Missing Dirt and Dirty Deeds

This is my latest article for the newsletter "Sierra Club Planet Kansas", April-May Issue, 2011.  I write articles for the "Eating as Though the Earth Matters" column for each issue.

Missing Dirt and Dirty Deeds

As environmentalists and outdoor enthusiasts we are all keenly aware that the Earth does indeed matter—and not just to each of us but to everyone and all those who will live here after us. We are also painfully aware of what “civilization,” empire building, and runaway greed has done to our precious planet.

Yet caught somewhere in the shadows is another fearsome force that seems to have two faces. It is agriculture. This 10,000 year old invention has, on the one hand, the aura of love and care. It carries with it the pastoral images of farmers planting seeds and watching the miracle of food, flowers, pollen, and green leaves germinating from each tiny seed. It also brings with it our very survival since that is what the majority of people depend on in order to eat and stay alive. On the other hand, it carries with it a picture we don’t really like to face. Both animal agriculture and plowing to grow food are among the primary factors which have brought this planet nearly to the brink of disaster.

In order to take action, of course, we have to bear witness to this and fully understand what has been happening gradually over the centuries that has brought us, the earth, and the animals into this crisis.

In this article, let’s take a look at one aspect of the destructive face of agriculture—soil erosion and desertification. As we know, this is happening all over the world right now. As William Kotke explains in his book The Final Empire: The Collapse of Civilization and the Seed of the Future, desertification occurs as follows:

1. Too many confined animals overgrazing their limited space, deforestation (often done to provide more grazing land for more animals), and plowing land for grain to feed animals strip the native vegetation. That vegetation was kept intact and nourished for centuries by wild herbivores, but domesticated grazing animals cannot roam freely, choose their favorite grasses, and move on before doing any damage.

2. Once stripped, the land begins to erode, and the topsoil leaves a more or less impermeable layer of soil with less vegetation behind. This layer does not absorb water as well and so begins to wash away as well. In addition the water tends to run downhill instead of being absorbed into the soil to work its magic there and to replenish the water table.

3. This begins a spiral of more and more erosion as less water is absorbed and instead races downhill causing floods followed by droughts. Springs and creeks dry up, and rivers run muddy and full of the many toxic products that come from upstream, including farmed animal urine, feces, pesticides, herbicides, and animal pharmaceuticals.

4. According to Kotke, the floods carry huge amounts of sand and gravel that then bury the fertile floodplains downstream. He states, “This is the history of civilization from China, to India, to the Caucuses of Central Asia, to Europe, and now to the whole world. Civilization equals aridity.” He calls soil erosion “one of the most life-threatening problems on the planet.”

5. As the ability of soil to retain moisture is lost, rainfall decreases.

6. The end result is desertification. We have seen this happen in the span of our own lifetimes, for example, where rainforests have been clearcut in order to provide grazing land for cattle.

7. It’s important to also face the fact that this desertification alters the ecosystems. So not only do wild, native animals suffer from loss of habitat, but ranchers kill them by the millions in order to maintain their domesticated herds.

A permaculture book entitled Forest Farming points out that land dedicated to animal herds can produce only an average of 200 pounds of food per acre, compared to 1 ½ tons of cereal grain or 7 tons of apples.

According to Kotke, domesticated herds are grazing 70 percent of the land in 11 western states.

I love deserts and semi-arid ecosystems, but that is not what is being created here. A healthy natural desert provides homes for many animals and plants, and life flourishes. But deserts that have come into being as the result of human manipulation and destruction support very little life.

Animal agriculture is an immense and overwhelming factor in this devastation to the earth. However, the very, very good news is—we don’t need legislation to change this. We don’t need to change the minds of ranchers. We need simply to stop supporting this destructive industry by ending our consumption of animal products. One of our greatest powers as people is the boycott. And as I have said before in this column—the Mother of All Boycotts is to go vegan. When we adopt a vegan lifestyle, which is essentially a commitment to nonviolence to the earth and all life, we no longer purchase animal products and, thus, end the demand for the destruction that such purchases cause.

As human beings dedicated to bringing our beloved, miraculous earth back to health; restore ecosystems for our wild cousins; show compassion for all animals; and repair the enormous damage caused by our species, we need to show the power elite that we do not depend on them to tell us what to eat or how to treat the earth.

