vegilicio.us

Those Buddhists really get me down.

This past weekend, I went to the second part of a meditation series (read about Part I.) These are Buddhisty folks, which certainly made my eating requirements for the event way easier. Veg options are always plentiful, and, as a bunch, I tend to think of these Buddhisty types as pretty veg-sympathetic, if not veg themselves.

So, it's the second day, and I am chatting with a lovely woman who is one of the organizers of the weekend. I had met her last July, and I had been impressed by her. Somehow the topic of vegetarianism comes up (presumably because we were eating at the time), and she first launches into this monologue about how humans are "designed" to eat meat (some sort of theory about our teeth.) But then, in some seemingly strange attempt at showing solidarity, she talks about how meat is so "different" now than how it used to be. It's so fatty now. Oh how the quality and healthfulness of meat has declined! So, really, it's understandable you wouldn't eat it. And then there's contamination risks, blah blah blah blah blah.

There I am, talking to this Buddhist woman (and she is actually full-on Buddhist, BTW, and not just Buddhisty) listing all the reasons why one might abstain from meat and waiting for her to give the obvious reason why a person (much less a BUDDHIST who follows a precept about protecting life) might choose not to consume animals!

And I wait. And she's talking. And I wait.

So finally, in my most compassionate, least aggressive, quiet tone, which might have even suggested that the idea had just occurred to me, I said, "And, well there's also that little thing about the suffering of millions and millions of animals. That would be a reason not to eat meat."

"Oh, right!" she said. But before I had a chance to feel too superior about the whole thing, she took me down a notch by letting me know that the Dalai Lama eats meat.

Well that changes everything! Bring out the spit!

It was so discouraging. How much more obvious could things be? I say that, yet at the same time recognize that the entire system of industrial food production is actually predicated on things not being obvious - on the relationship between the piece of meat that ends up on our dinner plate and the living, breathing being who was slaughtered in pain and fear being completely obscured.

But if this kind and generous woman who has sought out a life path of compassion and wakefulness - of being aware - won't see it, what hope is there for the rest of the planet?

Time Needs a Wake Up Call: Hello? Good journalism, are you there?

I was so glad to see that, in honor of World Vegan Day 2008 (today!), Time ran a piece about veganism and its history. The article was featured in the Health & Science section, so I was relieved to know that it wouldn't be some sensationalized, biased drivel and instead would be grounded in, oh I don't know, the facts of Health & Science. No social or political agenda at work. Whew! Just an honest look at a choice that millions of people have made since ancient times and continue to make today, and perhaps some consideration of why it's gaining popularity at this particular moment in history (factory farming... climate crisis... overpopulation... global poverty... etc. etc. etc.). 

Um, better take that back. 

Let me share with you the opening paragraph:

"November 1 is World Vegan Day, a celebration of people who don't eat meat. Or eggs. Or cheese. Or mayonnaise. Or honey. Or whey. Or gelatin. Or anything that comes from or includes an animal. Nor do they use any clothing, accessory or object made from an animal. No leather, no wool, no pearls, no ivory-keyed pianos."

Seems pretty odd that the opening paragraph says nothing of the reasons people embrace veganism --like doing everything in one's power to reduce the suffering of animals (and ultimately people too. In a nutshell, to be an ethical person.) No, the author, Claire Suddath, not only fails to make that point (which really should be THE point, for an article billing itself "A Brief History of Veganism") in the opening paragraph, she fails to make it anywhere in the article (managing only to explain veganism as merely a list of NOs.) Where is the health and science part in this again?

Rather, she labels veganism as "extreme" (unlike the torture and slaughter of billions of animals?), then goes on to associate the practice with religious sects, including the oddball Sylvester Graham (inventor of graham crackers) who preached abstinence and frequent bathing along with a vegan lifestyle. Then she mentions that Fiona Apple and Woody Harrelson are vegans (super informative), and she notes that vegans have to take supplements because they are at risk of a B12 deficiency. (Thanks.) Oh, and she makes it clear that "there are plenty of people who cheat." (Well who could be expected to follow through with such extreme deprivation all the time anyway!) 

For the big finish with her last paragraph, she amuses herself by pointing out that, believe it or not, there are people even more extreme (?!) than regular old hum-drum vegans:

"Then there's raw veganism, which is an offshoot of veganism in which none of the food can be cooked. Take that a step further and you get "mono meals," the idea that the stomach should only digest one type of food at a time."

And my favorite, her closing line; drumroll please: "Basically, if you eat it, there is probably someone else out there who won't."

You know, to each his own, right? Like, I work with this one girl who refuses eat anything red. And what was the name of that serial killer a few years back who ate people? Oh and my old roommate would only drink carbonated beverages with a straw, non-carbonated without. Isn't that funny?! People just like all different kinds of stuff I guess!

What I Learned after Meditating for a Weekend.

This past weekend, I had the remarkable experience of doing a weekend-long meditation retreat. (Although this specific practice is itself secular, it is out of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.) There is lots I could say about my feelings, which I am sure will continue to evolve over the days and weeks and months ahead. But, what was most powerful for me, and which I think is relevant to discuss here, is how the practice of meditation fosters compassion.

Initially, it is the compassion that one extends to the self, allowing yourself to be present in the moment, to be okay as you are, to have the courage to be yourself. Meditation, to me, is a form of self-love, and what a compassionate action to set aside time each day to let your mind and body settle and be free from the tumult of ordinary life.

But, the compassion doesn't end with the self. It extends out into the world. And, for me, this is a foundational aspect of living a vegetarian life, and it is the goal of living with true compassion that connects all the various and disparate parts of myself. It is compassion for animals, compassion for the earth, and compassion for our fellow humans. For this reason, I have been considering more seriously lately the possibility of transitioning to veganism. It is not a step I am ready to make fully, yet, but I have to believe that this is the ideal.

In the mean time, I am just working on compassion. I want to remember to be compassionate when I get frustrated with a co-worker, irritated at another driver, or disapppointed by a friend. And, I want to practice compassion--gentleness--to myself, meaning I will not be too rough on myself for feeling frustration, irritation, or disappointment. It is this, sadly, that I find the most difficult of all.