Human Survival
BIRTHING
BIRTHING
“Beauty is the welcoming openness of the Truth toward us”—Ibn ‘Arabi Sufi mystic
PATHS TO VEGACULTURE
Vegaculture is identified here in a variety of social movements, as the manifested creation of veganism and compassionate living, as the preservation of community, ecosystems and support for holistic sustainability, and as a driver of transformation, as society responds through cultural change. A vegaculture movement may be seeded by a small cohort of vegans, but the representation has inference for the hundreds of millions of vegetarians and likely many more unsolicited peoples, whose views on justice and compassion remain latent, waiting for a banner of identification.
Each of us has our own unique path and a vegaculture view provides a place for like-minded views to coalesce, and can act as a beacon for cohesion of the various interest groups; subsequently with the advantage of numbers, to bring the discussion to the fore in community and political debate.
Personal Inspiration
“The outsider can inspire and guide you, but knowing yourself has to come from within”— Sadhguru
Hosting a series of Permaculture Design Courses, (PDC) in the early to mid 1990’s, presented a structure for my adopted lifestyle, and inspired me to continue to develop a valid narrative and historical context for my own journey. It was very obvious that the issues related to environmental pollution, particularly greenhouse gas emissions, had deep roots in the province of animal farming to meet the food production needs for both livestock feed as well as the end users, people in the market place. Public awareness and concern for ravaged rainforests was widespread, and the blindingly obvious solutions offered by a change of diet were already being canvassed in the media, and numerous articles and documentaries surfaced elsewhere to support an ecological move toward a vegan diet.
The energy for transitioning to a vegan way was prevalent the world over, and spurned social and political activism with hundreds and thousands of activists, and numerous organisations such as PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) in the US, animal liberation groups, farm animal sanctuaries, environmental groups and vegan societies. Now, within the flourishing realm of Internet connectivity, meet-up groups in social media, various blogs on animal welfare and rights, assistance with wildlife and environment issues, and campaigns continuously foster many avenues for keeping vigilance alive.
In Australia, organisations such as Animal Australia, Vegetarian Victoria, Animal Liberation, the Vegan Societies and Voiceless, and more recently Vegan Australia are interactive with community networking, and with the promotion of a vegan pathway with the distribution of education and campaign materials, are achieving remarkable public access, through the focus of vision and wisdom of policy-makers.
Inspiration is evident in the wider community for a radical dietary shift, from fast to slower foods, from soil harvested meats to plant based alternatives and even laboratory constructed facsimiles, from unhealthy to healthier choices, in keeping with feedback from nutrition studies identifying the advantages of any dietary regime that adopts less processed and animal content, all in the vegan direction. Together with the rampant onset of diabetes, which has loomed as the largest health issue across the richer nations of the world, the political will to control health budgets is encouraging community health programs with a renewed eagerness for clarity in eating choices and habits.
Awareness of the daily plight of animals in the food chain is indeed rising in the Australian community, and the media seem to be showing a remarkable tolerance to the many campaigns, while public awareness and response appears to be supporting a better deal for consideration of animal rights, with the Greens, a popular political party campaigning to transition away from live animal exports. The annual World Vegan Day in Melbourne is a popular event, and a place to showcase the vegan extravaganza, with some ten thousand people demonstrating that Vegaculture in Australia is already functioning well, thanks very much.
Personal growth in connectedness to technology warrants the exercising of personal caution within the context of an information overload. This cautionary approach appears reflected in the increase of ‘part time’ vegetarian/vegan dietary preference. The shift demonstrates sympathy without full commitment, probably allied with health aims more than moral imperative, but is still a significant gesture in the minimisation of animal suffering.
Inspiration in the spiritual arena is vast, and although he may not be a practicing vegan, few people have embraced the spectrum of spirituality and technology, traversed the established webs of power and cultures, and been a beacon of light for common humanity, as has the Dalai Lama. The quest for a common ethic, the introduction of compassion, and the movement towards a natural happiness, have been central to his efforts to promote the ‘Unity of the Human Race.’
Scriptures and texts have grown around Buddhism, mostly penned around 500 years after Buddha passing (Ref.1), and a beautiful teaching on loving kindness adapted from the Pali Metta Sutta, is given here (Ref.2):
In order that I may be skilled in discerning what is good, in order that I may understand the path to peace
Let me be able, upright, and straightforward, of good speech, gentle, and free from pride;
Let me be contented, easily satisfied, having few duties, living simply, of controlled senses, prudent, without pride and without attachment to nation, race, or other groups.
Let me not do the slightest thing for which the wise might rebuke me. Instead let me think:
“May all beings be well and safe, may they be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be, whether moving or standing still, without exception, whether large, great, middling, or small, whether tiny or substantial,
Whether seen or unseen, whether living near or far,
Born or unborn; may all beings be happy.
Let none deceive or despise another anywhere. Let none wish harm to another, in anger or in hate.
Just as a mother would guard her child, her only child, with her own life, even so let me cultivate a boundless mind for all beings in the world.
Let me cultivate a boundless love for all beings in the world, above, below, and across, unhindered, without ill will or enmity.
Standing, walking, seated, or lying down, free from torpor, let me as far as possible fix my attention on this recollection. This, they say, is the divine life right here”.
Path from Veganism
Vegaculture is an expression of the cultural effects of veganism in action; arising as a result of interaction and outcomes, through the practice of both individual and collective endeavour, of a vegan way of life—Veganism Statement
From the Vegan Society (UK): “The word “veganism” denotes a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practical — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of humans, animals and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals” (Ref.3).
