I was with a close friend the other day, one whom I’ve been friends with for almost 20 years. We were in a health food store and I said, “Do you know how passionate I am about animal rights, caring for the planet, and being vegan?” She responded, “No, I didn’t know that.”
Wow! In the name of trying to not upset anyone, push my views on them, let them have their freedom to choose and trust their choices, and to not make them feel I am trying to change them or make them wrong, I have been hiding out. I have shut off my voice, which is here to be expressed. Wisdom is to be shared, and yes, I’m not interested in going to protests and fighting against what’s wrong. However, this does not equate to shutting your self-expression down completely. I can only communicate as best I can from my soul and heart, with the intention to share my wisdom and knowledge with others for the upliftment of the planet, in service to all beings everywhere. When you hear a viewpoint that is different from your own, it is human nature to think the person is judging your view as wrong and trying to change your mind. Furthermore, it’s easy to make yourself wrong too, as you hear someone doing something you think YOU should be doing but aren’t. Whatever we are passionate about, it is asking to be expressed in the world, in the physical. It’s why we are here! And each of us has our unique passions. I realized something about Christianity not so long ago. I realized that if, with all my being, I believed in a vengeful punishing God, that if you do not follow certain rules (dependent on what church you’re in and their interpretation of words in the Bible), or do not “take Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior,”, you will go to Hell, eternal damnation and suffering: I, too, would do everything in my power to save as many people as I possibly could from such a fate!!! So I am going to be the Lorax now and speak for the trees, and the animals, and the waters, and the soils, and Gaia herself. I have been passionate about animal rights and caring for the planet since I was a teen. I volunteered for Rainforest Action Network, and went to animal rights protests into my 20’s. I’ve dived into my heart and spiritual connection with Gaia, read the research, watched the documentaries, and I’ve witnessed myself go the easy route. The easy route started because I noticed I was filled with judgment on others, and I didn’t want to be anymore. Then it just became easier to fall in line, to be vegetarian, or to eat chicken because “my husband and son want it”, or eat dairy, or fish and chips, or whatever, because it’s just so yummy. Here’s the thing: EVERYTHING is consciousness. Animals are people. Plants are people. The Waters are people. Humans are people. Gaia, our beloved planet, is a conscious being. We affect her, not only in our actions, but in our emotions and thoughts. The earth has provided us a way to thrive and live, with air, water and food as the basics. There is plenty for everyone. Meat as a business, an industry, encouraging us to consume more than we need, and having no regard to the impact on the earth or the treatment of the animals, isn’t working. This is also true of farming vegetables etc., but I won’t go there right now. My stand is this: WE HAVE A CHOICE to eat animals, or not. We DO NOT have to eat meat! We have so much abundance that we can be healthy and thrive without eating meat (or seafood, poultry, dairy). For those who are starving, who live in places where meat is their only source in winter etc., that’s a different situation. Most of us are not in this situation, and those that are often live with respect to the Earth, hunting for their own food and use all parts of the animal. I’m not asking you to change your mind, to stop eating meat, to go vegan, or MOST importantly to make yourself wrong for your choices now. We all do baby steps for the well-being of the whole. We try to use a little less water, buy a little less disposable things we don’t really need, buy used clothing, or maybe eat a little less meat. I will buy used leather, like Birkenstocks, for it honors the animal to use the product as long as possible. I use money to express my values, choosing to invest in the things, like organic produce or pasture-raised eggs for my husband, that reflect my values and stand for the planet. Do what feels right inside to YOU. What I have experienced is that when you allow yourself to be honest about your values, what’s authentically important to you, and not from making yourself or anyone else wrong, your choices naturally shift. Making choices that serve All, that are loving, forgiving, towards our biggest dreams and goals, and that aren’t from fear or doubt, are very often OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE. Crazy but true. So have mercy on yourself and others! It’s time to get out of our comfort zones, to notice our comfort habits, and powerfully choose to say, “No, thank you, I AM going to do this uncomfortable thing,” or say, “Yes, I’m going for comfort right now,” and be totally lovingly right with your choice. You are here to BE YOU. You don’t need to apologize or hide out. You don’t need to compare yourself to anyone, nor do you need anyone’s approval. And when you notice taking actions from that fear of disapproval, you can keep going anyway, knowing you are paving the way for others to be free to be themselves too. We can do this, and we can do this much easier when we admit what is important to us, what we are passionate about, and support each other. I support you 100% in all that you are, and I know that you are perfectly on your path. Let’s keep going, releasing those old comfort patterns and beliefs, and opening to a world where All beings thrive, are loved and seen, respected and cared for.
1 Comment
11/9/2022 05:01:05 am
Arm race glass magazine. Several do stock book wife.
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