THE WAY FORWARD
The tragic
results of human arrogance and callous behaviour become ever more obvious.
Consider the following:
The 1999 Annual
Report of the United Nations World Food Programme says on page 1 that the aim
is to halve the number of malnourished people in the world by the year
2015. Is that an adequate aim? How many will suffer and die during those years?
Reports that
the menace of BSE continues to grow. Eighty human deaths already, and 150 to
150,000 to follow.
Human
interference with the balance of gases in the atmosphere has now grown so great
that the consequences of global warming and climate change will render many
millions homeless and without any way of meeting their needs. How long have
they got?
Note that all
these horrific catastrophes result from humanity's ignorance of its essential
nature and needs.
THE SOLUTION
There is only
one way to meet such tragedies: the Vegan Way, springing from compassion for
all sentient creatures. It is a simple way, in harmony with the teachings of
the saints and great philosophers through the ages and the compassion that
stirs at times within every human heart. Now the survival of humans, all highly
developed creatures and the health of the planet itself, depends on our living
consistently according to that teaching.
The widespread
adoption of the vegan diet will bring to an end the exploitation of animals for
food and the suffering that that inevitably causes.
It will release
the enormous tonnage of grain that is now fed to animals for millions of
starving humans.
It will free vast
acreage of land on which humans can grow their food and where they and wild
creatures can find the means for positive living.
There would
even be enough land to grow bio-fuel crops so that we can have some
electricity!
There will be
plenty of land on which to grow trees that will yield abundant food and other
sustainable resources, and at the same time check soil erosion, desertification
and global warming.
The ending of
livestock farming will stop the enormous amount of methane that ruminants emit
into the atmosphere. Methane is a far more powerful greenhouse gas than CO2. This fact alone, in
addition to its importance to global warming, gives an overwhelming reason for
turning vegan.
All food will
be grown the vegan-organic way, not using chemicals that harm wild life
and the environment. It will not be grown the much-vaunted organic way,
for this depends on exploiting animals that, however well treated when alive,
end their shortened lives in the slaughterhouses. Moreover, they and their
manure emit methane and the manure could also contain dangerous pathogens.
MCL advocates
the use of locally produced food and goods. This would stop the enormous waste
of resources now used in processing and packaging, and also the enormous
amounts of global warming caused by the lorries and aeroplanes that carry the
produce to fill the supermarket shelves.
Now we must use
every power, every endeavour to spread knowledge of the dangers and the way to
meet them.
We must show
that vegan lifestyles bring health of body, mind and spirit, and joy from
serving life.
Kathleen Jannaway
with minor updates
Spread
this knowledge through the Internet - please link to this page from other web
sites.
MCL, 105 Cyfyng Road, Ystalyfera,
Swansea SA9 2BT, UK.
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