DON ROBERTSON WPD
A true Earth Guardian Angel Wayshower
Many of us like the idea of going vegetarian or vegan but think of it primarily in terms of giving something up. If we will take time to explore the subject more thoroughly and meet with others who are moving in that direction, I think we will begin to see how very much there is to gain. Shifting to a plant-based diet has brought me wonderfully improved health and vitality, but more importantly, it's brought me more peace and spiritual fulfillment than any other action I can recall.
"Although we think we are and we act as if we are, human beings are not natural carnivores. When we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us, because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores."
- Dr. William C. Roberts - editor of American Journal of Cardiology
- Dr. William C. Roberts - editor of American Journal of Cardiology
"I don't understand why asking people to eat a well-balanced vegetarian diet is considered drastic, while it's medically conservative to cut people open and put them on powerful cholesterol lowering drugs for the rest of their lives."
- Dean Ornish, MD - Clinical studies of Dr. Ornish have repeatedly shown that most patients who followed standard medical advice for coronary artery blockages got worse, while those who adoped a total vegetarian diet coupled with lifestyle changes showed improvement, including reversal of blocked arteries.
- Dean Ornish, MD - Clinical studies of Dr. Ornish have repeatedly shown that most patients who followed standard medical advice for coronary artery blockages got worse, while those who adoped a total vegetarian diet coupled with lifestyle changes showed improvement, including reversal of blocked arteries.
There is still strong in our society the belief that animals and the natural world have value only insofar as they can be converted into revenue. That nature is a commodity. And that the American dream is one of unlimited consumption. There are many of us, on the other hand, who believe that animals and the natural world have value by virtue of being alive. That nature is a community to which we belong and to which we owe our lives. And that the deepest American dream is one of unlimited compassion.
- John Robbins - from Food Revolution
- John Robbins - from Food Revolution
There are many wonderful animals on this planet... close relatives of ours. We have the opportunity to befriend them... learn from them... to coexist and celebrate the joys of life with them. But what do we do? We kill them and eat them. We experiment on them. We take their furs and skins and and turn them into clothing. And we make a game of hunting and shooting them. It's a very one-sided relationship, isn't it...
PEACE = Practice Envisioning Abundance… Connection… Equality...
Did you know that the American public is now overwhelmingly in favor of increased humane protections for "livestock" animals... But the trend among state legislatures in the US, since the 1990s, has been in the opposite direction. Half of the states have enacted laws declaring that if a farming practice is established as “accepted,” “common,” “customary,” or “normal” - no matter how inhumane - anticruelty protections are overridden. The simplist and surest way to reduce this suffering and injustice is to stop eating animal products.
Did you know that leather is the skin that was taken from an animal... The softer the skin, the younger was the animal from whom it was stripped. The calfskin that is used for car seats and sofas comes from the unwanted offspring of dairy cows. Leather purchases greatly enhance the profits of industries that trade in violence and death.
"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing."
- Muhammad Ali –
- Muhammad Ali –
Did you know that the China Health Study, the most comprehensive investigation ever completed on the relationship between diet and disease, shows a link between the consumption of surprisingly small amounts of animal protein and chronic disease... The results from this huge epidemiological study are especially compelling because participants were genetically similar, but the diets and disease rates varied significantly with respect to location. http://www.tcolincampbell.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study_(book)
Get out of an abusive relationship... Stop eating animal products.
Did you know that consumer demand for fish has brought 29% of fish species to utter collapse... We have entered an unprecedented phase of extinction. It's true that occasional fish consumption can provide us with important essential fats, but plant-based omega-3 fat sources, such as ground flax seeds, chia and hemp seeds, walnuts, and dark green leafy vegetables, can give us the same benefits without the dangers of mercury and other highly toxic contaminents.
