From the wisdom of Dave Kirkpatrick... It is absurd to consider veganism extreme. There is nothing extreme about a lifestyle that supports good health; that can sustainably provide food for everyone; that prevents unnecessary suffering and violence; that takes care of our precious planet; that aligns with our natural empathy towards other creatures; that encourages corporate transparency; and that maintains moral consistency - How is that considered extreme? The current state of animal exploitation damages human health, even to the point of premature death; is utterly unsustainable; exacerbates global hunger; demands increasing violence and cruelty towards innocent animals; contributes more to global warming than transportation and directly destroys our land, air, water and rainforests; requires that we sever our empathy towards others; requires that corporations keep the public uninformed and unquestioning; is morally incongruous and necessarily requires cognitive dissonance in order to exist - How is that NOT considered extreme? There is no other viable option if we are to survive and evolve - we must confront the vast scope and horrifically violent consequences of animal exploitation. We must reacquaint ourselves with our empathy for other creatures, which has been suppressed by a lifetime of cultural conditioning. We must acknowledge that our official dietary guidelines have been corrupted by the meat, dairy and fast-food industries, and are not to be blindly trusted. We must realise that mainstream news is funded and controlled by money-driven corporations and investors, and is not to be blindly trusted. We must acknowledge that the primary purpose of advertising is to keep us programmed as mindless consumers, and is not to be blindly trusted. We must realise that religion and politics are centrally concerned with issues of power, and are not to be blindly trusted. We must ween ourselves from relying on all of these fraudulent institutions and think for ourselves. We must face the pain of recognising that we placed our trust in ‘authorities’ that have failed us, lied to us and even betrayed us. We must face our habits, fears and addictions and no longer allow them to control our decisions. We must leave behind any evolutionary heritage that no longer serves our highest ideals if Earth and its many inhabitants are to survive. We must remember that humanity’s purpose is to act as the guardians of our planet, and we have been failing. The recognition of all of these critical issues often comes as a huge shock to our system. Many of us would prefer to dismiss veganism as ‘extreme’ rather than be confronted with that shock. However, we would do well to retain our objectivity and remember that veganism itself is not extreme – it just opens our eyes to an extreme problem of our reality. It also provides a solution.
Posted on: Tue, 02 Jul 2013 09:22:35 +0000
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