Monday 1 November 2010

Happy World Vegan Day 2010!

A day to celebrate the wonderfulness of trying to live peacefully. And, of course, the perfect excuse to do some compassionate cooking! I found lots of recipes on the BBC Good Food website that might be worth a go...

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/vegetarian/vegan/

I've perhaps become a bit preoccupied with other things of late, and whilst I've been plodding along nicely with my own veganism I've forgotten about the fact that I'm a part of something bigger.

On 'Sunday Morning Live' yesterday they had a debate about killing animals for sport (triggered by the news of the shooting of a giant red stag last week). What was interesting about this discussion is that out of it came an awareness of the potentially hypocritical nature of being against hunting for sport but then for the eating of animals for pleasure.

If you're in the UK, you can watch the programme on BBC iPlayer (the debate starts at about 31 minutes in):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00vr7lz/Sunday_Morning_Live_Episode_16/

Poet Benjamin Zephaniah does us proud by representing a vegan point of view, as does Brian May from Queen who they manage to get on the phone (what an absolute legend!).

The contradictory nature of being a meat-eater who is against blood sport came from the views expressed by Christina Rees (General Synod of the Church of England).

When asked by the host, Susanna Reid, 'What is the difference between killing for food and hunting for sport?', Christiana replied, 'Well, if we eat it for food, then it has a purpose.' What she failed to recognise is that that purpose is none other than our own greed and pleasure, which is exactly what motivates hunting. Susanna responds by picking up on this point, asking 'Is there not a purpose in hunting for sport? There's an entertainment purpose...' and Rees fails again to make the comparison between the two, and says 'No, no, it's [hunting is] only for the benefit of people...'

Her argument becomes even more ridiculous when she admits that we do have urges to shoot at something, but that we can satisfy these urges in a way that does not cause suffering (for example, by shooting clay pigeons or taking up archery). If only she applied this logic to her own appetite!

Brian May had a really balanced and fair approach to those who felt compassion towards the stag, but who still ate meat:

Susanna: 'A lot of the people who might object to what happened to Emperor the stag will carry on eating meat. What do you think of those people?'

Brian: 'I think if you're starving and you have to kill an animal to survive, maybe you can justify that. But there really is absolutely no necessity to be eating meat at all.'

Susanna: 'Do you think it's hypocritical then, for people who eat meat, to find this abhorrent?'

Brian: 'I think, actually, no, not necessarily, I think there's a line along which we travel, and I've been travelling along it for a long time. I actually did eat meat for a very long time...at the moment I still consume milk and cheese and stuff, but I'm really beginning to doubt if that's okay as well, because that also causes an immense amount of suffering in the world, and as factory farming increases, I think you have to ask yourself these questions more and more and more. I do not think we should be doing this; it would be much more efficient for the planet for us to be eating non-animals.'

Brian May basically sums it up by arguing that it is indefensible to end an animal's life 'for fun', and this is what it comes down to when we think about diet, clothing, and lifetstyle. The way we live is ultimately an expression of what we value.

Christina later says 'We're all agreed, that even though we're not in the same position about eating animals, that killing an animal for sport is not alright. I expect, fast-forward several hundred years, and we will have found a way to eat in a way that does not involve eating animals.'

I have news for you Christina: We've already found that way, and it's called veganism! Wake up, for goodness sake.

I was very pleased to watch this debate, because I actually felt like - for once - veganism came across well to those watching (it does help when you have a rock legend fighting your corner...)

A word from Gandhi to finish (because it's world vegan day and I'm feeling the need to quote):


'It ill becomes us to invoke in our daily prayers the blessings of God, the Compassionate, if we in turn will not practice elementary compassion towards our fellow creatures.'



Amen to that.

Peace and love.
x

3 comments:

  1. Has she never heard of a vegan? Many people already know how to survive in a healthy way without animal products!

    I do love being vegan but I sometimes wonder if I should play more of a key role in veganism and promote it and so on.

    Although saying that it is hard for people to think "WOO Vegan" when you have to go without in campus restaurants and shops. :( And the oven at uni doesn't work so can't even cook! lol

    Sarah

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  2. It's so lovely to hear from you, Sarah, thanks for commenting. I moved house recently and didn't have an oven for a while, so I can completely relate to your cooking difficulties!

    I hope you continue to follow the blog, apologies for taking so long to reply. (But I am replying on Christmas Day, so surely I get extra points for that?!)

    Let me know of anything you'd like me to write about in the blog, it's always great to have ideas from followers!

    Peace and love. xxxx

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  3. All Christians were Vegan, yet they crucified that part of it. (John 3:16) This is so important to me because I do care. I don't want something to happen to you. Look at it closely. Share it with the family. This is the key to the real ancient Jews. I would like to send you this; it is important. Here is the quail that the people with Moses ate, one of the cleanest animals in the Bible. The Jews ate the quail and died spiritually, although they were allowed to.
    (Numbers 11:31-35) In the Law of Moses, all animals which ate meat were considered unclean. If a bird ate meat, then it was unclean. The people were allowed to eat animals if they were clean, but in the Bible, to eat means to read. (Revelation 10:8-11) (Ezekiel 3:1-2) What it meant is that if the animal was clean, then the people could read it, and follow its eating habits to find healthy food to eat. I am a real Jew, spiritually and in lineage. Not something to be great by. It is a simple truth. Jews didn't eat meat, they were all Vegan. (2 Corinthians 4:3) That is the truth about Jews. I have also been studying the Talmud on Apostacy and eating meat. This isn’t an attack. Apostacy came upon by going back to meat, even though they were forced to when taken to Babylon. They forgot and went back to sleep like in the book of Jeremiah. All Jews were Vegan. They did not murder animals, and they did not steal from animals. Homey meant wisdom. And milk meant the pure love of scripture, as well as there were other types of milk that the Jews made.

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