Animal Liberation is Human Liberation

Welcome to Peace to All Beings. Until we liberate animals from human exploitation and violence, we cannot expect to have true freedom and peace for ourselves. We human beings can awaken to our higher consciousness and embrace a new paradigm of living in harmony, rather than in fear and domination. We can become "Homo Ahimsa," my term for a new nonviolent and kind human, but we must make that choice together. There is hope for our species--hope that we will not continue this war against animals and the earth. Together let us co-create a new culture and heal the wounds humanity has caused to the earth, to each other, and to the animals who share this world with us.

Friday, December 15, 2017

THE TUTTLES 'ROUND THE WORLD VEGAN TOUR AND PRAYER FLAGS PRESENTED


AROUND THE WORLD WITH COMPASSION AND LOVE:  Will and Madeleine Tuttle have now completed their vegan world tour, literally “encircling the earth for all beings everywhere” with compassion.  They reached thousands, perhaps, millions, of people in many countries with the vegan message of compassion, nonviolence, and lovingkindness for all living beings.  As a special holiday gift to all of you, here are two videos of their tours in India and China.  Please enjoy and share them.  The world is awakening.   

Video of Will & Madeleine’s Tour to India:
Video of Will & Madeleine’s Tour to China
ANIMAL PRAYER FLAGS THEY PRESENTED IN CHINA
Will and Madeleine presented this prayer flag to the Abbott of 
the Pure Land Buddhist Temple in Xiucheng, China. 

They presented this flag to the Three Harmonic Temple 
in Kunmiing, China where they have a vegan school
and an animal sanctuary.  

Many thanks to Will and Madeleine and all the heroes enlightening the world about the sacredness and interconnectedness of all life.


Sunday, August 27, 2017

ART WITHOUT ANIMAL CRUELTY



ART WITHOUT ANIMAL CRUELTY
By Judy Carman
Reprinted with kind permission of Compassion Arts  

It all started when “The Story of Chickens” art project came to town. The artist’s plan was to display a group of chickens in a mobile pen for 30 days and then publicly kill them and serve them to her audience as a meal.  As I struggled to understand how such an atrocity could be considered “art,” I called city hall and learned, to my relief, that such activity was illegal within the city limits.

What happened next brought beautiful creativity into the process. Once she learned that her plan was illegal, the artist was quite open to our suggestions to use no live chickens at all and involve our animal rights group--Animal Outreach of Kansas (AOK)--in her work.  She allowed us to display many works of art that were respectful of chickens in the month-long art display at the gallery.  At the end of the month, she hosted a potluck at the gallery and allowed four of us to speak to the audience about the rights of chickens.  What began as an impending tragedy was transformed into an opportunity to educate people about the rights of animals and their desperate need for liberation from human exploitation.  I give the artist a lot of credit for that. Karen Davis of United Poultry Concerns, who helped us throughout the campaign, published a more detailed account of the event in the UPC article, The Story of Chickens: Closing Night

Speaking about the rights of chickens at closing night

                      An interactive art display honoring chickens at the gallery by Anna McCoy.

Still, a nagging question hung in the air-- how could the original art project ever have been considered “art” and given a grant?  And how could there be so many other animal abusing “art” projects that have caused the suffering and deaths of so many sentient beings?  A few examples include: the killing of a chicken in a school cafeteria as a filmed art project; setting fire to three live rats; the killing and displaying of 9,000 butterflies; throwing cats up a flight of stairs; the filming of a man holding a fish while he or she slowly died; and the strapping of LED lights to the legs of 2,000 pigeons and forcing them to fly at night, causing many to die.

