TRADITION VS MINDFULNESS

Tradition vs Mindfulness

So much of what we do is done by tradition, without any thought as to why we do it. Yet, most of our traditions aren’t really traditions. They started out as really good advertising campaigns. The tradition of diamond engagement rings started in 1938 from an advertising campaign created by DeBeers diamonds.  Our traditional Santa started as an advertising campaign for Coca-Cola in 1931. We think vitamin C cures colds and that orange juice is nutritious (even though it is mostly sugar) from advertising.

 Killing and eating turkeys for Thanksgiving started in the 1860’s from promotions by the turkey industry. People ate them only at Christmas because they were cheap and could feed a lot of people. Wealthy people considered turkey “peasant food”.  Commercial beef wasn’t eaten by people until the late 19^th century.

 Our Christmas celebration, started from Pagans celebrating the Winter Solstice. Historians state Jesus was born during the summer months, not winter. Christian churches could not stop Christians from celebrating this Pagan holiday, so they made it Jesus’s birthday. Decorating our houses with lights started in the mid-20th century again from advertising campaigns.  We have been programmed by advertisers just to do these “traditions” without any thought as to why we are doing them.

We continue to think dairy products build strong bones, even though study after study has shown people who consume dairy products are at a higher risk for bone fractures. We continue to think we need to eat meat for protein, even though study after study has shown meat eaters have a much higher risk for heart disease, diabetes and cancer, and that plant proteins are much easier for the body to process. We have been taught to ignore the suffering of animals and kill billions of them every year without regard.

Slavery was traditional. Stoning people was traditional and in some countries, still is. Spanking children with belts use to be the traditional way to punish bad behavior. It took many years of public outcry to get these traditions out of the mainstream.

As we mature and leave home to become our own person, we must examine our “traditions” and find out why we do them. Traditions that do not sit well with our souls must be dropped.  We cannot use “It’s tradition” or “We’ve always done that “, as excuses for bad behavior.  We must consider if others suffer from our traditions.

Mindfulness is being aware—aware of what you are doing and how it affects others. It is taking responsibility for your actions and your choices. Being aware means researching what you are doing and what the consequences are. It means making necessary changes.  It is taking control of your life back from corporations and their propaganda. It puts you in the driver’s seat.

 When you are mindful of what you eat, you are fully aware of the suffering and torture on your plate.  It is as if you tortured and slit the throat of the innocent animal yourself.  You are aware of the planet destruction your food choices cause.  You soon will find the taste of death unpalatable.

Being mindful, you are aware of the freshness of fruit and vegetables and the vibrate taste of life that comes with every bite. It is the most wonderful feeling to eat healthy and know that nothing suffered or died. It feels great to know that you are bringing peace to our planet as well as ending planet destruction.  Thinking for yourself is the feeling of true freedom. 

THE MOST IMPORTANT NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION YOU WILL EVER MAKE

THE MOST IMPORTANT NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION YOU WILL EVER MAKE

Every year most of us make New Year’s resolutions like losing weight or eating healthier. The top three resolutions people make each year are: Lose weight, get organized and spend less. The most important resolution you can make this year will not only make you a better, healthier person, it is necessary to save our planet.

Climate scientists have been warning us about global warming for decades. Scientists say a warming of two degrees will cause massive extinction and problems for humans. At the rate of our current global warming we will be warming by four degrees in just a few short years. They have stated 2017 is the point of no return. If we do not start to reverse global warming by 2017, it will be too late. It is estimated, at our current trend, by 2030 there will be a mass extinction not seen since the dinosaurs.

So what can we do to reverse global warming? Stop driving our cars? Turn off our lights? None of these will be effective enough to start a reversing trend. The most effective way to reverse global warming is to adopt a plant based diet—in other words, go vegan.

 

 

The number one cause of greenhouse gases is animal agriculture (dairy, meat, and eggs). According to the World Bank Group, it is responsible for 51% of greenhouse gases. Transportation total is responsible for 13%. Animal agriculture is the number one cause of methane and nitrous oxide.  Methane is 25 times worse than carbon dioxide as far as creating global warming. Nitrous oxide is 300 times worse than carbon dioxide. The following charts show the growth in factory farms compared to the growth in greenhouse gases.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An interesting note, researchers have discovered that the smog over many cities was not caused by cars (like we are told) but by the smoke and fat from thousands of restaurants grilling meat.

Animal agriculture is the number one cause of rainforest destruction. 91% of rainforests were destroyed for animal agriculture compared to 23 % for palm oil. In the US alone, every minute 7 acres of trees are cleared for animal agriculture. These lands are not only cleared to raise the animals, but also to grow food to feed them. Trees are needed to clean our air and reduce greenhouse gas build up. It takes 16 pounds of feed to make one pound of meat. Think about it. If we all adapted a plant based diet, we could not only reverse global warming, we could feed the world.

The majority of our dwindling oil and natural gas supply is used by animal agriculture. Animal agriculture uses 25 times more fossil fuels than our cars and other transportation. We are going to run out of oil. The only question is when.

Animal agriculture is number one in water usage and water pollution. 85% of the water in the US goes to raising livestock.  Climate change will cause more and more drought conditions, making our water even more precious. Our underground aquifers are being drained at a tremendous rate, faster than they can be replenished. Add to that, the run-off from animal farms pollute our precious waters. There is a 7000 square mile “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico that continues to grow. Our Great Lakes also have dead zones caused by animal agriculture. One pig farm creates more sewage than the entire city of New York and this waste is untreated. This waste winds up in our lakes, rivers, and our groundwater we use for drinking. When the waste lagoons get too large, some factory farms start to spray the waste water into the air. We know conserving water is important and we want future generations to have access to water. One pound of beef takes 5,200 gallons of water. That is over a year’s worth of showers. Compare that to 24 gallons to make a pound of potatoes or tomatoes. In the US, fracking uses 140 billion gallons of water every year. Animal agriculture uses 340 TRILLION gallons every year.

Overfishing is destroying our oceans.  Fish help to keep the oceans healthy and reduce ocean warming. Many fish species have been depleted to the point of extinction. 80% of the fish caught goes to feeding livestock.

If you want to give up your car, live in the dark, stop taking showers, go ahead, but none of that will stop global warming and our inevitable destruction. We should be mad as heck at the meat, dairy and egg industries. They are wasting our oil and our water. They are poisoning our water and our air. They are destroying our planet and our way of life. This year make it your resolution to do something about it. Show the animal agriculture industry that they cannot get away with making huge profits by destroying our children’s futures. Go vegan. Take away their money, take away their power.  Not only will you be helping to save our planet, lose weight, and be healthier, you will be helping to end the torture and slaughter of 96 billion animals and 3 trillion fish every year.  It is amazing how one simple small step can do so much.

 

 I encourage everyone to read more and learn. Knowledge is the key to making responsible food choices.

My Sources:

“The Sustainability Secret” by Kip Anderson and Keegan Kuhn

“This Changes Everything” by Naomi Klein

“World Peace Diet” by Will Tuttle PhD

“The Food Revolution” by John Robbins

“The Conscious Planet” by Neil Pine

“Comfortably Unaware” and “Food Choices and Sustainability” by Dr.  Richard Oppenlander

epa.gov http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/ch4.html

http://www3.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/n2o.html

You can change for the better. I am here to help.