In response to a recent observation by a member of Facebook that questioned our move towards anti-animal cruelty, human rights and environmentalism.
It is a sad truth, but the rules of the natural world, as they are, make it sometimes necessary to exploit nature and the animal kingdom (including other humans) for the greater good of all. Every single individual that has lived or will live on this planet has to utilize the environment for the greater good of themselves and of their communities. For thousands of years, animals were killed to provide food, clothing and shelter in times much harsher than those of our modern era, in industrialized nations with luxuries far beyond the expectations of our fore fathers and mothers.
In the 1960s, our society gained the ability to control life through means of the mass production of birth control, and inflict massive destruction through global thermonuclear war. In hindsight, the 1960s was a significant turning point in our technology. And it has taken almost half a century to understand the meaning and effects of this technological breakthrough on our respective societies. In short, we reached a critical tipping point in that decade. Conservation became a factor in the survival of mankind. As a culture we began to realize we were taking to much, and not giving enough back. Fifty years later, those ideas have become part of the mainstream.
My wife and I founded our company, Boojazz Studios, on the principal that we would make the world a better place with our services. Pure and simple. In recent days, we have become more active in our vocal protest against cruelty against animals and citizens of underdeveloped countries. It wasn't long before we were receiving emails stating that God gave man complete control of the animal kingdom. True, but I truly believe God did not intent us to cause the massive slaughter and sub sequential extinction of (according to studies) twenty thousand species to date. This has happened. We did this. We have already lost the voices of so many families in the animal kingdom, our children's lives will be the worse for it, which most likely cannot be replaced by future technological wonders. We also consider the ethical treatment of animals, people and the environment one in the same.
As our detractors are quick to point out, we probably have products in our home that have animal by-product in them. I will be the first to admit that is true. We do our best, and we are working hard to become ever more aware of our consumer-based decisions. And we also understand that sometimes, animals must be killed to fulfill the needs of society, and in our society it is nearly impossible to completely avoid the purchase of products that have not somehow harmed another life altogether. However, we are exhausting our natural resources, too much blood has been spilled by our hands, and we need to discover better ways to accomplish our business objectives before we run out of options. By definition, companies that jump on this bandwagon will succeed in creating self-sustaining companies and institutions that have the potential to last for hundreds of years. The close-minded businesses of yesteryear will tear themselves apart fighting for old ideals and values. Ask yourself, would the economy collapse if the Canadian seal hunt was banned? Probably not. And the seals would not have to suffer a horrific yearly holocaust. On the other side of the world, imagine if we could bring clean water and proper food to developing nations. They are the future customers of our products and services, and at this moment there are three billion citizens of the world ready and waiting to join the world economy. We can show them the way, and make their lives far better in the process. In short, we need to lose the mentality that "extremely low-paying sweatshop jobs are good enough for poor people that had little to begin with."
This is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Modern media feeds on polarization for ratings and revenue, and those in power find polarization a useful tool to keep those not in power at bay, fighting amongst themselves. All to often good ideas are quickly torn down by personalities with conflicting interests, eager to throw stones at wishful dreamers with good intentions. We have personally grown tired of high-ranking decision-makers using what we consider to be television "news" and social events to push their agenda which is very rarely in the best interest of the general public, even if it is touted to be the contrary. Unless the individual is highly enlightened, the interest of those in power is to retain that power. And this is nothing new, this kind of class struggle has occurred since the beginning of civilization. The methods of control have become more sophisticated with the exponential growth of society. We cannot expect everyone to stop familiar lifestyle choices overnight. It will take time, for all of us to adjust. What we want to accomplish, is simply a change in direction for the better of mankind, for business, and for future generations. Forget the archaic concept of left wing versus right wing. We only look forward and up.
Let us, the working class, push the agendas of those (that do not have our best interests) aside for the moment. Let us remove our minds from the clutter of propaganda, and ask ourselves, can we be doing what we are doing now even better? With the power of the Internet, we have the ability to control the supply and demand dynamic. Let us be more demanding. Let us be in control of our destiny, and let us take responsibility for our future generations. Our first step is to begin a program called "Real Guilt Free Shopping" for those businesses that work hard to eliminate products and services that harm the environment, harm animals and other human beings, and give hard earned dollars back to the community they conduct business in.
And always remember this, nobody is perfect, and I will be the first to admit that many mistakes will be made along the way. That is the price of pioneering, of heading into unknown waters. But nothing is more exciting that the spirit of the pioneer, and I invite you to come along on this exciting new journey. Ideas and constructive criticism are not only welcome, but encouraged.
Nay-sayers for the sake of being difficult never make history. You can be remembered for being extraordinary, or forgotten for being ordinary. Let us all become extraordinary together. It cannot hurt for all of us to become a little greener and cleaner. In the long run, it can only help.
Respectfully,
Michael Foster
Co-Founder of
Boojazz Studios & Foster's Cafe
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