God's Plan Was Vegan

GENESIS 1:29  And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 

GENESIS 1:30  And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

May all beings be free.

Smart?

All sentient beings are smart. The reason we have trouble understanding this is because we assess "smart" in mostly human terms. That is NOT smart!

May all being be well and happy.

If You Love Animals...

May all beings be happy and free.

From The 15th Century

Saints I've seen both ways.

Hindus and Muslims don't want discipline, they want tasty food.

The Hindu keeps the eleventh-day fast, eating chestnuts and milk.

He curbs his grain but not his brain, and breaks his fast with meat.

The Turk [Muslim] prays daily, fasts once a year, and crows "God!, God!" like a cock.

What heaven is reserved for people who kill chickens in the dark?

Instead of kindness and compassion, they've cast out all desire.

One kills with a chop, one lets the blood drop, in both houses burns the same fire.

Turks and Hindus have one way, the guru's made it clear.

Don't say Ram, don't say Khuda [Allah], so says Kabir.


— Kabir, Shabda 10, Translated by Linda Hess and Shukdeo Singh

May all beings be happy and free.

Humanity

The full potential of our humanity will not be revealed until we care for ALL living beings, not only humans.

May all beings be well and happy.

Mixed News for Elephants

Meanwhile, the Trump administration reversed the US ban. Learn more here...

May all beings be happy and free.

Rise of Veganism

Here's a great article about Veganism today. I hope you'll read it. Here are some highlights from:

The unstoppable rise of veganism: how a fringe movement went mainstream

“In 30 years or so, I believe we will be shocked [that] we killed animals en masse for food.” 

If this is the year of mainstream veganism, as every trend forecaster and market analyst seems to agree, then there is not one single cause, but a perfect plant-based storm of factors. People cite one or more of three key motives for going vegan – animal welfare, environmental concerns and personal health.

A common trope among recent converts is that the revelations about the brutality of the meat, dairy and egg industries were hidden from view... Justice is no longer a dirty word, people can have a conversation about justice for the 70bn animals killed for food, without being shot down and screamed at as a radical extremist...

Now that it’s revealed, people just don’t want to be a part of that horrific industry. It’s like a weight off their shoulders; getting clean of the lies and the destruction.

Of course, the vegan movement already existed, but Cowspiracy’s success reflects a new emphasis on animal agriculture, in particular cattle farming, in the context of the deepening climate crisis. Critical in this refocusing from animal welfare as the primary motive for veganism was a 2006 report produced by the UN, Livestock’s Long Shadow, which described the livestock sector as one of the most significant contributors to environmental degradation, both globally and locally. 

A follow-up UN report in 2010 warned that rising meat and dairy consumption, and a global population predicted to be 9.1 billion by 2050, meant a shift towards veganism was vital to save the world from climate catastrophe and food shortages. Overall, agriculture accounts for 70% of global freshwater consumption, 38% of total land use and 19% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions; within this, the footprint of meat and dairy production is heavily disproportionate.

Read the full article: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/apr/01/vegans-are-coming-millennials-health-climate-change-animal-welfare

May all beings be happy and well.

BIOVINITY: Universal Responsibility

May all beings be well and happy!

Sudan, The Last Male White Rhino

We are witness to the alarming rate of extinction of animals on Earth. Unlike past mass extinctions - we have a firsthand, front row seat to this one.

Today's grim news is that Sudan, the last male white rhinoceros, has died, leaving only two females - and the hopes of successful artificial insemination - to save this unique subspecies.

Here's the sad story on the BBC: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43468066

The dangers that animals face now are daunting. How many people will awaken to this unfolding tragedy? How many voices will speak out above the din of humans' running roughshod over our planet and her creatures? And, maybe most importantly, how many more whole species will we lose before we recognize that our fate is inextricably joined with theirs?

May we see what is happening and care enough to do something that will stop this madness.

For as long as there are beings....

May all beings be well and happy.

Wild Earth Takes Animals Out Of Pet Foods!

Great news!

California-based biotechnology company Wild Earth plans to become the first company to offer “cultured” (known as “clean” or “lab-grown”) protein for cats and dogs. The company’s flagship product will be made with Koji (a fungus) that is cultured in a lab-setting, mitigating the risk of chemical contaminants in companion animal food.

Read more here: http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=10973&catId=1

May all beings be happy and well!

Bring It On Down To Veganville!

Vegans now have a whole neighborhood in Toronto. Yay Canada! Check it out:

https://www.blogto.com/eat_drink/2018/03/vegans-have-their-own-neighbourhood-toronto-now

This reminds me of a really funny video from SNL's 2013 season, starring Justin Timberlake: http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/veganville/n35373

And, one more: Visit the Vegan Society for the history of Veganism and so many great resources: https://www.vegansociety.com/

May all beings be happy and free!

World Animal Protection Index

This excellent resource ranks nations by the extent of protections they afford for animals based on factors like recognition of their emotional sentience and intelligence.

