Humans are animals

Do you know where meat comes from? It came from an animal who did not want to die. We can survive healthily as vegans, so the only justification left for eating meat is pleasure, ease, convenience. It's like shooting everyone in line at the grocery store because you don't want to wait to checkout.

Humans are animals, we have a nervous system, four limbs, a heart, blood, bone and skin just like cows, pigs, dogs, cats, chickens, horses, raccoons, dear and bears. There is very little difference to how we experience life, it's different shades of the same color. We all seek food, shelter, mates, feel fear and pleasure. 

Other animals are capable of being selfless, showing compassion, laying down their lives, just ask anyone who shares their life with a dog. However, I doubt there are many dogs considering the merits of veganism. As humans we take the prize for cranial capacity. We realize the suffering we cause and use that same intelligence to rationalize it and completely block it from our thoughts.

What strikes me as odd is that I know many people who would claim that killing a person is wrong, but have no problems with either killing, or paying for animals to be killed for their consumption. These same people know that animals can feel, just like us, don't want to die, just like us, form strong peer bonds, just like us, and shit themselves as the go into be slaughtered.

But it's ok, because they're not humans?

Are we just psychopathic as a species? 

Killing is killing. Just because it's legal, industrialized, happening in a factory far far away, keeping someone you know in employment, given a sanitized face of a pig licking her lips and giving a thumbs up...as the smell of her dead flesh wafts out from the kitchen, does not mean it's ok.

Please see what is happening, what's being hid from you by grinning clowns and happy kings. Funny how that's how the companies present themselves rather than with a cow taking a bolt to the head, bleeding out, then being torn in half by a saw. Why? Because the truth is revolting. 

If we think killing is wrong, if we think suffering is wrong, we need to go vegan, we need to stay vegan and we need to help others see the truth.

What's the worst thing you've ever done?

I once turned on the voice recorder on my phone and shoved it in front of my wife. "What's the worst thing you've ever done?" I asked her.

She laughed for about two minutes straight, I love her laugh, it's intoxicating, so full of joy and without malice. Unfortunately, my phone decided that life with me was no longer bearable and decided to turn itself off and never reactivate. So I'll have to try that stunt again, nothing gets me through a bad day like listening to her laugh.

Seriously though, what's the worst thing you've ever done?

If you ask most people this question they might gaze upwards for awhile and then reply:

"I cheated on my wife."

"I picked on this kid at school."

"I stole from my parents, and I've never been able to forgive myself!"

It's not a pleasant thought. We've all done bad things, things we regret. Everyone will have a "worst thing I've done" sometimes it'll seem pretty tame, and other times it'll seem monumental.

It's a complicated question. For instance, maybe your thinking something like "The worst thing I've done was leaving a friend behind on the battlefield." but when I hear the story I'm hearing "war hero under heavy fire who had little choice."

Anyhow, I was just joking when I asked my wife this question, but it got me thinking. "What is the worst thing I've ever done?" The answer wasn't obvious. I've never been a bully, I've never killed a man, I've never held up a bank...so what's the worst thing I've ever done?

After umpteen minutes it dawned on me. The worst thing I've ever done was torturing and killing hundreds of animals.

Why was this not obvious?

Three facts about me:

1. I'm vegan.

2. I find the treatment and killing of animals by the meat, dairy, egg, vivisection and all other forms of exploitation to me abominable and probably the greatest crime of our time.

3. For 20 something years I ate meat, drank milk, ate eggs and didn't bother to see if a product was tested on animals before I bought it.

So for 20 something years I partook in what I think is "one of the greatest crimes of our time" but it didn't spring to the front of my mind. Am I insane? No, just human.

Yes, although I'm vegan I've still been brainwashed by a LIFETIME of smiling clowns trying to sell me the chard remains of Daisy the cow, pictures of winking chickens giving me the 'thumbs-up' above establishments that sell their deep fried corpses and products that are so mild on my skin because the prototype burned the epidermal layers off fifty cats.

We live in a world the could be heaven. We have so many resources, so much technology, but even from this heaven we direct animals into the gates of Hell.

We need to choose vegan. We need to be compassion. We need to go out our way to end the cycle of brainwashing and violence against animals, the planet and each other that we see every single day.