Did you know that early sexual maturity in girls significantly increases their risk for developing breast cancer... Recent studies have shown the consumption of animal proteins to be strongly linked to such early development. Dairy products, which now contain higher levels of estrogens and other hormones than ever before (because they come from pregnant cows) are likely a key factor in this trend toward premature development. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rtnm4tw6buU /
My friend Barbara Thompson writes:
"On Monday, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of "Eat to Live" will be on the Dr. Oz Show, discussing the principles of the nutrient-rich, vegan, ETL plan. He will have with him numerous people who have had great results, losing weight, curing diabetes and heart disease, and auto-immune disorders. I have been following Dr Fuhrman, nutrient-rich lifestyle for nearly two years now and have been able to lose weight, normalize my blood-pressure and calm my allergies. And, we used the plan to heal my husband’s psoriasis. Please check out Dr. Fuhrman on, The Dr Oz Show if you can, and also check out his book. It is the best way to eat vegan."
"On Monday, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, author of "Eat to Live" will be on the Dr. Oz Show, discussing the principles of the nutrient-rich, vegan, ETL plan. He will have with him numerous people who have had great results, losing weight, curing diabetes and heart disease, and auto-immune disorders. I have been following Dr Fuhrman, nutrient-rich lifestyle for nearly two years now and have been able to lose weight, normalize my blood-pressure and calm my allergies. And, we used the plan to heal my husband’s psoriasis. Please check out Dr. Fuhrman on, The Dr Oz Show if you can, and also check out his book. It is the best way to eat vegan."
The Eat To Live 2011 revised edition includes updated scientific research supporting Dr. Fuhrman's ...
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PEACE = Please Embrace Animals as Citizens of Earth
Jane Plant, PhD, one of Britain's most eminant scientists, developed breast cancer and was given less than three months to live. Her investigative skills led her to a course of treatment combining traditional medicine with diet. Jane recovered and has used her discoveries to help more than sixty other women successfully deal with breast cancer. Jane's book "Your Life in Your Hands" presents compelling evidence suggesting that consumption of dairy products may cause breast cancer. It includes recipes and suggests specific daily changes women can make to help prevent and treat breast cancer. http://us.macmillan.com/yourlifeinyourhands/JanePlant
Those who have lived with a dog or cat know that our animal friends have intelligence and feelings and personal preferences. But since we are less familiar with farmed animals, we may tend to assume that feelings and personality and preferences have somehow been bred out of them. So it's helpful to visit farm sanctuaries and begin to appreciate how much we have in common with persons of other species. And that may lead us to question the assumption of human superiority and our supposed right to enslave and exploit animals purely for our own purposes and comforts.
In my view, we purchase stolen goods when we buy meat, dairy products, and eggs. We have no more right to own, eat, or use the bodies and secretions of animals than we do those of human beings. The notion that humans are at the top of the food chain is utter nonsense. World renowned anthropologist Dr. Richard Leakey has pointed out that the human body is poorly adapted to eating meat. He regards modern man, our ancient ancestors, and our closest living primate relatives, all, as herbivores. All of our required nutrients are available from plant sources, and there are millions of people, called vegans, whose lives testify to the fact that we don't need to consume animal products in order to survive or thrive.
"Only if we twist God's word to rationalize our addiction to cruel animal products could we fool ourselves...into believing that God doesn't care if we are violent or peaceful, or if we intentionally cause harm or try to avoid it. To consume animal products in order to survive is one thing. To engage in entirely avoidable meanness, in order to satisfy an indulgence, is quite another and violates the very essence of God's calls to be merciful and peaceful." - Gary Loewenthal -
If there are such things as "forbidden fruit" and "original sin", the taking of others' lives in order to feast on their dead flesh would seem to fit that description far better than the image of someone eating an apple, an act that deprives no one of life or liberty. The "original sin" is usurping the role of God and claiming for ourselves the powers over life and death.
If there are such things as "forbidden fruit" and "original sin", the taking of others' lives in order to feast on their dead flesh would seem to fit that description far better than the image of someone eating an apple, an act that deprives no one of life or liberty. The "original sin" is usurping the role of God and claiming for ourselves the powers over life and death.
