Vegan is Love
Veganism is about compassion, that innate force in us that allows us to empathise with the plight of another. When we allow ourselves to be lead by that powerful energy of kindness, then we become aware of the sacredness within all living beings and we can heal the disconnection that leads us to cause harm to another. Kindness and compassion invite us to our higher selves, to conduct ourselves and treat one another with love, to truly feel our unifying essence, that which animates every living creature in the universe- the sacredness that is Life.
We are a part of life not apart from it and we must uphold life with the utmost respect. We cannot carry on destroying the planet and causing mass harm and destruction without paying the price, whether it be through our failing health or the perishing planet, the loss of our home. Veganism is about lifting the veil of ignorance and confronting the truth of our actions on the planet. Most people are unaware, whether willingly or otherwise, of the unconscionable practices behind our food choices. The food that we nesciently delight in on a daily basis comes at a heavy cost, not only to our health but to the planet and the lives we selfishly destroy.
Here are 5 daunting facts about the meat industry:
- ♦Over 56 billion farmed animals are killed each year by humans (http://www.animalequality.net/food)
- ♦Although statistics vary, it is safe to say that it takes at least three times the amount of water to feed a meat eater compared with that used to feed a vegan. For example, it takes 15,500 litres of water to produce 1 kg beef, contrasted with 180 litres for 1 kg tomatoes and 250 litres for 1 kg potatoes.Consuming animal products is incredibly resource-intensive. Globally, farming uses about 70% of the planet’s accessible freshwater. (https://www.vegansociety.com/resources/environment/water-requirements )
- ♦Researchers at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment determined that 36 percent of the calories in crops are being fed to farmed animals. When cattle are killed and turned into food, only 12 percent of those calories make their way into the human diet as meat. That’s a whopping two-thirds drop in the number of calories that would have been available to humans if the grains had been consumed directly by humans in the first place.The researchers also reported that growing crops for direct human consumption increases available food calories by up to 70 percent and that the newly freed-up crops would be enough to feed an additional 4 billion people. That’s more than enough food to cover the estimated increase in world population of 2 to 3 billion people by 2050.It takes about 13 pounds of grain to produce a single pound of meat. All that grain would go a long way toward feeding the hundreds of millions of people—many of them children—who don’t have enough to eat. In fact, malnutrition currently affects about 870 million people worldwide and accounts for the deaths of more than 2.5 million children under the age of 5 alone every year. (http://prime.peta.org/2013/08/hunger)
Vegan is Awakening
- Mankind has turned cruelty, murder and slavery into an industry and that industry, fuelled by greed, perpetuates misinformation and mass deception to keep its cogs moving. The masses are misled from a young age to accept the ill treatment and senseless killing of their fellow earthlings as a necessity for survival. We are taught that meat, fish and dairy are the cornerstone of a healthy diet and animal by-products are to be desired and coveted. We warm ourselves in down duvets, swaddle our leather bags and cover ourselves decadently in wool and silks without giving a second thought to the animals that have given their lives for our comfort and pleasure.
- Our culture has made it permissible to detach ourselves from our fellow earthling, to see them as apart from us and below us. This delusion of separation is unfortunately leading us to calamitous ends. Heart attacks, strokes, cancers and diabetes, most of which are directly diet related and preventable, have become leading causes of death across the globe. Millions of animals are needlessly killed daily for the greed and voracious gluttony of mankind- not only is the killing unnecessary but is also cruel and inhumane.
- There is no such thing as humane slaughter, killing by its very nature is a brutal and savage act and there is no kind way of killing someone who does not wish to die. Animals enjoy the pleasures of sentience as we do, they love, feel joy, sadness and pain in eqiual measure. Over 56 billion farmed animals are killed each year by humans (http://www.animalequality.net/food) and the negative environmental effects of factory farming are nothing short of disastrous; from the irresponsible water wastage and pollution, untenable land degradation and mass deforestation- our planet seems set for ruin if we continue to place greed above good sense and compassion for our selves, the animals planet and the planet.
- Veganism is not a moral high ground, it is an awakening of consciousness. When we open our eyes to the harm done by the meat industry and to truly confront the status quo then a shift in consciousness occurs. The information cannot be unlearned, the scenes of animal suffering cannot be unseen and once we have accepted this reality, the only reasonable option is to awaken and make a change.