'Self' advice

1592: 

Edited by CJ Tointon

If we ingest 'blood-foods' or get involved with the killing, we're just being ordinary omnivores.  Who is 'Out There' to tell us not to do this? Certainly none of the captains of industry! They control us almost completely and thrive on the dollars we give them. We are in thrall to them. There's nothing 'Out There' in The Universe that can help. 

Humans are so tied up in knots and so subservient to corporate masters, that they can't find their way out of this Death Star maze. The Universe can't be blamed. It has to be careful not to get too involved in human struggles. But it's not averse to dropping clues, maybe suggesting politely:
"You humans have screwed-up here, and here, and here, and……..you probably need to find alternative ways". There are clues; but they need unpicking and they reveal many destructive habits of humankind. The main clue is - food - but what humans use on their bodies, for shoes, clothing and entertainment is also implicated.

But it flows back to - food. The richness and seductiveness of meats and animal-derived secretions. We'll allow nothing to interfere with the promise of gastronomical delights. And there's that 'special feeling' - something between being taste-satisfied and being stomach-filled. Food is to our highly attuned senses as fresh air is to lungs. The very thought of "Going Vegan' is unthinkable. It sends a shudder down the spine. 

We love our animal foods too much to abandon them. Food is like a demon on our shoulders, keeping us controlled, calling the shots, twisting perceptions and leaving the poor-sucker-human in the corner trying not to notice the elephant in the room. But a listing of all the dangerous (animal-derived) ingredients is there for all to see in print on packaged products - but not on cream buns! And the very worst are there in those cream buns. There's nothing evident to the untrained eye, however, linking this concoction to cruel animal-derived food and all that signifies. And while we're raging-on here; let's not forget what's hidden in the wardrobe! Skins of animals, spun silks from boiled-alive worms and wool from early shaved sheep who then suffer horribly from the cold. To get this 'stuff', great numbers of animals suffer and are eventually executed when they are no longer 'productive'.    

Everything here points to a big lesson to be learnt. It's symbolised (for easier understanding) in the way we regard animals. The cavalier way in which we use animals represents the careless way we look at all the human privileges we enjoy. What is the purpose of these privileges if all we do is abuse them? We humans are blessed with fine minds, sensitivity, discrimination, kindness, generosity, stamina, self-determination, etc. Ah! But perhaps that's the one! That last one I mentioned. That's the poisoned challis - self-determination!

The snag is in the focus on 'self'. It's evident even in self-enlightenment. Too much time focusing on 'self' and not enough on 'the other'. That's what happens when we think of food. We forget about our impact on 'others' (namely innocent animals). 

Ideally, 'self' should partner 'the other', so that we're never very far away from empathising with the less fortunate. It does have to do with morality, plant-based diets, self-discipline, boycotting and being 'good'; but more to do with 'intelligence'. Not cleverness, but implicitly an altruistic intelligence, plain and simple.  


But back to the mad world we live in today. We have big violence and big violation causing us big problems. For us (as well as for the animals and the planet) our long-term-survival is threatened. The Universe expects us to be able to read the signs and symbols. They're staring us in the face. And if there is a signal showing us our second chance to save ourselves from our own self-destruction, then it would seem a shame to have thrown the baby out with the bath water; a shame to have to learn about 'self' this way - by attempting to destroy it!