“At the moment our human world is based on the suffering and destruction of millions of non-humans. To perceive this and to do something to change it in personal and public ways is to undergo a change of perception akin to a religious conversion. Nothing can ever be seen in quite the same way again because once you have admitted the terror and pain of other species you will, unless you resist conversion, be always aware of the endless permutations of suffering that support our society." - Arthur Conan Doyle -
"If we want others to be compassionate to all beings, we need to start by being compassionate to those we do not fully understand. No one may demand others take the same journey they are on, nor on their timeframe. We all carry different experiences. Share your story, let others decide what to do with it, and move on. Getting angry and disconnecting from others just adds to the angry disconnect already in the world." - Barbara DeGrande –
Did you inow that animal agriculture is a terribly inefficient and destructive way to produce food... When we use grains, corn, and beans to feed animals for human consumption, we wind up with products that give us only a small fraction of the calories in those feed grains that we started with. Animal agriculture now utilizes 80% of US farmlands to produce the meat, dairy, and eggs that provide only 30% of our food. Our taste for meat and other animal products diverts and wastes valuable resources that could be used to alleviate hunger.
PEACE = People Evolving... Acknowledging Connectedness with Everyone...
Did you know that meat production is the the top cause of global deforestation, including the burning of our rain forests in order to grow feed for livestock..
"Because one species is more clever than another, does it give it the right to imprison or torture the less clever species? Does one exceptionally clever individual have a right to exploit the less clever individuals of his own species? To say that he does is to say with the Fascists that the strong have a right to abuse and exploit the weak - might is right, and the strong and ruthless shall inherit the earth."
- Richard Ryder –
- Richard Ryder –
PEACE = Practice Envisioning an Age of Compassion & Empathy
PEACE = Plant Eaters Advancing Civility on Earth
PEACE = People Everywhere Advancing Compassionate Evolution
VEGAN = Vegetation Eaters Glow with Abounding Nourishment
PEACE = Precipitating the Emancipation of Animals... Cages Emptied...
I wonder if people think that the animals we eat are somehow less fully alive than humans... less capable of suffering from confinement and deprivation and lack of stimulation... or that they care less than we do about being separated from their families and friends, or about having their lives cut short just because someone has developed a taste for their flesh. Perhaps those who haven't given this subject much thought will do so now...
VEGAN = -Vegetation Eaters Graciously Advocating for Nonhumans
PEACE = Positive Energetic Advocacy for Coexistence on Earth
We all share the dream of Peace on Earth. Yet we often overlook one of the most pervasive forms of violence in our lives: tremendous violence against animals, against people, and against the Earth is generated by killing so many animals for food. We have institutionalized this violence, forcing people from birth into the practice of eating the flesh, milk, and eggs of animals, and teaching them that it's normal, natural, and necessary to do so. This mindset requires us to ignore our intuitive wisdom, our feelings, and our sense of connectedness with the earth and those with whom we share it.
Our wonderful animal friends sharing the love... The diversity of wildlife on this planet is breathtaking. But today these wonderful beings are threatened as never before by human activity. We've been claiming more and more land for ourselves. We're clearing lands, cutting down trees, and burning rain forests at a record rate... largely in order to plant more grasses and corn and beans to feed "livestock" animals.
More and more people around the world want to eat like Americans... want to eat animals and animal products. So we are shipping more and more grains overseas in order to feed animals who consume twelve pounds of plant produce in order to produce one pound of meat. Animal agriculture is terribly inefficient, destructive, and unsustainable. Livestock production creates more climate changing greenhouse gases than all forms of transportation combined.
It's a terrible, vicious cycle that is claiming more and more land and ending or impoverishing more and more lives. If life as we know is to go on, some big changes are in order, and there is no better place to start than with our own personal food choices.
More and more people around the world want to eat like Americans... want to eat animals and animal products. So we are shipping more and more grains overseas in order to feed animals who consume twelve pounds of plant produce in order to produce one pound of meat. Animal agriculture is terribly inefficient, destructive, and unsustainable. Livestock production creates more climate changing greenhouse gases than all forms of transportation combined.
It's a terrible, vicious cycle that is claiming more and more land and ending or impoverishing more and more lives. If life as we know is to go on, some big changes are in order, and there is no better place to start than with our own personal food choices.
PEACE = Putting an End to the Abusive Carnivorous Experiment
Did you know that a study involving 12,000 Seventh Day Adventist men showed that those who regularly drank soymilk instead of cow's milk had a 70% reduction in prostate cancer risk...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10189040
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10189040
We call them "farm animals", insinuating that there are certain species whose purpose on earth is to become food for humans. And our relationship with these animals has become so self-centered on our part that it's all about what we can take from them, while giving them absolutely nothing, not even a decent home. I prefer the term "farmed animals".