Kindness

When I gaze up at the stars and think of the vastness of the universe, or it crosses my mind how many billions of people inhabit the earth it makes me feel reassuringly small. Why reassuringly small? Well, I know my car hitting a nail isn't really worth having a meltdown over. "21st Century earth - we landed on Mars, the ice caps melted, and Dan got a flat."

When I flip things around I'm overwhelmingly big. I'm the most massive thing I'll ever have control of, my actions are the most important things I'll ever do, my words are the most important things I'll ever say.

However as a species we tend to think we are a BIG DEAL, we're humans, and in case you didn't hear, we're sorta something special. So special that because we like the taste of animals we slaughter between 50 and 100 million animals each day, but no major headlines, because it's not humans that are being killed. On the other hand about 70 years ago 6 million Jews were killed.

So yeah, obviously the murder of 6 million Jew is something beyond contempt, beyond disgusting, beyond brutal. What does that make the slaughter of BILLIONS of our fellow animals each year at our own hand no less, purely because we enjoy their taste and texture at dinner time.

It's really messed up. However, my rant about numbers is over, the figures speak for themselves.

I would like to say a little about kindness. More to the point, why kindness is important. Ancient text would somehow have us believe that we all have free will. I can see how years ago this would have been a convincing argument. There's a coin toss, do I pick head or tails, the choice is mine...right?

Consider this, we are a very complex biological system. We are made up of sub atomic particles which form atoms, which form molecules, which form the components of our cells, which in turn form our cells, these make up our tissues, organs, bones, blood and every other constant part of our person which  combined together forms us.

Now if you were to have that exact same arrangement of energy and matter, right from a sub atomic level and put it in the exact same situation, you would get the same outcome over and over again.

Heavy stuff.

Now studies would suggest, as I'm sure you are are all aware, that people who are exposed to violence are more likely to be violent themselves. People who are exposed to kindness are more likely to be kind. Don't get me wrong there are some AMAZING stories of survivors of violence going on to become remarkable, kind people. Although the evidence speaks for itself, if you need more evidence, consider this, those raised Muslim and most likely to continue to be muslims, Christians, Christian, Jewish, Jews, and so on.

So if you're looking for a more scientific reason to be kind, there it is! Kindness propagates kindness, so if you want the those around you to be kind to you, be kind to them.

This trail of thought would lead me to think, "how can we promote kindness,  how can we build a better tomorrow, a more compassionate and sustainable future, when we kill billions of animals just because come dinner time we prefer their taste to lentils?" Saying non-human animals matter any the less because the are not human is like me saying non-white humans matter less because they aren't white.

Does the animal feel? Yes. Does the animal want to die? No. 

Be kind, don't kill people, don't kill animals, be a vegan. It does make a difference. It does matter.

The Sanctuary

This weekend I was privileged enough to visit Maple Farm Sanctuary http://www.maplefarmsanctuary.org/ it was an honor to meet the staff and all of the beautiful animals in their care. The had a lot of retired dairy cattle, such as the ones pictured below:

They had rescued chickens, geese, ducks, llamas, horses, goats, veal calves, a turkey, a couple of seagulls (with amputated wings - they got caught on fishing lines :( ) sheep and a great big pig called Jonathan!

This is why I am a vegan, because no animal should be robbed of their life, it is all they have. If I say I would rather kill one of these animals than eat an alternative just because I hold the flavor of their flesh in preference to that of something that does suffer immensely for my tastes, then what right do I have to call myself compassionate?

Now I'm back at work and I'm surrounded by otherwise decent people eating meat! Advocacy and outreach are so important. We are up against years of egg/dairy/meat industry advertising, but the tide will soon change, just as slavery of mankind was outlawed, so will be the slavery of our fellow animals. However, this will not happen without our efforts! My advise: go for the lowest hanging fruits, speak to those around you who already trust and respect you, nag them - the animals are counting on YOU! Speak to those who are intellectual and open minded, tailor the message for your audience and for the planet, for our fellow humans and for the animals, we can do it!

Carnism and crappy arguments

Wow, it's been a long time since my last entry! I actually had one not so long ago that some of you may have read (but I accidentally deleted it,) oops.