It is safe to say that most of these works of art, if done by a non-artist, would be considered animal cruelty and possibly prosecuted.  Artists understandably demand free expression, yet none of them would claim that harming, killing, confining or using a human being in such ways would be accepted as art in today’s world. Respected animal rights artist, Sue Coe, whose drawings of animals help awaken people to the horrors they endure at human hands, makes it clear that we must bring an end to all use, abuse, killing and eating of animals. Mary Britton Clouse, of the Justice for Animals Art Guild, states, “Art is about ideas. Animals are not ideas. They are as real as we are.  Their suffering and deprivation are psychologically and biologically indisputable. . . . No act of self-expression is worth the life or liberty of another.”

So what do we do as animal activists?  Minding Animals International has just introduced a powerful new tool that will help us bring an end to using live animals in art.  That tool is the  Minding Animals Curatorial Guidelines One of the goals of the Guidelines committee was “to identify and avoid human exceptionalism/anthropocentrism, which prioritises humans over animals. Key to CAS [Critical Animal Studies] is a critique of capitalism and globalisation in its role in the domination of people, animals and the earth, but CAS also sees the intersections of all oppression anywhere and for whatever reason as motivation for employing the powerful forces of compassion and social justice...”  This revolutionary set of guidelines for artists and curators will be introduced at the International Minding Animals Conference in Mexico City in January, 2018. Carol Gigliotti, Yvette Watt, Jessica Ulrich and Rod Bennison are the main authors of the guidelines. They are also the panelists of the discussion that will take place at the Minding Animals Conference.  They describe the panel as follows:

 “Animal Art Exhibitions The growth of Animal Studies as a field has been mirrored by the increasing number of animal themed artworks and exhibitions. However, many artists and curators do not properly consider the impact of the artworks and exhibitions on perceptions of nonhuman animals, and on the individual animals themselves. The result has been numerous examples where the animal has been treated disrespectfully, marginalised, exploited, and caused physical and/or behavioural suffering. Animals have been killed as part of or for an artwork. The three panelists, along with Rod Bennison, were charged with developing Curatorial Guidelines for Minding Animals Exhibitions. Designed to avoid inappropriate and unacceptable uses of animals as subjects for artworks in exhibitions connected to Minding Animals International conferences and events, the guidelines may serve as a model for other curators in situations such as galleries, museums, performance spaces who are faced with similar decisions in their choice of what artworks and performances should be supported. The goal was a positive one of opening doors for curators to consider their choices in the wider and increasing context of respect and concern for all animals. This respect and concern includes acknowledgement of animals’ intelligence, consciousness, agency, and creativity and therefore is supportive of the creative impulse rather than attempting to limit it. The panel will discuss the process of defining these guidelines and consider what ideas were of utmost importance and the language to convey that: such as both wild and domesticated animals’ needs and rights, artistic freedom, ethics, the meaning of art and its limits. Additionally, the stakeholders in this process will be discussed and the discussions and handling of disagreements and multiple considerations examined…”

In addition to this ground breaking panel and set of guidelines, of course, we also have the help and vision of Compassion Arts, vegan and activist artists, ethical university professors and art museum directors, and many others.  Together we can find ways to establish firm vegan policies prohibiting all use of living beings in art projects around the world. AOK is currently working with a local art museum to initiate such a policy. I welcome any advice and am also available to discuss any similar projects you may have.
Judy Carman, M.A
Judy Carman is the author of the award winning Peace to All Beings: Veggie Soup for the Chicken’s Soul; and co-author with Tina Volpe of The Missing Peace.  She is co-founder with Will and Madeleine Tuttle of Circle of Compassion and the Prayer Circle for Animals Facebook. A recipient of the Henry Spira Animal Activist Award, she founded the Animals’ Peace Prayer Flag Project; co-founded, with Lisa Levinson, the Interfaith Vegan Coalition;  and co-founded Animal Outreach of Kansas.

POSTSCRIPT--I just received this link to an article about vegan art supplies that are made without harming animals.  What a great resource for vegan artists.  Thank you Sue Coe for this valuable information.