Throughout history, those who participate in exploitation have often put forth the self-serving delusion that the victims were "put here for our use." I doubt they'd be impressed if someone who wanted to enslave or eat them said "You were put here for my use. And I'll use every part of your body because I respect you." I'm more inclined to think that it's the other way around, that we were put here to help the animals. We have compassion and a connection to others (as long as we don't block it), and it feels right to do good, to help, to show mercy. We have powerful consciences. We have the brainpower to think up ways to be helpful, generous, and kind. We have all these tools to be humble, loving, useful citizens of the earth. We should use these gifts to create peace, rather than override them in order to pursue destructive, selfish, violent exploitation.
- Gary Loewenthal –
- Gary Loewenthal –
"Essentially, you throw out 90% of the nutrients when you juice a fruit or vegetables. Regarding oranges for example, it takes 3 oranges to make a cup of orange juice and its still not nutritionally equivalent to 1 single plain orange." - Michael Greger, MD -http://nutritionfacts.org/video/fruit-juice-fail/
Animal advocates commonly must deal with a terrible burdon of grief that increases as we become more and more aware of the extent of the abuses and indifference that farmed animals face each day. Our anger, frustration, and sadness can be overwhelming. That's why I used to give myself some "quiet time" each morning to "connect" with farmed animals and let them know I'm with them... and to set my intention to do something to help. I also allowed time to grieve for the animals and grieve over the fact that I had been a part of the problem for so long. I found it a great way to release anger and resentment, and to help me become a more positive and effective voice for our animal friends.
In my view, we purchase stolen goods when we buy meat, dairy products, or eggs. We have no more right to own, eat, or use the bodies and secretions of animals than we do those of human beings. We can be perfectly healthy and fit without eating meat or other animal products. In fact, world renowned anthropologist Dr. Richard Leakey regards modern man, our ancient ancestors, and our closest living primate relatives - all - essentially as herbivores. All of our required nutrients are available from plant sources, and there are millions of people, we call vegans, whose lives testify to the fact that we don't need to consume animal products in order to survive or to thrive.
"Studies show that exercise, not high calcium intake, makes a difference in bone health. Typical finding: over the course of a year, older women who exercised 45 minutes 4 days a week reversed their bone loss whether or not they took a 600mg calcium supplement; those who took the supplement but didn't exercise had bone loss. A calcium intake of 1200mg/day made virtually no improvement over calcium intake of 600mg/day." - Gary Loewenthal –
Did you now that vitamin D supplementation has been shown to reduce the chances of developing type 2 Diabetes... And D is the only vitamin that appears to increase longevity. I think it's best to get vitamin D naturally, from the sun. And it's helpful to note that a whole foods, plant-based diet increases a person's resistance to skin damage from sunlight. I get lots of sunlight in summer months and take a vitamin D supplement (vegetarian form of D3) during the winter months. http://nutritionfacts.org/videos/vitamin-supplements-worth-taking/?ref=nf
There are so many wonderful animals on this planet... close relatives of ours. We have the opportunity to befriend them... learn from them... and to coexist and celebrate the joys of life with them. But what do we do? We kill them and eat them. We claim their lands for ourselves. We experiment on them. We take their furs and skins and and turn them into clothing. And we make a game of hunting and shooting them. It's a very one-sided relationship, isn't it...
Calves born within the dairy industry have very little to look forward to. All will be separated from their mothers within a day or two of birth. The ones born male will most likely be either killed shortly after birth or auctioned off for veal production. Those born female will be impregnated every year and turned into milking machines, drugged, fed a high energy diet, and forced to produce up to ten times their normal amount of milk. Their lives will be so stressful that their health and milk production will begin to fail when they are barely into adulthood. They will be thanked for their "service" by being killed and turned into hamburgers.
