Healers

936: 

There are two different approaches to healing, one is environmental the other ethical. They sit alongside each other, almost under the same banner. They each have something important to say about the state of human well-being and about the kind of world we want to live in. I might emphasise ethics, you might emphasise the state of (human and environmental) health. Each of us is looking for something convincing, to carry us beyond the damage brought about by modern day living.

            The reason I consider animal abuse as the most urgent issue is that until this is fixed nothing much else can move on. I’d prioritise this.

With a different emphasis, there are those who promote healthy diets and enlightened spiritual practices. They have a wonderful vision, and I’d go along with it entirely, but since they aren’t vegan, they effectively condone the cruel treatment of animals. It’s impossible to get around that. You can’t pray for peace wearing leather shoes!

The great tragedy of those who are on the road to enlightenment is that they don’t put their money where their mouth is, and therefore can’t be taken too seriously. They speak of peace and love, of sustainability and healthy eating, but their food is neither healthy nor sustainable and their lifestyle disproves their words of love and peace. The abattoir castes a dark shadow over the lives of most of us. However holistic or gentle one’s approach to life might be, if private and personal habits run counter to the principles one espouses, then it all counts for nothing. It simply means that one isn’t as completely convinced of peace and love as one would like to believe.

The first step on the road to healing starts when we take a look at the abattoir and say, “This is not for me”.