Friday, July 21, 2017



How What We Think Can Help Liberate Animals:
The dande-lion-hearted activist

We animal liberators are a lot like dandelions.  A lot of people would rather we not appear in their lawns even though our bright yellow blossoms are quite beautiful.  They try to pull us up by the roots or spray us with herbicides of all kinds, but somehow we always manage to pop back up cheerily and then overnight turn into the most lovely puffballs, full of hundreds of seeds.  All we need is a little wind and there go our seeds flying about like tiny birds.  That’s why the number of vegans (and dandelions) increases every day.  We dande-lion-hearted activists have planted a lot of seeds with both our thoughts and our actions.   

It’s been said that we attract what we think about most.  That is why it has also been said that every thought is a prayer.  Atheists and theists alike “pray,” in that broad sense, whenever we have a thought. Our dilemma as animal liberationists is that we have awakened from the cultural trance that ignores animal suffering and are now painfully and constantly aware of the terrible plight of the animals. In the true meaning of the word “compassion,” we are “suffering with.” What do we do, then, with our feelings and thoughts?  We have gone through the door of denial, and now we can’t Not Know. 

Our thoughts and feelings often turn to rage at what is happening, anger at the perpetrators, burn-out after working so hard with seemingly little progress, loneliness from being ostracized by some, and endless grief over the animals whom we cannot physically save. But if it is true that we attract what we think about most, then for the sake of the animals and ourselves, we must acknowledge the injustice while simultaneously attracting what we want for the animals.  We want to “attract” their liberation.  Therefore, the majority of our thoughts must be Loving thoughts empowered by the feeling of Love if we are going to bring animal liberation into reality.  


The question for all of us is--how do we keep our thoughts focused on this Love and this Vision of peace for all beings.  It is a challenge that activists for justice have faced through the ages.  It requires us to take time to feel the joy and peace that lies within each of us and connects us all to each other and to the animals.  It is from that place of peace that we can find the strength, the optimism, and the wisdom to do our part for the animals. In Defense of Animals’ Sustainable Activism Campaign’s goal is to help us all with that challenge.  IDA offers many resources to help activists.  Among those resources are
VeganSpirituality.com; (founded by Lisa Levinson)
Circleof Compassion.org (founded by myself and Will and Madeleine Tuttle)
PrayerCircle for Animals Facebook (also founded by me and the Tuttles);
The Animal Prayer Flag Project  right here at Peace to All Beings.com

Gandhi said, “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won… Think of it—always.”  Our awakening to the plight of the animals was an awakening to love for all beings and to reverence for all life. We have the great privilege of seeing with our hearts what peace and liberation for all beings can look like.  We have been blessed with the ability to love unconditionally just as the animals do.  May the seeds of all our thoughts, feelings, prayers, and actions bloom with that love.  Imagine, feel, and know that humanity is being transformed and animal liberation is close at hand.

© Judy Carman, 2015

               


Sunday, January 8, 2017

Are We Trumped or Are We More Powerful Than Ever?



Eating as Though the Earth Matters column

ARE WE TRUMPED OR ARE WE MORE POWERFUL THAN EVER?
As Trump prepares to take on the presidency, people all over the country are realizing—now, more than ever before—It really is up to us!  How many times must we see our legislative victories for the earth and for justice lose traction under the shenanigans of politicians?  Now it is possible that coal, oil, Keystone XL, and a nightmare of ecological terrors could escalate. Nil Zacharias writes in the online “One Green Planet,” an article he titled, “Here’s how you can shape our environmental future with Trump as president.” 
Zacharias writes that “With Donald Trump as President, huge questions loom about the future of the fight to preserve our natural ecosystems…”  He notes that the EPA could possibly be abolished or at least lose significant funds; that there could be increased subsidies for animal agriculture; and many policies to push for more coal and oil instead of alternative energy. We all agree with him when he says “The fight is not over,” but what does that fight look like now.  Of course, we cannot ignore what tricks the new administration will be playing.  But, more than ever, we must turn toward each other and “be the change” as Gandhi famously advised.  And not just “be the change” but also help others to be that as well.  As Zacharias writes, “if we care about our environment and the future of humanity, we have to start practicing change in our daily lives.” 

