude for the food in front of me.

Saturday night I saw the film, Food, Inc., a documentary on the food industry in the U.S. I knew I would be sympathetic to the premise of the film. I've been a vegetarian for 27 years in large part as a small, personal effort to reduce the suffering I impose on other sentient beings, including humans.

Most food in the United States is produced through industrial means that cause pain and suffering to animals, including humans. Industrial agriculture is based on the premise, acknowledged by some/denied by many, that animals, plants, the earth, and people are commodities to use in order to produce the largest amount for the biggest profit for the executives. Animals are raised in unhealthy conditions because it's cheap. Humans become expendable when the market dictates.

When I read this story about the town of Mendota in the central valley of California where unemployment has risen to 38%, I couldn't decide which was more gut-wrenching: the story itself, or the comments of people writing in. Few commenters seemed to express concern or care for the workers, many of whom came to the U.S. in order to work for wages below the federally set standard for minimum wage.

Immigrant laborers in the U.S. allow for the inexpensive food enjoyed by many Americans. But they're as disposable as the wrappers on a $1 burger.

The result: inhumanity toward all forms of life.

How we view the food in front of us says a great deal about how we view all that lives around us. Ultimately, in turn that reveals a great deal about our view of the Divine.

Do we eat with a sense of entitlement?
Do we eat with a sense of awareness?
Do we eat with a sense of humility and gratitude?

God help us.