What I know in my heart to be true

I believe that all sentient beings, both ourselves and our fellow animals:-

• need and deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, kindness and compassion

• should not be harmed by words, thoughts and deeds

• should be free to live and enjoy their own lives and not be forced to do anything against their will

• and, above all, need to love and be loved

"This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." 
The Dalai Lama


"Let him not destroy, or cause to be destroyed, any life at all, nor sanction the acts of those who do so. Let him refrain from even hurting any creature, both those that are strong and those that tremble in the world."
The Buddha

"Peace is based on respect for life, the spirit of reverence for life. Not only do we have to respect the lives of human beings, but we have to respect the lives of animals, vegetables and minerals"
Thich Nhat Hahn in "Peace is Every Step"

"Today, more than ever before, life must be characterized by a sense of Universal responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life."

The Dalai Lama

"A human being is part of a whole, called by us the "universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few people near us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

Albert Einstein


"I believe in the essential unity of man and for that matter, of all that lives."
Gandhi

What the Dairy and Egg Industries do not want you to know (revised 13/11/09)

The dairy industry paints an idyllic picture of cows happily grazing in lush grassy sunlit fields. This is far from the truth:

• dairy cows are constantly and forcibly impregnated to convert them into milk machines
• their calves are taken away a few days after birth - separation is very distressing for mother and baby
• the calves are seen largely as a waste product and are killed. Some unfortunate ones may endure the horrors of the veal crate
• overmilking causes painful infections of the udders which introduce pus and blood into the milk. 400 million pus cells per litre of milk are allowed by UK regulations!
• after five years, the cows are worn out and less productive so they meet a bloody death at the slaughterhouse. Their natural lifespan is over 20 years.
• many cows are increasingly being enslaved in "zero-grazing" systems in which they kept in sheds and deprived of their natural instinct to graze (video)

The egg industry's aim is to produce eggs in the most productive and efficient way:

• most eggs come from battery farms in which four or five hens are packed into a space about the size of a microwave oven. (video) The newer upcoming "enriched" cages are not much better
• egg-laying hens are debeaked in various painful ways such as using a red-hot blade
• hens kept in barns fare little better - conditions are still filthy and overcrowded
• millions of male chicks are deemed surplus to requirements because they cannot lay eggs, so they are gassed or shredded alive
• after about 18 months the hens are judged to be not productive enough and are killed. The normal lifespan of egg-laying hens is 10 years

Thus, millions of defenceless fellow animals are brought into the world but deprived of their liberty, their children, the opportunity to have a family and to love one another. Furthermore, they endure untold suffering, indignities and a premature painful death. Go vegan to help stop this.

[Thanks to AnimalAid and VIVA for the above information and for their compassionate campaigning]

A Message To Our Fellow Animals (revised 27/7/09)

• We breathe the air you breathe
• We drink the water you drink
• We bask in the warmth you share

Earthlings

For a detailed and shocking expose of the horrors inflicted by humans on our fellow animals you need to be aware of the movie, "Earthlings". However, BE WARNED that the cruelty and violence depicted therein is very graphic. I admit that I could only watch some of it but played it all through and listened avidly to the very informative, moving and persuasive commentary.

• you can watch a free low resolution version
• or buy the DVD, DVD quality version or the audiobook here

GO VEGAN: For people, the planet and animals

The title of this 12 minute video says it all: 

• "VEGAN: For the People, For the Planet, For the Animals"

The practicalities of going vegan

A practical guide to going vegan is:-

• "The Ultimate Vegan Guide: Compassionate Living Without Sacrifice" by Erik Marcus;2009
  

NB: The book entitled "Becoming Vegan" is a guide to vegan nutrition primarily

Reasons for going vegan

 “You must be the change you want to see in the world"

• Ghandi
  

“As far as I'm concerned, veganism is the single most important form of social activism that anybody can engage in.”

• Professor Gary L. Francione

53 BILLION PER YEAR is the number of animals killed in the world by the meat, dairy and egg industries

• abolitionistapproach.com

"We all love animals.  Why do we call some "pets" and others "dinner?"  

• k.d. lang
  

"Animals are my friends... and I don't eat my friends" 

• George Bernard Shaw
  

" Well-planned vegan and other types of vegetarian diets are appropriate for all stages of the life cycle, including during pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood and adolescence. " 

• Journal of the American Dietetic Association  Vol.103 748-765 (2003)
  

"Vegan diets, which contain no animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, or other animal products), are even healthier than vegetarian diets. Vegan diets contain no cholesterol and even less fat, saturated fat, and calories than vegetarian diets because they exclude dairy and eggs. Scientific research shows that health benefits increase as the amount of food from animal sources in the diet decreases, making vegan diets the healthiest overall."

• Physicians Committee for Responsible Medecine pcrm.org PCRM FAQ #1
  

"The livestock industry is responsible for approximately 18% of global greenhouse emissions attributable to human activity, which is more than the transport sector's share."

• FAO 2006 "Livestock's Long Shadow"
  

"Continued growth in meat output is dependent on feeding grain to animals, creating competition for grain between affluent meat eaters and the world's poor."

• The World Watch Institute
  

"..... follow the path with heart"

• Carlos Castenada