Captain Paul Watson, vegan activist and Founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, in his November 15 “Huffington Post” article, “Why fighting Donald trump is a waste of time,” acknowledges the threats posed by a Trump administration. But he also points out that it is up to us.  The keys to our survival include, “Individual passion. Individual imagination. Individual initiative. Individual courage.” “Depending on a politician to solve any of these problems is like depending on an oil executive to promote solar energy. It is simply not in their interest or as Bill Clinton once put it, ‘It’s the economy stupid.’”  Trump, he points out, is no better or worse than “the rest of these so-called leaders whose agenda is to serve the corporations and to enrich themselves.”

Love, Numbers, and Consumption
Time is short. We have to use our activist time wisely.  There is so much we can do individually as people who care about our earth.  It is time to create the world we want and heal the human caused damage, whether or not politicians and corporations cooperate.  Our power as people is enormously greater than that of governments.  That power lies in three primary areas: Love, Numbers, and Consumption. 

Love--for the earth, for the wilderness, for the trees and animals, for each other and for the children of the future--that is what motivates us to keep going as we continue to stand in solidarity. The lust for power that is causing so much destruction is intimidating, but we must always remember that lust is fueled by fear.  It can never match the strength of people emboldened by compassion, love, empathy, and care for all the living.   

Numbers?—well, there are a lot of us, and with this election, there is evidence that our numbers just grew exponentially.  More than ever, the realization is dawning that we cannot depend on the government to take good care of us if we just elect the right people.  What may well be the silver lining in all this is that people are becoming ready to take care of each other and of the earth with or without the will and action of the power elite.  Human rights, peace and justice, environmental, and animal rights groups may have many different missions and work to do, but it is clear that we all have one common mission.  Often referred to as intersectionality, we are now seeing that all justice work, whether for the earth, animals, or people, is focused on ending oppression and violence. Most efforts on the part of one cause to end oppression can benefit the other causes.  The exception to that premise occurs when activists act compassionately toward one group while unconsciously causing oppression to another. As Carla Golden states in her “activist’s lunchbox” article, “As long as those who gain the most from the current system can keep you oppressing other beings then you excuse and permit their oppression of you.” 
It is a time in our history when we activists must join together in our common goal to end oppression and build a world in which all people, animals, and the earth are protected from human greed.  As Golden points out, “If education, awareness, non-violent speech, and non-violent action are part of your social justice activist toolbox, then vegan needs to describe your activist lunchbox. Without non-violent sustenance, you are fueling your activism with the oppression against which you campaign. Eat peace and campaign for peace. Awaken the vegan within. Every social justice activist’s lunchbox must contain non-violence…Intersectionality calls for veganism to protect all beings, non-humans and humans, and secure justice, freedom, and compassion for all.”

Consumption—this is mind-boggling in its potential to create the world we envision.  We all know Americans’ consumption levels are off the charts compared to the rest of the world.  Not only do we need to consume less, but also consume consciously and mindfully.  When we shop at thrift stores, second hand stores, garage sales, Craigslist, and fair trade and ethical companies, we peacefully and nonviolently protest against big corporations and their child and adult slavery, unsafe working conditions, waste, pollution, mining for resources, and a long list of environmental, social justice, and animal atrocities caused by their reckless pursuit of profit without ethics.  But more than that, with enough of us participating, we peacefully and radically reduce their profits and force them to either close or get ethical!   
But our greatest influence as consumers lies in what we eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Nowhere else do we have such power to eliminate oppression of people, animals, and the earth as we do with our food purchases.  The government-subsidized animal agriculture industry causes animal suffering and death to billions of animals; causes misery among slaughterhouse and other workers; uses most of our fresh water and land; destroys rainforests and indigenous peoples’ homes; grows enough grain for animals that could be used to end world hunger; pollutes our air, waterways and seas; degrades the land; denudes forests; and destroys wildlife and their habitats.  That covers many of the justice movements directly. And the good news is that it is this one industry upon which we can have the most profound impact.  We can transform that industry by ourselves, without legislation, without appealing to those in power.  Most of us would have a hard time eliminating all petroleum products from our purchases right now, but overnight we can tell BigAg that we will not buy their products because they wreak havoc on the planet and all who live upon it.    