"Today, people all over the country will go to church and pray for a more compassionate, peaceful world. Later, they will go home and consume the products of slavery, misery and violence. How can we expect to achieve spiritual harmony and live a compassionate, ethical life while contributing to the suffering of others for no other reason than for our own selfish pleasures and desires?" (continued)
Helping people shift toward a plant-based diet - toward Healthier, Compassionate, Earth-Friendly food choices - is my biggest passion and life work. That's why I founded the volunteer operated Baltimore chapter of Earthsave fifteen years ago. We host several monthly events that bring like-minded people together for mutual support, and we carry on the inspiring work of Earthsave's founder, author John Robbins. You can support both Earthsave International and our Baltimore group by going to http://earthsavebaltimore.org/Membership. Thanks. Be well.
Life, the universe, or God, has given us perhaps our greatest gift - the freedom to think for ourselves. We get to choose wisely or foolishly. If we've made a mess of our lives and of this planet, we don't need to point the finger at God. We need to look within and ask ourselves what we can do to help turn the situation around. I've seen some amazingly positive changes over the last few years. And I take great hope in the fact that everyone's values, deep down, are pretty much the same. We all want to be more peaceful and loving. Animal advocates can do a lot to help awaken others. And I think the best place to start is within, at the heart level. We need to be more loving and peaceful ourselves in order to teach others to do the same.
The vegan ideal is really very simple. We try to cause as little harm, disruption, and deprivation to the lives of our earthmates as we are able. And we strive to help persons of all species experience joys similar to those we cherish. It's a wonderful way to honor our connection to the earth and to all living beings.
PEACE = Participation Expels Apathy & Creates Excitement
Did you know that meat production is the the top cause of global deforestation, including the burning of our rain forests in order to grow feed for "livestock" animals...
PEACE = Protecting the Earth & Animals... Connecting with Everyone
PEACE = Practice Embracing All Citizens of Earth
PEACE = Putting an End to the Abusive Carnivorous Experiment
Did you know that leather is the skin that was taken from an animal... The softer the skin, the younger was the animal from whom it was stripped. The calfskin that is used for car seats and sofas comes from the unwanted offspring of dairy cows. Leather purchases greatly enhance the profits of industries that trade in violence and death.
I think we are presently returning to a celebration of creative essence... of the good, or God, in all life forms... We're moving away from the patriarchal paradigm of domination and competitiveness... and toward honoring the sacred feminine, which is about love, peace, friendship, co-operation, and encouragement. And in view of the fact that creation and nurture are so closely associated with the feminine aspect, maybe we'll soon stop thinking of God as a mister.
PEACE = Putting and End to Antipathy and Culture of Exclusion
"Turning a live animal into pieces on a plate is an ugly, bloody, and violent act - whether he's killed in someone's backyard or in an industrialized slaughterhouse. And death does not come easy to those who want to live. Lighting incense or praying while killing does nothing to change that. It only assuages the conscience of the killer."
- Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, author –
- Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, author –
PEACE = Practice Eroding Addiction to Carcass Eating
PEACE = Participating in Emerging Awareness of Connectedness with Everyone
PEACE = Praise & Eternal Appreciation for the Cycle of Existence
PEACE = Plant Eaters Actuating a Commonsense Era
VEGAN = Vibrant Empathetic Global Action Network
PEACE = Prioritizing Ethics, Accountability, and Compassion for Everyone
Sending you Smiles, Hugs, and a Success Story... Despite my healthy vegan diet, in recent years I've had more and more problems with gout, a condition that causes joint pain, usually in the feet, due to a buildup of uric acid. Vegetarians rarely have this problem, but it runs in both sides of my family. It has gotten so bad that in the last five years I've rarely gone more than a week without symptoms. I could usually keep severe pain at bay by drinking lots of water and taking lots of ibuprofen. I've also tried the popular folk remedies, such as drinking cherry juice every day, but nothing seemed to work. So although I hated the idea, I was considering prescription meds that I would have to take every day.
But... a few weeks ago I bought a high speed blender and began making myself a green smoothie every day. I always include lots of healthy dark green leafy veggies, like kale, which I hadn't been eating much of. And I began exercising almost every day. I do a workout routine on my Total Gym machine that takes less than 20-minutes, and I've stuck with it. The results have been very encouraging - I've dropped five unwanted pounds and have had no gout symptoms in the last six weeks, since making just those two simple changes. Have a Great Day!
