Being vegetarian is depressing - Thanks for this topic and post...

[Guest guest]

Thanks for this passage, it really made my night and passed it on to some

friends and family, veg and omni both...

 

Janeen

 

Alan <soy_decaf_latte wrote:

Cyndi, et. al.,

 

This topic comes up every so often. Last time I posted the

following info. It's kind of long and I don't want to bore

everybody, but it's a positive affirmation that addresses many of

the feelings expressed by you and the folks who responded to your

posting. For those who may be new to the group or didn't see it, I

figure it's worth posting again. Re-reading it always lifts my

spirits.

 

--- here's my post from last year ---

 

I recently finished reading John Robbins " The Food Revolution " , and

I thought the final words were rather inspirational, so I have

abbreviated and transcribed some of them for the folks in this group,

whom I feel live up to the ideas espoused by Mr. Robbins.

 

Regards,

Alan

 

-- From " The Food Revolution " by John Robbins. More info here:

http://www.foodrevolution.org/

 

So much is at stake in our times. Whether we like it or not, and

whether we accept it or not, the choices we make, individually and

collectively, in the coming years will make an incredible amount of

difference, perhaps more so than at any other time in the history of

life on this planet. It is not just the quality of our personal

lives and health that depends, now, on the choices we make. The

destiny of life on Earth is up for grabs. And we are each part of

how it will turn out.

 

.... People have taught me that there are two things you need to know

if you want to live a life of great meaning and magnificence. The

first thing you must not forget is that heroic people don't always

conform to what is popular at a given time. You must be willing to

be out of step with public opinion. ... If you are going to be a

voice for the future, you can't be a creature of the current fads.

 

The other thing you must never forget, if you want to be a bringer

of the dawn, is that it's no use trying to be perfect. The people I

have known who have moved the world were all flawed human beings,

like you and me. But they didn't let that stop them. They knew

that it is part of our glory as human beings that, even with our

imperfections and wounds, we can still help heal and cherish each

other and our beautiful planet.

 

In the years to come ...[some] dedicated people ... will be well

known and recognized as influential. Most, though, will have lived

relatively anonymous lives, making choices and working without

public recognition, serving the greater healing for which we all

pray as well as they could, given the circumstances of their lives.

There is no calculating the debt humanity owes those who labor

without receiving much validations or affirmation for their efforts,

who bring faith even where there seems to be only doubt, and who

bring love even where there seems to be only indifference or hate.

 

When each of us comes to the end of our lives, what will matter is

not what our social standing was, or whether the world thought we

were important or influential. What will matter, what in fact

always matters, are the values we uphold and the principles and

possibilities we stand for. What will matter then, and what matters

now, are the quality of the love we share with the world and the

statements we make with our choices and our lives.

 

Far too often, our culture today tells us a tremendous lie. It

tells us that we don't, as individuals, make a difference unless we

happen to be one of the " rich and famous " . But nothing could be

further from the truth.

 

Your life does matter. It always matters whether you reach out in

friendship or lash out in anger. It always matters whether you live

with compassion and awareness or whether you succumb to distractions

and trivia. It always matters how you treat other people, how you

treat animals, and how you treat yourself. It always matters what

you do. It always matters what you say. And it always matters what

you eat.

 

When you choose to affirm the dignity inherent in life and to uphold

the beauty, the magic, and the mystery of the living Earth,

something happens. It happens whether or not anyone else recognizes

your efforts, and it happens regardless of how wounded and flawed

you are. What happens is you join the long lineage of human beings

who have stood for and helped to bring about a future worthy of all

the tears and prayers our species has known. Your life becomes a

statement of human possibility. Your life becomes an instrument

through which a healthier, more compassionate, and more sustainable

future will come to be.

 

.... Every day new heroes are being born. They are born at every age

and at every stage of life. They are the people who hear the call

of the future and seek, with their lives, to answer it. Perhaps you

know someone like this. Perhaps you are one of them.

 

 

 

 

 

For more information about vegetarianism, please visit the VRG website at

http://www.vrg.org and for materials especially useful for families go to

http://www.vrg.org/family.This is a discussion list and is not intended to

provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a

qualified health professional.

 

edical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health

professional.