There are signs that this globally destructive industry is already paying attention to our ethics in action since the number of people going plant-based is rising dramatically. An October 10 article in the New York Times by Stephanie Strom is entitled “Tyson foods, A Meat Leader, Invests in ProteinAlternatives.” The largest meat processor in the country, Tyson Foods, has actually invested in the plant-based “meat alternative” company, Beyond Meat.  This new company is one of several that aims to do their part to heal the earth and create social justice by giving people an alternative to the destructive practice of eating animal products. One of Beyond’s products is the Beyond Burger that some Whole Foods Markets are selling next to their meat cases. The article quotes Tyson senior Vice President of New Ventures, Monica McGurk. ‘The quality of the Beyond Burger is amazing…We think it’s a game-changing product that gives us exposure to this fast-growing part of the food business.’

This is happening, not because of legislation which continues to subsidize animal agriculture or lobbyists getting soft hearted about the environment, but because of our power to choose what we buy.  Americans are simply eating more plant-based, vegan meals, and Big Ag is noticing.  If they have to switch to plant-based products to continue their profitability, then that is exactly what they will do and are beginning to do.  According to the Plant Based Foods Association, these new companies which include Beyond Meat, Heidi Ho, Califia Farms, and others showed $4.9 billion in sales from June of 2015 to June of 2016, outpacing in growth regular food businesses.  General Mills has moved quickly on the basis of such news and has invested in Beyond Meat and another plant-based company Kite Hill.   

Michele Simon, who is the executive director of the Plant Based Foods Association, said ‘The question in my mind with these acquisitions is always why they’re being done…The most positive view is that this means the meat industry is shifting away from animal meat to plant-based meat, but I don’t think we know that’s the case yet — it could also be a way of distracting attention from their industrial meat business.’  Also, if enough meat industry investors got too much control of the companies, they could destroy them. At this point, there is no doubt these animal agriculture companies have no plans to give up what has made them so rich and powerful. And that puts the responsibility back onto each one of us.  If we buy plant-based and never again buy animal-based, then they will have no choice but to transform into the non-violent, non-destroyer of the earth that we know they must.  According to Strom’s article, one survey found that 22 percent of consumers said they were eating more plant-based meat substitutes than they did the previous year.

By “being the change,” by living without oppression, by acknowledging our power and our ethics, we can re-wild the earth; we can bring the forests and prairies back; we can help wild animals on the brink of extinction thrive once more; we can end world hunger.  By eating plant-based meals we tell BigAg we are through with them.  By not supporting them, we prevent them from continuing to pollute the air and waters of earth.  I’m not saying legislation, demonstrations, and other forms of protest aren’t important.  They are critical. But recognizing the simple fact that we can make an enormous difference from this moment on by living non-violently is more important than ever before.  This is something we can each do as individuals right now and from now on that will bring us exponentially closer to the healed world we hold in our hearts. It’s up to us.  The power elite is not going to do it for us.  And that’s ok, because we can do this ourselves. I know we can.  We have the passion, imagination, initiative, and courage that Paul Watson says we need.  We have all those things.  We can do this.      
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© 2016, Judy Carman, M.A., is author of Peace to All Beings: Veggie Soup for the Chicken’s Soul and co-author of The Missing Peace: The Hidden Power of our Kinship with Animal;  2014 winner of the Henry Spira Grassroots Animal Activist award; and owner of a truck and a car powered by used veggie oil and house and a Chevy Volt electric car powered by solar. Her primary websites are circleofcompassion.org and peacetoallbeings.com.