the Power of We

October 15 was Blog Action Day, an annual worldwide event where bloggers write about a single topic. But since I had already prepared something special in honor of my son's birthday on the 15th, I am participating (late) in Blog Action Day today!

Themes in the past have included the environment, poverty and climate change. This year's Blog Action Day theme is the “Power of We,” which reminds me of a topic of great personal interest: our food choices, factory farming, how we eat, what we eat, and how we produce it.

See for example the powerful Q&A with Joel Salatin in the October issue of The Sun Magazine. Salatin, one of the best well-known farmers in the United States today, appeared in the documentary Food, Inc. and was featured in Michael Pollan’s 2006 best-selling book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”

“[Salatin] calls for revolutionary change in how we produce and distribute food, how we relate to nature, and, in some regards, how we organize society. He even questions our current understanding of what constitutes food.”

 Yet Salatin's successful and innovative agricultural practices challenge and provoke not only at a personal level—but also at a communal one. Listen to what he says here:

“Ultimately the question comes down to what is more efficacious in reining in the big guys: top-down regulations administered by bureaucrats who came directly from the industries they regulate, or bottom-up freedom? We have not tried the latter in a very long time. Our socialized culture has lost faith in individuals, in their neighbors, and in community self-governance.”

As Christians, of course, the true "Power of We" can never be solely activism based on personal fulfillment. The call of the Gospel is the base for our choices, defining and shaping how we act and how we treat ourselves, others, and the world around us. 

I challenge you to read the whole Salatin interview, or look up the documentary Food, Inc., or google this topic–just pick one specific area to reflect about, and decide how you can change and/or improve your personal food choices.

NOTE: unfortunately, the October issue of The Sun featured online does not provide the entire interview. But you can request online a copy of their print edition.