Anyway, on to tonights spectacle, vegan carnism and how this can help us see the other side's perspective, and free range super-happy animals.

If you are a vegetarian or vegan and you are reading this you've probably tried some mock meats. I think some of the mock meat products are great. I can take it or leave it, but the value that they bring to helping people transition to a plant based diet and as an addition to vegan gastronomy is enormous.

That said, let's quickly jump over to carnism: almost everyone I meet claims to either like or respect animals, but almost everyone I meet also consumes meat. They also seem to have an acceptable species list, it's ok to eat a cow, but not a cat, then when I ask why things seem to start to get a little unclear for them.

Now as vegans imagine this, you come to my house and I serve you the most delicious vegan cottage pie you've ever had made with a mock meat. You leave thanking me and thinking I'm a pretty cool guy for feeding you so well. I invite you back, you accept, only when you arrive there's something different.

More mock meat, but you don't recognize it...

"This meat is all vegan," I explain, "this is faux-dog, this is faux-whale, this is faux-monkey, this is faux-dolphin."

How do you feel about my food now? I would feel uneasy, shocked, queasy and a little disgusted.

What's the problem? It's not real meat. It's just plants, just like the vegan beef I served you last time. The argument could be made, that in order to create the vegan version you would first need to sample the real thing, but there are people that eat those animals and know the taste, just like there are people who eat cows, pigs and chickens. So I can't help but think there really is no difference.

I'm totally fine with eating a vegan meal resembling and branded as beef, but not a vegan meal resembling and branded as monkey - why? I'm clearly a vegan carnist. These is no other explanation, it's a crazy psychology, the same crazy psychology that leads people to say, "I love animals...yeah, can I get extra bacon with that...oh, where was I, yes my dog is getting sick, I'm so worried that she feels ill..."

Next time when you speak to someone who starts spouting how much they love animals as they chow down on a side of ribs remember that we may also be carnists. Next time that rage wells up inside of you about societies miss-treatment of billions of animals, hate the action, not the people, because some of us may be good deep down, but just need some serious rewiring before we realize that murder is wrong regardless of the species. It's our job as vegans not to isolate ourselves further, but to engage people and find effective ways of animal advocacy.

Which brings me on to another point. What is all this BS about happy healthy animals roaming free and living good natural lives before we eat them? Is that supposed to make people feel good about themselves? OK, point number one, most of that is just marketing bull crap, terms like cage free do not equate to well treated. Point number two, they are still being KILLED!!

I remember seeing the recent outrage at Sandy Hook Elementary and thinking that the kids all seemed to have lived pretty good, happy lives. Does this mean it's ok to kill them? Should I feel better about the murder of a happy child? Of course not, it's an abomination. So why should I feel better about the murder of a 'happy' cow. Total and utter BS. It's this S-O-B carnist psychology meaning people can't join the dots; if you take a girl out on a date and treat her nicely, it doesn't mean that you're all the more justified when you rape her, if you have a kid living a happy life it doesn't mean it's fine to murder him, if you let a cow roam outdoors it doesn't mean I should feel all soft and fuzzy inside about murdering her and eating her corpse.

Messed up.

Totally messed up.

Vegans - aren't we so entitled?

Nothing gets my blood boiling more than people who choose to eat meat saying that vegans feel entitled. I remember talking to my dad about my wedding and how it, of course, would be vegan. He says to me, "I think you should have some non-vegan options for the non-vegans."

"Are you being serious??" was my natural reply as my eyebrows hit the roof.

"Yeah," he says, "when you go to a normal wedding they have special options for the veggies, so you should be polite to your guests and have some non-vegan options for the non-vegans."

I had to wait about ten seconds  to compose myself before I replied, or I'm sure I'd have said something I'd regretted.

"Well now," because of course all good retorts start with a nicely placed ' well now.' "Well now, if you were invited to a Jewish wedding would you expect them to serve bacon?"

"No, but..."

"No, Dad. There are no 'buts' you don't have to be vegan to eat vegan food! Do you have to be Chinese to eat Chinese food? Why would you expect me to violate my deepest principle on what's supposed to be one of the happiest days in my life?"

"Grumble, grumble, grumble."

I think that it's rather an entitlement to expect some poor innocent creature to lay down its whole life just because you like the taste of it.