The meat and dairy industry is heavily subsidized by the federal government. Otherwise, those animal products would be much more expensive than they are. Out of all federal agricultural subsidies, vegetables and fruit receive .37% of the take; nuts and legumes, 1.91%; sugar, oil, starch, and alcohol, 10.69%; grains, 13.23%; while meat and dairy receive a whopping 73.80%. (Source: http://www.pcrm.org/magazine/gm07autumn/health_pork.html) And remember—the vast majority of the grains are fed to farmed animals. Powerful, special interest lobbies, good old boy networks and our own complicity have caused this dysfunction. We have the power to choose not to support them.

"I prefer to be true to myself, even at the hazard of incurring the ridicule of others, rather than to be false, and to incur my own abhorrence." Frederick Douglass, abolitionist (1818-1895)

As if it weren’t fun enough to say “we don’t need you” to the power elite, here are some vegan recipes to make life even more fun. (Use as many organic and fair trade ingredients as possible.)

Vegan Mac and Cheese from vegweb.com
Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds pasta, preferably macaroni
"Cheese" Sauce:
1 1/2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk
1 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
1 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup water
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce or Braggs Aminos
1/4 (12 ounce) block firm (not silken) tofu
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon vegesal or salt
1 dollop mustard, optional

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Boil water in a big pot and cook pasta according to package directions.
- Add all of the "cheese" sauce ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Once pasta is cooked, drain and put it in the baking pan (about the size of a brownie pan). Pour the "cheese" sauce over the pasta.
- Bake until the top of the pasta looks slightly browned and crispy, about 15 minutes.

Julie’s Amazing Cole Slaw
In a food processor, finely shred
One head of purple cabbage
Or ½ head purple and ½ head green cabbage
In a separate bowl mix
2/3 of a large jar of Vegenaise
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Pepper
Adjust seasonings to taste
Toss in cabbage and mix together.

Submitted by Judy Carman, M.A., Author of Peace to All Beings, co-author of The Missing Peace: The Hidden Power of our Kinship with Animals.and owner of a truck powered by used veggie oil. circleofcompassion.org, peacetoallbeings.com

SEASON OF NONVIOLENCE FOR ALL BEINGS

The Season of Nonviolence for All Beings

January 30 to April 4

The Season for Nonviolence begins on January 30 and ends on April 4. Created by Sunanda and Arun Gandhi, (Arun is the grandson of M.K Gandhi.), this annual observance commemorates the assasinations of M.K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Recently Cesar Chavez has been included in the commemorations. The Season of Nonviolence is recognized by hundreds of communities and groups.

• It is a call to all human beings to find ways to resolve conflict nonviolently.
• It is a time to remember these great visionaries and the values they taught.
• It is a season to learn about peacemaking and carry what we learn into the future.
• It is a sign that we human beings have the capacity to create a peaceful world.

But there is something missing. While there will be many blogs and websites and speeches about this inspiring time—in nearly all cases, there will be no mention of animals. Yet the animals of this world endure hideous violence at the hands of human beings. There will be uplifting talk among peacemakers of learning nonviolent communication, of changing our mindset from competition to cooperation, and that is all absolutely necessary and essential.

But we cannot aspire to such lofty goals only for ourselves as if we alone deserve peace, as if we can end war and rape and human slavery and still eat a steak at the end of our peaceful day. We cannot eat the misery and suffering of other beings and expect to have peace for our species alone.

John Denver, who sang many songs for the rights of animals, expressed it well in his “So You Say that the Battle is Over.” "Go tell that to those," he cries out, “with the wind in their nose, who run from the sound of a gun.” The same sentiment applies to those with the smell of death in their noses in slaughterhouses, factory farms, fur farms, laboratories, fish farms, fishing nets, and all the other instruments of suffering and death that the human beings have created.

Let us make this a Season for Nonviolence for All Beings. I cannot doubt that Gandhi, King, and Chavez would applaud such a noble goal.

May peace prevail on earth for all beings.

May all beings be at peace.

May all beings be free.

For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed,

 he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love. --Pythagoras

The human cycle of violence will not stop until we stop the underlying violence,

the remorseless violence we commit against animals for food.--Will Tuttle

As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields. --Tolstoy

As we talked of freedom and justice one day for all, we sat down to steaks. I am eating misery,

I thought, as I took the first bite. And spit it out. --Alice Walker

To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be

unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body. --Mohandas Gandhi

Only when we have become nonviolent towards all life will we
have learned to live well ourselves—Cesar Chavez

Harpooning Mother Earth and The Paradigm Shift

With much gratitude for the opportunity to write for the Eating as the Earth Matters column for Planet Kansas, here is the article I wrote for the February-March Issue, 2011.

