The World Peace Diet: Eating For Spiritual Health And Social Harmony

Living the Revolution / 271
motivation of veganism is compassion. It is not at all about personal
purity or individual health or salvation, except as these bless others. It
is a concrete, visible way of living that flows from, and reinforces, a
sense of caring and connectedness.
Even if we are benumbed to the degree that we are not concerned
about the suffering of animals, and we are only able to care about other
humans, we soon realize that the human anguish caused by eating foods
of animal origin requires us to choose a plant-based diet. Human starvation,
the emotional devastation required to kill and confine animals,
the pollution and waste of water, land, petroleum, and other vital
resources, and the injustice and violence underlying our animal food
production complex all compel us to abandon our acculturated eating
habits. As we make connections and become open to feedback, it will
be increasingly obvious that one of the greatest gifts any of us can give
to the world, to the human family, to future generations, to animals, to
ourselves, and to our loved ones is to go vegan and dedicate our lives to
encouraging others to do the same.
This requires questioning the underlying assumptions and attitudes
of our culture and freeing ourselves from them not just in theory, but in
practice. This inner action of leaving home necessitates in many ways a
spiritual breakthrough. The essential action is to stop turning away and
disconnecting from the suffering we impose on others by our food
choices. Being willing to look, see, respond, and reconnect with all our
neighbors and live this interconnectedness inspires us naturally to
choose food, entertainment, clothing, and products that cause a minimum
of unnecessary cruelty to vulnerable living beings. As we do this,
we become more mindful of the ripples our actions cause in the world.
Our spiritual transformation deepens, and as our sensitivity increases
we yearn to bless others more and to be a voice for the voiceless. Once
a vegan, we are always so, because our motivation is not personal and
self-oriented, but is based on concern for others and on our undeniable
interconnectedness with other living beings.
This urge to show mercy and to protect those who are vulnerable is
rooted deeply in us, and though it has been repressed by our herding
culture, there is enormous evidence that it longs to be expressed by vir-