However, as vegans we must be doing something wrong since this attitude still prevails. Next time I'm invited to a celebration I'll explain that I'll bring the damn vegan roast so they don't have to lift a finger, and what's more I'll let them all have some, and I'll make them all vegan brownies that will blow them away.

As humans we consider ourselves a very entitled species. We need to be on the cutting edge of showing everyone just how great it can be to be humble.

Prime example, Obama on Israel, "There's no country on earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders."

Hello? Maybe he killed irony in one of his drone attacks on Asian soil.

This sort of BS is even coming from the President of the United States, who otherwise is a pretty cool guy - but I suppose that's no surprise. I don't mean to get too political here, but it's just another prime example of human arrogance where it's ok for us to do it, but God forbid someone does it to us.

Vegans are the least entitled, every food choice, clothing choice, an umpteen other choices we make we are considering other people, animals, the environment, future generations. I'll be, and forgive the cliche, totally transparent here: before I was vegan I really liked meat, cheese, eggs and all the rest of it...I also like carnal pleasures, but I don't think it's ok for me to rape; I get angry, but I don't think it's ok for me to assault; I get hungry, but I don't think it's ok for me to murder!

How do we suggest this in a non-offensive way? By upsetting the omnivores amongst us we're not going to help them make the right choices. Sometimes we just need to bite our tongues, cool it, count down from ten, smile and say, "Hey, don't worry about me, I'll bring the vegan food!" then make sure it's the best food they've ever tasted.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. This year I'm so thankful for being vegan, for the growing popularity of veganism and for all of you vegan heroes out there spreading the good word that no blood has to be spilled for a good meal!

Kale vs Pork

It's here! The smack-down we've all been waiting for! 

In the green shorts, weighing in at 50 calories per 100 grams, it's the reigning vegetable-champion-of-the-world, the green wonder, the cruciferous kid - Kale!

In the pink shorts, weighing in at 458 calories per 100 grams, it's the current vogue meat, the dead animal everyone loves to see on their plate, the fantastically fatty - Bacon!

Round One: It's common knowledge that cruciferous vegetables can give you gas, POW, take that Kale - Bacon comes out swinging. Wait, Kale bounces off the ropes, Bacon raises cholesterol (only found in meat!) SMACK! Elevated risk of cancer with 17 carcinogens being released with cooking temperatures over 212 F BAM! And what's this, a combo move - Bacon can cause poor calcium retention whereas Kale is calcium rich, KERPOW!

Ding-Ding: Looks like Kale is the clear winner this round.

Round Two: With no carbs and 12 grams of protein per 100 grams Bacon is the clear choice for anyone on the Atkins diet, how will Kale possibly recover from a blow like that? Kale just seems to roll off the attack and throw one right back, with only 1 gram of fat to Bacon's 45 grams, it'll be hard for Bacon to carry on. Bacon throws out that it contains no fiber... the move has completely backfired with Bacon finding its self down face first and is struggling to get up.

Not long left in the round. Bacon has chosen to continue and is taking volley after volley from Kale, let's go over to the nutritiondata.self.com box for a moment and listen to their commentary:

Kale: This food is low in Saturated Fat, and very low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Dietary Fiber, Protein, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Folate, Iron, Magnesium and Phosphorus, and a very good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Potassium, Copper and Manganese.

Bacon: This food is high in Saturated Fat.

Ding-Ding: Another decisive victory for Kale.

Round Three: Bacon staggers into the ring to meet Kale, but the ref calls in the ringside doctor for an opinion. The doctor swings his hands high in the air, yet that's right, he always recommends eating more cruciferous veggies, but can't recall the last time he advised someone to increase their bacon intake. What a dramatic end to such a one-sided fight.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present the winner of this fight, STILL the UNDEFEATED CHAMPION-OF-THE-KITCHEN, the cruciferous kid - Kale!

Seriously though, the pork industry messes up the environment, our health and causes the suffering of millions of pigs worldwide, don't eat pork.

P.S. Eat more kale.

With a big thanks to our commentators:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2461/2

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/pork-products/2208/2

http://www.livestrong.com/article/256224-the-dangers-of-high-meat-diets/