But... a few weeks ago I bought a high speed blender and began making myself a green smoothie every day. I always include lots of healthy dark green leafy veggies, like kale, which I hadn't been eating much of. And I began exercising almost every day. I do a workout routine on my Total Gym machine that takes less than 20-minutes, and I've stuck with it. The results have been very encouraging - I've dropped five unwanted pounds and have had no gout symptoms in the last six weeks, since making just those two simple changes. Have a Great Day!
PEACE = Prayers for the Earth... Animals... Conscious Evolution...
PEACE = Protecting Everyone... All Children of the Earth...
Isn't it cool that the same foods that are best for our personal health are also best for the health of the planet... and are kinder and more respectful toward animals... Shifting toward a plant based diet is a powerful way to love this planet and all those who share it...
PEACE = Practice Envisioning Abundance… Connection… Equality…
PEACE = Practice Expressing Appreciation for the Cycle of Existence
PEACE = Plant Eaters Avoid Cardiac Events
PEACE = Putting an End to Armed Conflict Everywhere
PEACE = Pardoning Errors and Abuses Caused by Ego
I love words... and 9 is my favorite number. So I created a new Timeline banner using my nine favorite words: Peace, Compassion, Justice, Power, Beauty, Joy, Love, Light, and Wisdom. Seven of the words came from the "Seven Aspects of God" (Peace, Power, Beauty, Joy, Love, Light, and Wisdom) a teaching in the Religious Science and Unity traditions. The remaining two words are from my personal mission statement - "I am a Powerful Voice for Peace, Compassion, and Justice."
“Every act of irreverence for life, every act which neglects life, which is indifferent to and wastes life, is a step towards the love of death. This choice man must make at every minute. Never were the consequences of the wrong choice as total and as irreversible as they are today. Never was the warning of the Bible so urgent: ‘I have put before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life, that you and your children may live.’ (Deuteronomy 30:19)” - Erich Fromm –
PEACE = People of Earth Awakening… Consciously Evolving
"Most of us would humbly admit to not being as forward-thinking and as widely knowledgeable as Thomas Jefferson. And yet he owned slaves. As progressive and smart as he was, he was a victim of his times, and he succumbed to participating in exploitations that were legal and common at the time.
Looking back, of course we know that owning slaves is wrong. It's easy to see the wrongness of exploitations that were common in another time, or that occur in another place. What's difficult is recognizing our complicity in exploitations that are legal and common today.
Today we inflict a multitude of horrors upon animals in factory farms, hatcheries, slaughterhouses, livestock auctions, fur ranches, circuses, aquariums, and other venues. Are we independent enough to see that we're participating in unnecessary violence because it's normalized and practiced by our peers, just as Jefferson and other otherwise smart people participated in slavery in their times?
There's nothing wrong with criticizing Jefferson. But it's easy - it's about him, not us. What's more difficult - but compelling - is to criticize our similar complicity in the institutionalized crimes of our time - and to divest ourselves of them."
- Gary Loewenthal –
Looking back, of course we know that owning slaves is wrong. It's easy to see the wrongness of exploitations that were common in another time, or that occur in another place. What's difficult is recognizing our complicity in exploitations that are legal and common today.
Today we inflict a multitude of horrors upon animals in factory farms, hatcheries, slaughterhouses, livestock auctions, fur ranches, circuses, aquariums, and other venues. Are we independent enough to see that we're participating in unnecessary violence because it's normalized and practiced by our peers, just as Jefferson and other otherwise smart people participated in slavery in their times?
There's nothing wrong with criticizing Jefferson. But it's easy - it's about him, not us. What's more difficult - but compelling - is to criticize our similar complicity in the institutionalized crimes of our time - and to divest ourselves of them."
- Gary Loewenthal –
PEACE = Participation Expels Apathy and Cultivates Expansion
"Never, never be afraid to do what's right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake. Society's punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way."
- Martin Luther King, Jr. –
- Martin Luther King, Jr. –
"I can still recall my early childhood years, and the special place that animals held in my heart. And I remember how stunned and saddened I was to learn the awful truth - that we kill animals for food."