Harpooning Mother Earth and The Paradigm Shift

On December 16 of 2010, a little over a month ago, what we all worked so hard to prevent, happened (not that we’re giving up now). On that day the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) granted a permit to Sunflower Electric to build a coal plant near Holcomb, Kansas. In the Sierra Club’s press release we read “This politicized fiasco was plagued with leaked emails exposing permit process manipulation, backroom deals, unwarranted involvement from the state legislature, and the abrupt and suspicious removal of former Secretary Bremby from KDHE. ‘The rushed job on this permit is an injustice to the thousands of citizens who participated in the process with the belief that their input was meaningful,’ said Stephanie Cole of the Kansas Sierra Club. ‘By turning the permitting process into a race against the clock, the state has signaled that it does not value public involvement.’”

We all spent countless hours preparing statements, emailing, calling, and appearing at hearings to state the simple and obvious truth. Human beings do not have the right to pollute the air, water, land, people and animals with the toxins produced from the mining, transporting, and burning of coal. Not only do we not have the right, but in truth we have the obligation to protect the earth and those who live here

A friend recently shared a story with me that captures in a few words the essence of what we are seeing and what affects us on such a deep emotional and spiritual level. “Reputedly, when an early oil well was drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania, in the 1860’s, a former whaling captain was overheard to comment, “By God, they’ve harpooned Mother Earth.” (Leviathan, October 2010). Since then the harpoons have gotten much bigger, more destructive, and they seem to be held aloft everywhere ready for the next strike.

But wait—this is an article about food. What does food have to do with Sunflower Electric and whaling captains? Very simply, every moral and ethical issue that activists are addressing today arise from a single cause—human fear. It is a fear that has led us as a species to live within a paradigm of domination. That paradigm programs us to believe that those who dominate survive and gain power, money, and security. In addition, domination can only be maintained by never ending cycles of violence—against the poor, against women and children, indigenous peoples, wildlife, forests, prairies, rivers, seas, and (back to food) against animals.

As activists we are working to change the paradigm of domination to one of cooperation with nature and with each other and, of course, change the paradigm within ourselves. We have all had our share of cultural programming and must continually question our own thoughts and actions. As we lead the way into this noble way of living with Mother Earth instead of against her, we need to demonstrate consistency in our own lives.

Nobel Prize winner, Isaac Bashevis Singer once said “As long as people will shed the blood of innocent creatures there can be no peace, no liberty, no harmony between people. Slaughter and justice cannot dwell together.” George Bernard Shaw expressed it this way, “While we ourselves are the living graves of murdered beasts, how can we expect any ideal conditions on this earth?” In other words, eating as though the earth matters involves questioning what we have been taught about eating and food, and it involves not participating in the violence and domination of animals that so clearly defines our society today.

As activists, it helps us when we can see the connections that bind all this suffering together, because then we can more effectively work to bring an end to it. We can see the big picture—that all this human generated sorrow and pain to earth, animals, and people will ultimately end only when the paradigm shift happens--when enough people wake up and begin to live as caretakers instead of takers. We are the privileged ones, because we have glimpsed the beauty of how that could be, and we already have many tools to help steer our precious planet to safe harbor. We need to be vigilant and speak “truth to power” at all levels of government and industry, but we are also in an ideal position to demonstrate in our daily lives how to live nonviolently ourselves. When we take our own steps toward the shift, we show that it is possible for everyone.

In previous Planet Kansas “Eating as Though the Earth Matters,” columns, many statistics and facts have been reviewed to show how destructive animal agriculture is to our water, forests, wildlife, wild lands, and people, not to mention the animals themselves. By participating in what I call the Mother of all Boycotts, and refusing to eat the bodies and milk and eggs of animals, we exponentially increase the effectiveness of our other actions. We become consistent in our dedication to becoming nonviolent caretakers and healers of our beloved planet and all those beings who depend on us to live in harmony with them. The ravaging of the earth and of billions of “food” animals are tragedies caused by human beings who live in fear and so have lost their intimate connection to nature and the wild places we all love.

If the boycott of animal food and a shift in the kitchen sounds difficult to you, there is good news. Many restaurants now offer vegan options or will respectfully fix a special vegan meal for you. Most grocery stores now have health food sections well stocked with vegan food and organic fruits and veggies. Vegan cookbooks are easy to find, and there are thousands of vegan recipes online, such as www.compassionatecooks.com. Best of all, it tastes great, and the inner knowing that you are eating without causing suffering and violence to another beings brings joy to every cell of our bodies.  

