Temple Grandin

I just watched the movie Temple Grandin and felt compelled to share it with you. The movie stars Claire Danes, and follows the life of renowned animal welfare and autism activist Temple Grandin. Temple was born autistic and didn't speak until the age of four, however through the perseverance of her mother and several forward thinking teachers, she not only graduated from high school but went on to complete a Masters in Science, and a PhD. in Animal Science.

Early on in life, working on her aunts ranch, Temple took an interest to cattle. She felt that being a visual thinker (she sees things in pictures and connects them) and being able to relate to feeling anxious about her surroundings, fearful and stressed, gave her an unparalleled view into the minds of these animals. Which in turn motivated her to create humane livestock handling and slaughtering processes.

What's most interesting about this movie is that Temple never states that it is wrong or inhumane to slaughter cattle. In fact, she believes that nature is much worse to animals then we are, or should I say, then we have to be. Temple believes that if followed, her plans lead cattle, calmly to slaughter where they feel no stress, no anxiety, and no pain. This in turn saves us money, and prevents extra hormones like cortisol from entering the meat we eat.

For me, this movie was exhilarating in its proof that being a meat eater and an animal lover can be synonymous. "Animals are not Things," and even though we use them to fulfill  human purpose, we can treat them with the respect they deserve.  Furthermore, Temple acts as a constant reminder to us all, that "To be different, is not to be less."

Today, Temple is a professor at Colorado State University.



Click HERE to read a previous post of mine "The Omnivores Dilemma"
Click HERE for a Mega Video link to the movie Temple Grandin