That's an excerpt from my article, "The He(art) of Gentle Persuasion", in which I shared some of my ideas and experiences on promoting veganism and justice for animals. See page 26 of On Purpose Woman, or read online at http://earthsavebaltimore.org/Persuasion
That's an excerpt from my article, "The He(art) of Gentle Persuasion", in which I shared some of my ideas and experiences on promoting veganism and justice for animals. See page 26 of On Purpose Woman, or read online at http://earthsavebaltimore.org/Persuasion
PEACE = Putting an End to Archaic Customs of Eating
"Animal rights" is hard to grasp if we think only with our heads, and not our hearts. It means that all animals - not just human animals - exist for their own purposes. The fact that humans may have certain abilities and qualities that animals lack doesn't allow us to ignore the fact that animals are beings, and not things. Their freedom, their joys, and their lives matter very much to them. If we care about peace, compassion, mercy, and justice, their interests should matter to us as well.
PEACE = Promoting & Exercising Ahimsa... Cultivating Enlightenment...
PEACE = Practice Elevating Awareness… Contemplating the Eternal...
PEACE = Plant Eaters Applauded for Culinary Excellence
There's a wonderful diversity of animals on this planet. Many are close relatives of ours. We have the opportunity to befriend them, learn from them, and to coexist and celebrate the joys of life with them. But many of us fail to see those opportunities and the possibilities for personal and spiritual growth they present. So we kill them and eat them. We claim their lands for ourselves. We experiment on them. We take their furs and skins and and turn them into clothing for ourselves. And we make a game of hunting and shooting them. It's a very one-sided relationship, isn't it...
Animal agriculture may be the single most violent aspect in our lives today... 95% of animals in America who suffer cruelty are farmed animals. If a farm practice is established as “accepted,” “common,” “customary,” or “normal” - no matter how inhumane - anti-cruelty protections are overridden. The simplest and surest way to reduce this suffering and injustice is to stop eating animal products.
As we begin to make healthier food choices, we enter into a more loving, nurturing, and holistic relationship with all who live... Loving ourselves enough to really care about our health, and our time left on earth... Loving the planet enough to help preserve its beauty and abundance for generations yet to come... Loving and respecting animals enough to allow them to enjoy their own lives, aside from what they can do for me.
"Compassion hurts. When you feel connected to everything, you also feel responsible for everything. And you cannot turn away. Your destiny is bound with the destinies of others. You must either learn to carry the Universe or be crushed by it. You must grow strong enough to love the world, yet empty enough to sit down at the same table with its worst horrors." - Andrew Boyd –
Down jackets have become increasingly popular. I doubt that sales will be so brisk when people learn that down feathers are most commonly pulled from live geese in a painful, mutilating process. Learn more...
PEACE = Practicing Empathy... Affirming Connectedness... Evolving
Those who have witnessed the conditions in which chickens are raised and killed can understand why poultry is the most common source of food poisoning in the home. The Atlanta Journal Constitution interviewed 84 federal poultry inspectors and found that more than two-thirds of them were so concerned that they had stopped eating chickens themselves.
PEACE = Practice Emanating Aliveness... Celebrating Existence
PEACE = People Everywhere Advancing Compassionate Evolution
PEACE = Plant Eaters Avoid Carcinogen Exposure
PEACE = Persistently Embracing Ability to Change and Evolve
Vegan - someone who has the nutty idea that hurting animals is bad. I hope that you will also consider becoming a vegan "extremist".
PEACE = Practice Envisioning an Age of Compassion & Empathy
PEACE = Practicing Emotional Authenticity... Courageous Expression
PEACE = Performing Everyday Acts of Courage… Evolving
"Veganism is not about giving anything up or losing anything; it is about gaining the peace within yourself that comes from embracing nonviolence and refusing to participate in the exploitation of the vulnerable." "Veganism is not a 'sacrifice.' It is a joy." - Gary L. Francione –
PEACE = Positivity Enables & Advances Conditions for Enlightenment
PEACE = Purposefully Expanding Awareness… Consciously Evolving
PEACE = Prayerfully Envisioning Abiding Culture of Empathy
Going vegan is one of the most profoundly peaceful and loving steps we could ever take. It begins with a refusal to participate and condone the inherent violence of animal agriculture.
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