Holiday Feasts that Heal the Earth

I am thrilled and grateful to have the opportunity to write a column for each issue of Planet Kansas, our local Sierra Club newsletter.  This article appeared in the December, January, 2011 issue.

Holiday Feasts that Heal the Earth

The holidays are upon us. Decorations have been up for a while now—reminding us of the countdown and the coming excitement. It is an interesting time for environmentalists and others who are working to heal the world. It’s such a mixed bag. On the one hand, we are entering a time that is loaded with tradition, family expectations, and a huge emphasis on consumerism. As would-be earth rescuers, we have to look at cherished traditions that may hold good memories for us—and question them. How do these traditions affect the earth? What sort of pollution is produced by the extra travel; the lavish decorations; the buying of gifts made in China and transported here; the landfills bursting with non-recycled wrapping paper, bows, and broken toys; and all that food?

On the other hand, we want to enjoy the holidays along with everyone else—most of whom would rather we not remind them of the environmental consequences of our holiday behavior. But environmentalists are visionaries, looking forward to how we can create small green footprint holidays in harmony with nature. It is never more obvious that we are standing with one foot in the old paradigm and one foot in the new than at holiday time. We walk the razor’s edge as we quietly swipe the wrapping paper out of the giant red plastic trash bag and hide it in our car (or bike) to recycle it later.

Of course we don’t want to “spoil the party” by loudly announcing the eco-sins committed by our 95 year old uncle Cedric. Instead, with our actions more than our words, we can be a peaceful, joyful example of how to start a new tradition of a green, organic, fair-trade, nonviolent , peace-promoting, earth healing holiday season.

Of all the things we can do to promote this new tradition of true peace for people, animals, and the earth , the most far reaching action we can take will be what we choose to put on the table. All over the world the various year-end holidays echo the universal human longing for peace. Yet the meals of age-old traditions tend to be loaded with the meat, dairy and eggs of animals who have certainly not lived or died in peace. Over the centuries such meals were symbols of wealth and power. For many of the world’s poor, a meat laden meal symbolized a reprieve from poverty. That has certainly changed in the U.S. where animal products now make up the bulk of American diets and waistlines regardless of one’s wealth or lack thereof. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reported recently that only 10.6% of Kansans daily consume the recommended two or more fruits and three or more vegetables each day. The highest percentage was only 20% in D.C. (AARP Bulletin, November, 2010). Good for McDonalds. Bad for us and the future of life on earth.

It is during these holidays that “Peace on Earth” somehow becomes a shared dream, a hope, something that, at least for now, we can believe in and celebrate the possibility. Yet when we take even the briefest of looks at animal agriculture in the world, we could not help but call it “hell on earth”—not just for the farmed animals, but for the land, for wildlife, and for our health and the health of our children. It is up to us to stop this agricultural engine of destruction, and we can. Of all the environmental challenges we have, this is the simplest to solve. It’s a matter of choosing non-animal food at every meal. Here is that brief look at the rampant devastation caused by the animal food industries.

Air Pollution: By now you have heard about the 2006 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s conclusion that animal agriculture contributes more greenhouse gases than all the cars, trucks, planes, and ships in the entire world combined. Also animal waste produces 80% of the ammonia emissions in the U.S., according to the EPA.

Water Pollution: The Audubon Society reports that over half of U.S. water is used to raise animals for food. The EPA states that animal agriculture excrement pollutes more water sources than all other industries combined. While human beings have sewage systems, animal farms are not required to have them. Instead, the manure and all its accompanying bacteria, drugs, and other contaminants fester in open air lagoons, percolate down into the ground and overflow during heavy rains. Of course, water pollution from slaughterhouses, tanneries, and fertilizer and pesticide industries add to the poisonous mess.

Poor Land Use: The USDA reports that 80% of agricultural land is used either to house animals or to grow their feed, and the Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 30% of the earth’s entire surface is used for livestock. Approximately 70% of grain grown in the U.S. is fed to animals—enough grain to end starvation worldwide.

Deforestation : The FAO considers animal agriculture a major cause of deforestation as huge companies take over tropical and other forests from nature and indigenous people, clearcut the trees, and either grow grain for animals or run cattle on the eroding, damaged land that remains.

