The Truth

The Truth

Every one wants to know the truth, or at least that’s what we say.  But in reality we live in a world full of lies.  They surround us.  “From error to error, one discovers the entire truth," said famous psychologist Sigmund Freud.  We only find out about the truth on accident or from mistakes that lead us to them. For example, we can have an idea programmed in our mind, yet, all it takes is to read an article in a newspaper, or see a segment on the news that may contradict everything that we once believed in.

Growing up I never thought of how we got our food.  I didn’t know where a burger came from, or how hot dogs were truly made.  I just knew how savory and delicious they were when I would eat them. As I got older, I started to ask and wonder about things.  When I was 18, I went to my home country of Nicaragua and stayed with my Grandparent’s in the village of ( FILL IN BLANK).  I remember all of us sitting down at the dinner table as my Grandmother asked, “Would you like some chicken for dinner?” With all certainty, I responded, "Yes.”  I mean, who doesn't want a home-cooked meal prepared with love from Grandma?  I then heard my Grandma yell to my little cousin through the kitchen window, "We are having chicken tonight!”  I didn't think much of it until I noticed from the corner of my eye that my little cousin Lizet, was chasing down an innocent chicken with a cobble- stone. As the chicken ran in circles around Lizet, I turned very casually and asked my mom, “What is she doing?” My mother responded, "Killing the chicken for dinner.”  And that’s when it hit me. We have to kill animals in order to eat them. 

I was able to accept that, yet there are some people that cannot and in turn become vegetarians. I can respect that as well. I came to an understanding of where our food comes from and how it actually ends up on our table.  Did I really want to know the truth?  I think not.  I know the truth, but I chose to ignore what I stumbled upon while in Nicaragua. I think I choose not to face the truth; yet from time to time there is no way I can avoid it. Could this seem to be contradicting? Absolutely. But this is the only way I can have peace of mind. In some ways, we all do this.