"The Animal Protection Index establishes a classification of 50 countries around the world according to their commitments to protect animals and improve animal welfare in policy and legislation."

https://api.worldanimalprotection.org/

May all beings be well and happy.

May All Beings....

#NeverAgain

I want to post the briefest response to the many tragedies resulting from gun violence in our society:

In part, the problem is that our fear and greed allows us also to do that kind of heinous act to millions of animals and other beings every day. Until we stop that, we are unlikely to address the rest. What we need is a thorough examination of our hearts to learn what we really need and what we really don’t need. Then, with the courage of love, we can let go of what we don’t need.

May all beings be happy.

Addendum/update, March 26, 2018:

“Until we extend our circle of compassion to all living things, humanity will not find peace.” –Albert Schweitzer

Hurray for Switzerland!

Read about Switzerland being the first to make illegal the boiling of live lobsters and other strong protections for animals and pets:

http://www.king5.com/mobile/article/news/nation-world/in-a-world-first-switzerland-deems-it-illegal-to-boil-a-lobster/507-520022212

Animal rights activists applaud the new lobster law and call for more action.

“While this may end one of the cruelest methods of killing these fascinating beings in Switzerland, there are no laws protecting them from being boiled alive in other countries — including the U.S.,” People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said on its website.

Thank you, Switzerland!

Now, let's keep moving forward toward the goal that ALL beings may be happy and well cared for.

How We Talk About Food

The way we refer to food and to what we eat can add confusion and perpetuate unconscious denial of the suffering our choices can create.

I want to begin the practice - because it will take time to overcome long-enculturated habits - of referring to "meat" items by the names of the animals, rather than the odd euphemisms we have become accustomed to.

"Steak" is a cow. "Bacon" is a pig. "Veal," a young lamb.* Though I understand the references and etymologies here, chickens don't have "fingers" and buffalos don't have wings. "Hamburgers" are cows and do not (at least, most hope!) contain any pigs (aka "ham").

For some reason, most feel ok calling a meal of fish "fish," and commonly "chicken" and "turkey" is how we refer to those birds, though my sense is that more people would feel a need to reckon with their food choices if they used the proper animal names of the mammals cows, pigs, and sheep.

We don't like eating horses, and maybe we would be less inclined to eat cows and pigs if we called them by name.

Similarly, I feel increasingly concerned about the terms "Vegan" and "plant-based." I want to begin to more accurately describe my ethics-based choice of foods as "Non Animal."

Perhaps if we begin calling things what they are, we will bring more light to the shadowy areas of our mostly unconscious and vastly unethical relationships with our sister and brother animals.

May all beings be happy and well.

___

* Thank you, Lisa, for your correction in the comments section that "veal" refers to cows.

Vegan Publishers

A great resource for readers and writers! https://veganpublishers.com/

Thanks, Vegan Publishers!

May all beings be happy and well.

A Persian Song: The Hunt...

...by Niyaz:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kII5nCc9W28

Let's go to the field.
Which field?
The same that has rabbits, oh yes.
And my dog has a rope on its foot, oh yes.
Don't kill my dog nor my rabbits,
For the dream of the rabbit reminds me of the dream of my lover, oh yes.

Let's go to the mountain.
Which mountain?
The same that has deer, oh yes.
And my dog has a rope on its foot, oh yes.
Don't kill my dog, nor my rabbit, nor my deer,
For the grace of my deer reminds me of the grace of my lover, oh yes.

Let's go to the garden.
Which garden?
The same that has pheasants, oh yes.
And my dog has a rope on its foot, oh yes.
Don't kill my dog, nor my rabbit, nor my deer, nor my pheasants,
For the amble of the pheasant reminds me of the amble of my lover, oh yes.

May all beings be happy and free!

When We Go To The Movies

When we go to the movies, we feel relieved to see the Humane Society certification at the end of the credits that guarantees that "no animals were harmed during the making of this film," and we feel grateful that modern technologies such as CGI reduce the need for the use of potentially mistreated animals in the movies we enjoy.

And yet, when we go have a meal before or after, many of the same people who care so much about animals do not seem to mind the inescapable reality that many animals (at least one, in the case of any non-plant-based meal) were certainly harmed in the process of bringing that meal to you. Typically, those animals were badly treated while they lived, as well.

I can't help but wonder why we care about one scenario, but not the other, and I hope this makes you wonder, too.

May all beings be well and happy, free of suffering and the causes of suffering.

May All Beings....

May all beings (that I prefer) be well and happy (and the rest of them, go to hell).

This is NOT how the prayer goes and does NOT represent its intention or purpose.

Ask yourself, do you mean ALL beings, or just people? Animals, too...but not ALL animals (like the ones you eat)? Cats, dogs, horses...how about cows, chickens and pigs?

How about spiders and insects? 

If we make this prayer, let's make it REAL:

lokaaha samastaaha sukhino bhavantu

May all beings everywhere (without exception) be happy and well!