Decimation of Wildlife: The UN reports that such deforestation has caused the extinction of many plant and animal species in rainforest areas. Wildlife Services of the USDA, which is charged with protecting livestock from predators in the U.S. used taxpayer money to kill 1,642,823 animals in 2006 alone. They use steel jaw leghold traps, shooting from helicopters, and poisoning, among other cruel methods.

Fishing Hurts: It hurts the fish who are sensitive and intelligent beings, but also, because of drift net and other massive, industrial fishing techniques, the coral reefs and the oceans themselves are being devastated.

Clearly, the most powerful action we can take during this holiday season and into the new year is the mother of all boycotts. The adoption of a vegan lifestyle, which is synonymous with nonviolence, and includes an animal-free diet, is the most effective tool any environmentalist can utilize.

As we continue our mission to reverse the destruction of our precious jewel of a planet, and create a new paradigm of tenderly caring for our earth home, let us make this holiday season one of hope. We can teach and foster new human traditions that reflect real joy and peace, reverence for all life, and a deep awareness of our sacred connection to the earth and all who live here.



I wish you the most beautiful of holidays. May all wrapping paper be recycled and may all beings find peace. May we work together in this new year to “be the change.”

Happy Holidays and Peace on Earth to All Beings

A Holiday Gift Idea to Help Bring

Peace on Earth to All Beings

Buying these books as gifts helps save the lives of animals in 3 big ways:

1. I will donate all my proceeds to animal rights organizations.

2. Give these books to ministers, spiritual teachers, friends, family, prisoners, co-workers, school teachers, farmers, physicians, politicians, hunters, environmentalists, peace workers, etc., and they just might

Go Vegan. 

3. Give these books to vegan friends to bring them comfort, inspiration, and to share our common vision of Peace on Earth for All Beings.

How to order one or both of these books:

If you want signed copies of either book, email me at judycarman@ymail.com.

To order Peace to All Beings as a book or Kindle, click here.

To order The Missing Peace as a book or Kindle, click here

I wish you and yours the happiest and most blessed of holidays.

Peace to you and to all beings

Judy

More about the books:

Peace to All Beings: Veggie Soup for the Chicken's Soul is for all who wish to free the chickens from the soup pots, the cows from the slaughterhouses, the minks from the fur farms… to free all animals from suffering and from their bondage to human beings, and in so doing, to help free humanity from its bondage to violence and to become "Homo Ahimsa" (the nonviolent human). This visionary book of hope for a world at peace is also an excellent reference for animal activists who wish to explore the interconnectedness of animal rights, ecology, world peace, and social justice. This is a guidebook...full of fact-based reasons that explain why we human beings must make peace with the animal nations if we are ever to find true inner peace, heal our earth, and create authentic world peace. This is a valuable aid for those seekiing to live in harmony with the values of compassion, nonviolence, and reverence for all life. As Norm Phelps, author of The Dominion of Love and many other books, said in his review "...Peace to All Beings will make a great gift for the vegan... or the activist in danger of burnout, not to mention pastors, rabbis, and spiritual leaders of all traditions who have not yet fully realized the importance of making peace with what Carman respectfully calls 'the animal nations.'"

The Missing Peace contains many personal stories written by people who have found that veganism not only improved their health, but greatly heightened their sense of inner peace and compassion.  Once we liberate ourselves to truly connect with animals by no longer eating or using them, a deep sense of joy begins to bubble up and permeate our lives in miraculous ways.  Also included in the book are references to ancient and modern teachings that explain why living a nonviolent life is essential to finding inner peace and creating world peace.  About The Missing Peace, John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America, said “Many of us dream of a planet healed and nurtured by a universal reverence for life. Yet, until we begin to deeply grasp the power of our eating habits, we cannot bring this dream into reality. The Missing Peace is a book designed to help us make the dream come true--not only for the earth, animals, and people, but also for ourselves. We all want inner peace. This essential and fascinating book helps us understand with sudden clarity why that peace has been so elusive and shares with us the amazingly simple way to find it at last."

Local food, farm tours--what would Gandhi and St. Francis have to say?

I was thrilled to be asked, along with a local minister, to answer this question for the Faith Page of the Lawrence Journal World--"What can this weekend’s Farm Tour teach us about God’s creation?"  My article is below.  If you click here, you'll see my article and the minister's article, followed by comments.  Every time we get a chance to speak out for the helpless and the dominated, especially when it is to a wide audience, there are sparks of recognition, moments of heart connection.  Let us never give up spreading words of compassion.  Like seeds they grow and flower and make more seeds--enough to bring peace to all the world and to all beings.