Derivations and definitions can be quite tedious although essential for our common understanding, but if we consider just two aspects of our relationship to Veganism, that is the extrinsic and intrinsic effects of the practice of a vegan diet and or lifestyle, then we find that both are continually generating a Vegan Culture. Veganism is the sum of its two principal parts, the collective interactions and cultural outcomes attributable to its’ practice, and the individual development the vegans themselves gain from their adopted lifestyle.
Vegaculture can thus be used as a measure of the cultural effects of veganism in action. However, it is also necessary to document the fact that there are many instances in daily life, where actions are congruent with the philosophy of veganism, but not generated by vegans, due to a different lifestyle or dietary preference or circumstance, and this is discussed later.
Compassionate eaters, aspiring vegans, part and full-time vegans, can be practicing their compassionate intention with every mouthful. I contend the individual, social and cultural expressions of compassionate living, arising from veganism, can also be defined and understood as a Vegan Culture (Vegaculture) which is alive and well, a great return for a small investment; a simple dietary and lifestyle change, produces a quantum leap in self awareness and satisfaction, and a massive social and cultural contribution to people, animals and the earth.
Vegaculture provides an opportunity for kindness and compassion, for vegan awareness to extend and expand into the whole of creation, and be recognised in its fullest complement as an essence of harmony in a world of suffering. Vegaculture is basically a cultural expression of veganism, without any of the limitations or perceptions that might arise from the common association with an ‘ism’ term, a representative of the movement of vegan culture as a vanguard of opportunity in a world of abundance.
Path from Compassionate Living
Vegaculture is an expression of the movement to compassionate living, for the benefits of people, animals and the earth; it arises as a cultural outcome from the intentional avoidance of all forms of exploitation and cruelty, is fostered through the practice of compassion in the relief of suffering, and evidenced by the progression of cultural harmony leading toward world peace—Compassionate Living statement
Vegaculture is continually expanding its recognition, and its roots may be found in the many organisations that seek to identify or redefine compassionate pathways forward, and one of these descriptions springs from the aims of the Movement to Compassionate Living. The following website extract from the small grass roots organisation called the Movement for Compassionate Living, (MCL) describes the vision and aims of this organisation, which was started by Kathleen and Jack Jannaway in 1984. Compassion, a wish to escape suffering, is made tangible in this beautiful statement, which is most explicit in its intent; a precise, concise, heartfelt and extremely relevant statement for living together on Earth.
Kathleen Jannaway had been a member of the Vegan Society in the U.K. and it can be seen, from the description below, that her ‘valued perception’ for a peaceful and harmonious world future was not fully satisfied by the statement of the positive message of veganism alone; she expanded the fundamental premise of compassionate living into all realms of activity, using examples of social separation and need, to explain more fully the application of veganism in daily life. In so doing her vision is a most significant demonstration of vegaculture in action.
“Compassionate living is about making connections between the way we live and the way others suffer, between unnecessary industrial development and the destruction of the planet. It involves a commitment to work non-violently for change, promoting lifestyles that are possible for all the world’s people, sustainable within the resources of the planet, environmentally friendly and free of all exploitation of animals and of people.
The Movement for Compassionate Living exists to:
* Promote simple vegan living and self-reliance as a remedy against the exploitation of humans, animals and the Earth.
* Promote the use of trees and vegan-organic farming to meet the needs of society for food and natural resources.
* Promote a land-based society where as much of our food and resources as possible are produced locally.
Dietary veganism is an important first step, but if we are to work towards the liberation of both people and the animals of the Earth, refusing food and other products derived from animal exploitation alone is not enough. We must extend our compassion to all life:
* To humans who suffer increasingly worldwide from starvation, disease, warfare and exploitation.
* To wildlife that suffers as a result of the destruction of natural habitats.
* To the whole environment on which the health of all life depends.
Only fully compassionate living will nurture the growth in human awareness and commitment on which the future of the world depends” (Ref.4).
The Center for Compassion And Altruism Research And Education (CCARE), at Stanford University in America has been involved with research studies of compassion for over 10 years now. The centre has empirically validated techniques for the practice of compassion that are currently taught and applied in a variety of settings and institutions including schools, hospitals and prisons. The benefits to people of the practice of compassion, “is understood to be as important as physical exercise & healthful diet” (Ref.5).
As a species we have to embrace compassion to progress from the insanities of the past and modern eras. The success of any movement for compassionate living must be borne out eventually, with 7.6 billion people and growing, including 490 million vegetarians (Ref.6); fertility is evident, and although religious adherence may account for large numbers of people, the seeds for a humanist vegan moral baseline, both spiritual and secular have been sown here.
Path from Permaculture
Vegaculture is allied with permaculture, recognising a place for the expression of our inner human beingness in daily life, with the provision of food, clothing, shelter and co-operation on the path of holistic sustainable living—Vegan-Permaculture Statement
Vegaculture grows naturally out of Permaculture, whose teaching and training programs, and extensive project applications, provide an existing model and social framework for its practice and dispersion. The landscape of traditional culture, as expressed in an historical context of sustainable living, has been well documented in permaculture literature and continues in an invigorated format today, with numerous examples of appropriate application and design outcomes being integrated with modern living to assist in all manner of projects; while examples of vegaculture are a work in progress.
One of the many expressions of Permaculture comes from the Permaculture Institute (Ref.7): “Permaculture is the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems, which have the diversity, stability and resilience of natural ecosystems. It is the harmonious integration of landscape and people providing their food, energy, shelter and other material and non-material needs in a sustainable way”.