Session C.4
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Dianne Waltner lives in Wichita, Kansas. She grew up on a farm outside the small town of Moundridge, about 50 miles from Wichita. Her father owned a hatchery, and this is her story:
"As a child, I spent many hours at the hatchery, playing with the baby chickens and turkeys before they were taken away. As a teenager, I began working there, doing and seeing things I really didn’t like to do or see, but felt were necessary. Things like cutting off their toes, their beaks, their wings, and their combs or snoods. I believed that humans needed to eat meat and these procedures were unfortunate but had to be done. So I tried not to think about it, and also told myself that chickens and turkeys really didn’t feel pain like we do.
"However, I always felt a kinship with animals, with horses having a special place in my heart. When I was a teenager, I read the book America’s Last Wild Horses by Hope Ryden and was shocked to hear that wild horses were being rounded up, sent to slaughter, and shipped to France as horsemeat. Upon expressing outrage at this, my dad asked me a question which haunted me for years - 'What’s the difference between eating a horse and eating a cow?'
"Several years later I met some vegetarians who encouraged me to read the book Diet for a New America. They also showed the movie The Animals Film which documented what happens to animals used for food, fur, research, and entertainment. I finally began to see animals (even chickens and turkeys) as thinking, feeling beings like the dogs and cats we had. Between my dad’s question, the book, and the movie, I decided that I had to become a vegetarian myself.
"Considering my background, it was a very difficult decision. Mom and Dad were very good people and I loved them dearly. I never wanted to hurt them, but it was just too painful for me to continue to eat animals. This was over 25 years ago, and there weren’t as many vegetarian options then. Mom was very understanding and always fixed food for me. She often commented that she could easily be vegetarian herself. Even Dad seemed to accept it although I’m not sure he really understood or agreed with my reasoning.
"Years later, after seeing more video footage and doing more reading, I decided that I could no longer, in good conscience, eat any animal products (including my beloved cheese) and became vegan.
"I joined the 1st UU Church in Wichita, largely because of the 7th principle, respect for the interdependent web. We started a monthly vegan potluck, as a result of the Ethical Eating Study and Action issue. It began as a very small group, with a handful of 4 or 5 regulars, including some from our local vegetarian meetup group. After a couple of years, we were averaging 12 or so, filling up the tables in the library. But things really took off in 2013 when we began averaging 35-40. Even in February, with temperatures of 15 degrees and snow-packed roads, we had almost 35."
Update: Waltner has since found a new spiritual home at Unity Church of Wichita, where she has continued hosting vegan potlucks and other ethical eating education.
We'll notify you as soon as Course C is ready— click here to submit your request.
Dianne Waltner lives in Wichita, Kansas. She grew up on a farm outside the small town of Moundridge, about 50 miles from Wichita. Her father owned a hatchery, and this is her story:
"As a child, I spent many hours at the hatchery, playing with the baby chickens and turkeys before they were taken away. As a teenager, I began working there, doing and seeing things I really didn’t like to do or see, but felt were necessary. Things like cutting off their toes, their beaks, their wings, and their combs or snoods. I believed that humans needed to eat meat and these procedures were unfortunate but had to be done. So I tried not to think about it, and also told myself that chickens and turkeys really didn’t feel pain like we do.
"However, I always felt a kinship with animals, with horses having a special place in my heart. When I was a teenager, I read the book America’s Last Wild Horses by Hope Ryden and was shocked to hear that wild horses were being rounded up, sent to slaughter, and shipped to France as horsemeat. Upon expressing outrage at this, my dad asked me a question which haunted me for years - 'What’s the difference between eating a horse and eating a cow?'
"Several years later I met some vegetarians who encouraged me to read the book Diet for a New America. They also showed the movie The Animals Film which documented what happens to animals used for food, fur, research, and entertainment. I finally began to see animals (even chickens and turkeys) as thinking, feeling beings like the dogs and cats we had. Between my dad’s question, the book, and the movie, I decided that I had to become a vegetarian myself.
"Considering my background, it was a very difficult decision. Mom and Dad were very good people and I loved them dearly. I never wanted to hurt them, but it was just too painful for me to continue to eat animals. This was over 25 years ago, and there weren’t as many vegetarian options then. Mom was very understanding and always fixed food for me. She often commented that she could easily be vegetarian herself. Even Dad seemed to accept it although I’m not sure he really understood or agreed with my reasoning.
"Years later, after seeing more video footage and doing more reading, I decided that I could no longer, in good conscience, eat any animal products (including my beloved cheese) and became vegan.
"I joined the 1st UU Church in Wichita, largely because of the 7th principle, respect for the interdependent web. We started a monthly vegan potluck, as a result of the Ethical Eating Study and Action issue. It began as a very small group, with a handful of 4 or 5 regulars, including some from our local vegetarian meetup group. After a couple of years, we were averaging 12 or so, filling up the tables in the library. But things really took off in 2013 when we began averaging 35-40. Even in February, with temperatures of 15 degrees and snow-packed roads, we had almost 35."
Update: Waltner has since found a new spiritual home at Unity Church of Wichita, where she has continued hosting vegan potlucks and other ethical eating education.
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