I'm home on a writing day today so I should be working on rewrites for the show I'm on, but I've had so many thoughts swirling around in my head, I thought I'd come here to share.
Been reading so much lately about current events, the crazy stuff with the Russians, school shootings, environmental things -- and I'm reading the most incredible book right now that's reminding me so much of where I grew up. SO much food for thought. But... It kinda feels like the world is moving so fast it's about to spin out of control. Gag, just reading that makes me feel old - lol. But it's true. I do feel old. I worry about the young people as every generation before me has done.
I worry not because I don't think they're capable, I worry because of the world they're forced to live in. Students marching on the White House and demanding that gun control must come into play, meanwhile the guy they call president is off in California. Young surfers who have created initiatives to clean up the oceans, meanwhile companies like Starbucks (whom I admittedly do still love) are pumping out plastic straws and plastic lids. Just yesterday there was an article exposing big bottled water companies like Dasani, Evian, Aqua Fina, and Nestle Pure Life for having microplastics IN the water - check it out here. Or I mean don't. You don't have to read it to know that plastic water bottles are bad. And hey man, I'm guilty. I used to buy Perrier so my dog could chew the bottle after - biting the lids off was his favorite thing to do. I now buy Voss for twice the price because they use glass bottles. Probably not any better if it's actually being shipped from Norway. You really could drive yourself crazy with all this stuff.
But the thing that's really been bothering me the most has been bacon, ham and all pork products. Why? Because of pigs.
I could go into detail about the horrors pigs suffer on a daily basis, but if you're anything like me (or the way I used to be) that would have me tuning out. I don't want to see graphic images of torture and I don't want to know how much suffering they endure. But if it's that bad just to hear about about, imagine what the animals are feeling.
No, instead I want to tell you how great they are. Pigs have really high IQ's. Much higher than dogs. Would you have a party wherein you roasted your dig for dinner? God I hope not. Pigs fetch (yes, you could take your pig to the dog park and he'd go after the ball), they understand human direction. Basically you can teach a pig to do all the things you teach your dog - sit, down, stay, etc. They recognize their friends and families, mama pigs can recognize the sounds of their own piglets squealing in the same way a mom at a birthday party full of toddlers knows when it's her kid crying. They have great memories and unique personalities. Don't believe me? Check out Esther The Wonder Pig.
You might be reading this right now and be thinking so what, Shan, I'm never going vegan. This is the way the world is. It's been this way for thousands of years. And I'll agree with you. It has been this way and I don't imagine I'll see a vegan world in my lifetime but... I would ask you to leave pigs off your plate. I'm not asking you to go vegan or even vegetarian and while I personally feel it is just as wrong to eat a cow or chicken or lamb (that one might be worse) as it is to eat a pig, I would ask you not to eat pigs because they are exactly like our beloved companion animals.
Let me put it to you another way...
You've heard of Martin Luther King Jr. right? If you've been living under a rock or your a teenager or something, allow me to introduce you.
MLK was a Baptist minister who was very active in the civil rights movement. If you need to get woke, just watch the movie Selma.
So why do I bring up MLK in the middle of a post about pigs? Because of people's resistance to stop eating meat. Ask yourself why you're hanging on to eating bacon (as just one example). Why can't you give it up? Pork products are load load loaded with with cholesterol. So it ain't good for ya. The manure produced by hog farms kills fish when it comes in contact with rivers and water supplies. To prevent that, those farms spray it into the air so it's literally killing the people who live near these farms - so it's really really bad for the environment. Why are you eating it? Because it tastes good? Lots of other things taste good too, eat other things.
But I digress - my point is that at the time of his death, Martin Luther King was THE most hated person in America. According to Bernice King (his daughter) around the time of his death, an opinion poll reflected the fact that the civil rights leader was the most hated man in the United States because regardless of how peaceful he was, he was promoting an idea that was extremely unpopular. Dr. King and countless other activists were challenging a system of discrimination that was (and still is) deeply entrenched in American society, so they were obviously pissing off a lot of people. (I am quoting a guy called Nik who is a vegan because he is against speciesism)
As a vegan, Nik is working to dismantle a system of discrimination that is even MORE widespread than racism. And I'm with him. I believe we need to change and I think we're capable. And if that makes people angry, that's okay. It just proves we're on the right track.
I mean you can't tell me that when you watch an animal rescue video that you don't cheer.
No. You DO cheer because you're so relieved that the animal got saved. Well guess what? ONE VEGAN will prevent 198 animals from going to slaughter each year! YOU - by leaving animals off your plate can save 198 animals annually. But I get it. You might not be ready to change completely. But please, I implore you - stop eating pigs.
Oprah says that people are resistant to anything that removes them from their current state of thinking. It feels threatening. Because they're then forced to ask: If I have to change what I believe (that it's okay to kill animals for example) I then may not be who I THINK I am because I have based who I am on what I believe. (So maybe you're not the top of the food chain, entitled, tough, whatever - be something better, more compassionate and loving).
I'll finish with a final thought from Obama who said: When ordinary citizens decide that something isn't right, they can impact the way things are done. (march for women's rights, speak up for gun control, stop using plastic)
And in my case be the voice of animals, because like MLK I too have a dream - I have dream where we can build a community - nay a WORLD - where veganism is the norm. And you can help. Return to your heart. Leave animals off your plate.
Love you,
Shan
