..YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO GET.
Good Day,
These are very wise words (adapted to fit my needs) spoken by Forrest Gump in the movie of the same name. I must say, this is one of my all time favorite movies and I can and do watch it whenever I get the chance. It doesn’t matter if the movie is almost finished – I can and always tune in and am able to relate to it on some level.
My blog, which is in its infancy, is about many things. It was born out of my veganism, my understanding of what veganism means as well as my continued search for knowledge about what veganism means to individuals and to the universe as a whole.
In my life, my veganism impacts my health, the food that I eat, the clothes that I wear, the things I do for fun, my reading material, the discussions I have with people, and so on and so on…
So, while I am sorting this all out, my posts will often have a little bit of everything in them. There may be a tidbit from an article I have just read or a headline making the news, a play by play of what I ate that day, something that I read, the way my heart feels, my family—in other words my life on this planet.
Will my posts always look like this? I have no idea. I think we will all just have to wait and see. I do know that today’s post is going to be a bit of a hodgepodge.
So, let’s begin!!
I was sad when I went to bed last nite and I am still sad today. I am thinking about the dolphins who are trapped in Japanese waters awaiting release back to the wild, captivity in entertainment parks or death for food. I am sad for the lack of hope they must be feeling. I wish that I had a magic wand that I could wave to secure their safe journey back to their home.
Thank you to all those who are still advocating on behalf of these beings. I am still hoping for a kind and cruelty free outcome.
My son is a very smart guy (objectively speaking, of course). As a little boy he loved to run, play and be outside. As a man, he is still like that, but he is so much more now, too. He is an educator, a surfer, a martial arts student and he loves to read and learn. When he was at university he studied environmental ethics and has read extensively on the subject.
I value the opinions of my children and am constantly seeking to understand their perspective on things, big and small. I like to think that I also learned from them when they were little (a tad more challenging to do when we were all living through what I like to call the teenagery years LOL!, but I digress).
So, when I asked my son what he thought of my blog, he said that it was well written and interesting. When I asked him if he thought I was getting my message across, he asked me what I wanted my message to be. I am still working on the answer to this-one of the reasons for creating this blog.
My personal goals are freedom for all living beings, human and non human alike and much, much less cruelty in the world. From this would flow the things that people in our modern society are so desperately seeking-good health for us and the environment, security, safety and peace of mind.
So, my son told me a couple of things. He said that if I truly wanted to spread my message of veganism, that people would most likely relate well to the topic of food-how it affects our health, how it tastes, how it looks, how it is prepared, as well as how to make this way of eating accessible to everyone in all socio-economic strata.
He also said that there is a big difference in the definitions of ethics and morals. Many people who are advocating for a cause close to their hearts stop advocating at some point for the ethics behind the cause and begin moralizing about the issue. This, he said is where people abruptly start to tune out-no audience, no change.
My son added that advocates for a cause need to be well informed about issues related to their specific cause and also need to read outside said cause to gain true understanding. So, instead of reading just about ethics and morals relating to veganism and written by advocates of veganism, read about what ethics and morals are in the broadest sense of the term. Learn the definitions of and distinctions between the two. Read about ethics and morals in other domains, like business or news reporting, to name two.
To this end, he brought me several books to read, if I wished. They are as follows:
The Death of Nature-Women, Ecology and the Scientific Revolution
author: Carolyn Merchant
Cows, Pigs, War and Witches-The Riddles of Culture
author: Marvin Harris
The Animals Reader-The Essential Classic and Contemporary Writings
Edited by Linda Kalof and Amy Fitzgerald
Now, I have long known that I wanted to become, for a myriad of reasons, better informed. So I will definitely read these books. My son says that they are very accessible, as in easy to read, digest and understand, so I am looking forward to this reading adventure. Rosie is going to help me.
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| which one shall we read first? |
At the moment, I am reading The World Peace Diet by Will Tuttle. Dr. Tuttle is a vegan as well as his wife, Madeline Tuttle. They have dedicated their lives to promoting a vegan lifestyle through compassion and understanding. Dr.Tuttle’s educational background is in philosophy and humanities He brings this education into his views and beliefs. I am not very far into the book, so I will let you know how it goes.
My husband and I attended a lecture of Dr. Tuttle’s this summer when we were in Victoria, BC. He does make a very compassionate and compelling argument for not using any animal products for human consumption. He is worth checking out. http://worldpeacediet.org/
GRAMMIE ANNIE’S VEGAN VIEW
In our earnest quest to gain freedom for others, let us remember that information from many domains is key, that compassion, not condemnation will pave the way for illumination and a different way of living. Wisdom does not always come from those who have lived long and experienced much. It can come from the very young like my grandchildren and it can come from the generation of children we raised. Please listen to their voices!!!
GRAMMIE ANNIE’S HANDY KITCHEN TIP
Kitchen scissors are a great tool. They can slice through bag tops, snip the ends off of beans and cut sticky, sticky things like dates.
I use my kitchen scissors all the time. What do you use them for?
Until next time,
May all beings be happy and free.
Anne
MY BLOG IS LIKE A BOX OF VEGAN CHOCOLATES……