By Paul Graham, Las
Vegas Informer
February 2014
Animals will have real rights that will be honored and protected, just as they are for humans. People will oppose and fight these changes till the very end. But just like the changes we have seen come about in the past 150 years, what is truly right will prevail. This movement will not rest and it will not go away until these changes come about. I, for one, count it an honor to be a part of this movement and this transition team.
“The assumption that animals are without rights and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance, is a positively outrageous example of western crudity and barbarity. Universal compassion is the guarantee of morality.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
Few people could argue that we are living in a trying and vexing time of human history. We are facing things in this generation that have never been faced in the magnitude that they are today. We are misusing, damaging and destroying resources that have supported us throughout our history. There are so many things that go on around us that there can be little explanation or justification for. Mankind can be so loving, kind, and compassionate on one hand and also extremely greedy, selfish, cruel and truly barbaric on another.
We are in such a need of, and are indeed ripe for, change on so many levels. What I gain hope from, that in the midst of all of this, there is a remnant of people that are being raised up to lead us to a shift of life and consciousness that will help us save our planet and resources and restore a right relationship between man and all living creatures. At least at this stage of things, we can think of those that are living this conscious lifestyle as involved in an unprecedented movement in history as a part of the transition team and a catalyst that will lead us to a much better place. That makes this also a very exciting time because we can see something happen that will have as profound a change upon history as anything ever has.
We can never right the wrongs that have been done in the past. They have been done. But we can help shape the present to something better that will not only improve life upon this planet now but will pave the way for a beautiful tomorrow and for generations to come. We must get back to a right relationship with animals. That relationship is one where we are not using them for profit or pleasure or consuming them as food or clothing. It is wholly unnecessary and when looked upon for what it really is, it is a scourge upon our humanity. It is a holocaust of epic proportions. It is a tragic violation of the rights that all living beings should have, a waste and contamination of our natural resources, a contributing factor to our health crisis, and a drain of our spiritual vitality.
We must work at bringing this to an end; and now a growing legion from activists to scientists to medical doctors to spiritual leaders are sounding the call for a change. The numbers of those joining the ranks of conscious eating and living of the vegan lifestyle are growing in numbers that are nearly exponential. We are seeing dramatic culture shifts taking place in countries like Germany and Israel. We are seeing the formation of conscious communities around our own country and cities being touched. It is having an impact upon the daily lives around us and we are seeing the vegan lifestyle flow like never before into the mainstream of our society. It is moving towards an eventual critical mass that I see ahead.
We have seen throughout history change come about where many thought it would never happen. It was a common thought that slavery would always be a part of life as we knew it in this country and yet it was abolished after a truly hard fought battle in the the mid 1800′s. Some believed that women would never have the right to vote or equal rights in other areas but actually did so almost 50 years after slavery ended. Almost 50 years later Civil Rights were established for all people though there were those that believed things should stay as they always had been. Those people who fought these changes were wrong…and they were eventually overcome. We look back on those times now and it is hard for us to believe that people even thought or acted in way contrary to what we know, accept and live today. Almost 50 years after Civil rights we are seeing a struggle still for Marriage Equality for all people and gender.
We see change taking place. We are also right now seeing another battle for rights taking place, and that is the rights for animals. We are seeking not to just improve the welfare of animals but to establish rights for them so that they can no longer be violated. I also don’t believe that it is going to take a half century for this change to take place because people have already been working for decades to get us to where we are now. The change will come much sooner than later and it bring about a new dawn for our humanity and all living creatures.
I have a glimpse of what this transition team is leading us towards. I see a time where the vast majority of people will see it abhorrent to consume animal products as food or wear them as clothing. Those industries that have supplied these products in the past will eventually be profoundly reduced. We will greatly expand the network of animals sanctuaries to transition farm animals out of production and eventual death in the slaughterhouse to a life of peace and freedom to live out their natural lives. This must begin now to handle the eventual need. I see the time coming where we will see our natural resources restored and replenished and food and water redistributed away from animal production to humans that will need it to live. Animals will no longer be captured and held in captivity for profit or amusement but will be protected and allowed to live as naturally as possible.
I can see us gaining back control of our food and an emphasis being placed on whole and organic food and away from the processed, GMO infested food-like products. In return we will regain our health and vitality and turn the tide on the health crisis that we face now. We will also see a wave of spiritual vitality come upon us that restore us and help us to a place of love and compassion for all humanity and living creatures. Animals will have real rights that will be honored and protected, just as they are for humans. People will oppose and fight these changes till the very end. But just like the changes we have seen come about in the past 150 years, what is truly right will prevail. This movement will not rest and it will not go away until these changes come about. I, for one, count it an honor to be a part of this movement and this transition team.
If you are not already a part with us…I encourage you to consider these things and then choose to resist it no longer. Be a part of this compassionate rights movement. Live the lifestyle and be a voice for the voiceless and shape the course of our future to come.
Paul Graham was born and raised in Northern California and has lived in Las Vegas since 2004. He is a top wedding officiate, a green Realtor and writer. He has a daily vegan food blog, Eating Vegan in Vegas which is 365 days and 365 vegan meals in Las Vegas.
Paul’s e-book, Eating Vegan in Vegas: If It Can Happen Here, It Can
Happen Anywhere is now available at www.sullivanstpress.com.
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