Here is the article itself.

The Kaw Valley Farm Tour takes place this weekend, October 2 and 3. What a beautiful way to celebrate and feel true gratitude for the fall harvest. In a lovely coincidence it happens that October 2 is Gandhi’s birthday, and St. Francis Day is October 4. Both Gandhi and St. Francis radiated joy and love, because they were so in tune with God’s creation. They experienced a sense of kinship with all life and endeavored to teach tenderness, reverence, compassion, and complete nonviolence toward all creatures.

On the Farm Tour we will see God’s bountiful gifts of food. One seed can grow a plant that offers us, not only baskets of nourishing food in myriad forms and vivid colors, but also seeds to grow more food year after year. How beautiful and miraculous—just to be a witness to the bounty of food we will see on the tour is enough to experience the Divine mystery of God’s love for us all.

At some of the farms on the tour, we will also see animals. When we look into their eyes with open hearts, we can see the wonder of God’s creation. We can witness the extraordinary grace, beauty, individuality and sensitivity of each animal and recognize what kindred spirits they are to us. Every child knows how thrilling it is to be near them and maybe even to touch them.

As we tour the farms and celebrate the gifts of God’s gardens and the wonder of God’s creatures, let us consider the wisdom Gandhi and St. Francis discovered. Gandhi devoted his life to nonviolence toward all living beings, and St. Francis was known as the patron saint of the animals. He strove to imitate his beloved Jesus in all that he did. They taught us that the animals are our spiritual brothers and sisters—part of the Divine family created by God and that they were not created for us to dominate, exploit for monetary gain, or kill. Animals are here for their own reasons--to raise their families, to run and play, to be free to do what they were born to do, to love and to live. Teachers of many faiths have taught that we human beings cannot achieve peace and nonviolence for our species until we extend it to all God’s creation. Living nonviolently draws us closer to the heart of God.

Gandhi would have loved World Farm Animals Day

A BIG thanks must go out to FARM, the Farm Animal Rights Movement, for inventing World Farm Animals Day and for helping grass roots activists around the world to observe it for the last 27 years. WFAD is described by FARM as a “somber observance dedicated to exposing, mourning, and memorializing the needless suffering and killing of the more than 58 billion … innocent, sentient animals in the world’s farms and slaughterhouses.”

It is observed with vigils, marches, and other forms of public education on or around October 2, honoring in that way—the great Mahatma Gandhi who dedicated his life to ahimsa (the Sanskrit word for nonviolence, and selfless, unconditional love). He was the originator of the technique of Satyagraha which literally means holding unto truth. Gandhi considered it love in action. Satya or the truth to him was the awareness that all life is one. He taught that when there is no more violence left in the human heart, all that remains is our true essence which is love.

Why would Gandhi have loved WFAD? Because he wanted to make sure everyone remembered his birthday? Well, probably not. One of his great goals was to become a “zero.” This did not mean to him that he was worthless but rather that he would become able to be selfless in all his actions. No—I think Gandhi would have loved WFAD because it is carrying on the practice of love in action so dear to his heart.

In 1901 Gandhi was in Calcutta and wanted to visit the Temple of Kali. However, he was horrified to find a long line of sheep going into the Temple and rivers of blood pouring out. He knew that this terrible violence had to stop. He wrote, “To my mind the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being. I should be unwilling to take the life of a lamb for the sake of the human body. I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.”

Why would Gandhi have loved WFAD? Diligently he prayed for someone to emerge, “some great spirit, man or woman, fired with divine pity, who will deliver us from this heinous sin [of killing animals], [and] save the lives of the innocent creatures…” WFAD is one of the many beautiful satyagrahas, consisting of millions of people with enough love in their hearts and in their actions to do just what he prayed for. We have emerged. We are here. And we’re not giving up.

On this very special day and time, may we fall silent in mourning and honor the memory of the billions of animals who suffer and die each year at the hands of human beings. As they die in the slaughterhouses, no prayers are said, no names are given.. So today is their day for tears to be shed for them, candles to be lit, flowers to be scattered, and prayers be said for them. May this terrible war on animals end, and may all beings be free.  Thanks be to you all for bearing witness, for caring, and for your selfless love. 

P.S.  The post cards above are available at FARM's website so that you can distribute them and raise consciousness for the animals who need our voices so desperately.