hasn't been mentioned here for a number of reasons...the main one being that being retired sort of makes holidays superfluous. Where holiday used to mean not having to go to work and being free to do whatever I choose...well...that's pretty much every day now. It's almost as much fun as being a kid on summer vacation.
So...holidays don't carry the same sort of connotation for me as they used to. But, it turns out the occasion prompted a couple of posts on blogs that I really enjoyed reading and maybe you will too. The first was written by Lee Hall over at her blog called Vegan Place and it is about Dorothy and Donald Watson and remembering where vegan (the word) originated. While many different human animals have worked towards recognizing the equality of all beings (in terms of rights to their own lives and freedom) over many centuries...the word that encompassed so much in so few letters didn't exist until it was formulated by the Watsons. This is a lovely post giving us a view of these terrific people and reminding us that we owe much to those who came before us and that these two are definitely stars in that group.
The second holiday posting that caught my attention was put up by a true friend of all Earthlings, Bea, over on her Once Upon A Vegan blog. In her writing she reminds us of the death often associated with this day...not of those who are being remembered but the lives lost to provide "food" for the holiday. You also will get a glimpse of a truly spectacular mobile billboard for veganism. Yea Bea!
As I was working on this I happened to notice the return of an old blogging friend. Andrew, who writes on his blog We're All Animals. He hasn't put up a post in a long long time and it was a very happy moment when I saw that he had shared some of his writing...some of what he shared is sad making truth. it is very very good to hear from him again.
One of my favorite posts ever over at the So I'm Thinking of Going Vegan blog notices something that only someone with a keen eye and mind would spot. Any writing that can connect hairy legs and veganism should be known to the whole world. I love it.
Finally, D.E.M. writing at her blog Animal Rights reminds us that part of what we do now is in the hopes of making the future better than the present. Living vegan can be demanding at times, living vegan and raising a human child involves all sorts of additional issues and this post does a lovely job of touching on some of them.
I didn't start out to blog about blogs, but it just sort of turned out that way. There are other great blogs out there that are created and maintained by excellent writers so this posting is not comprehensive by any means but it started out with wanting to mark the holiday by steering folks to Lee Hall's remembrance of the Watsons and just sort of went from there. I hope you enjoy the writings.
If you want to enjoy your life...do...and allow others to enjoy theirs by living vegan. All the best human animals live that way.
Friday, June 6, 2014
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5 comments:
So few things in life are sacred... The story of the Watson's has to be among them. I'm not too surprised to learn he was a craftsman. Bringing about new life in dead wood seems most fitting for a man of his sensitivities. I'm grateful that you linked to this story... If not I would have missed the journey to pay full respect to this outstanding couple.
Our tastes must be similarly linked... The two posts from So I'm Thinking of Going Vegan and Animal Rights are my favorites too! I haven't looked at leg-shaving the same since. And vegan children - Just WoW! Aren't they the best!
I understand Andrew's need for a sabbatical. Putting words to the reality makes us focus all the more on things that are often painful. Stepping away from the hurt for a brief time helps us endure for the long haul...
Lastly I love your term for my car - A mobile billboard! That about sums it up nicely! See you on the road! ;)
Thank you for commenting Bea. I'm glad you like the story re the originators of the word vegan. I thought it was terrific and was really glad to see it as a memorial holiday post.
Same favorites? Cool! :-)
I'm glad Andrew's back too however the best back of all is the back of your car!! :-)
Aw, a very belated Thank You (to you as well, Bea) for the lovely compliment. Made my day!
To put it into context, I was told nearly every day for the first 20 years of my life that I wasn't very bright (the favourite phrase was a little slow upstairs), so you can imagine the harm that caused. It took me a long time to fully believe that I was at least as bright as the average bear (no slight to bears, snort), but even now I find the topic of my intelligence a tad sensitive. So to have someone I admire use the word "keen" is a treat indeed. :)
Thank you for commenting HGV. When I was checking for comments and saw all of yours I was a little surprised...I don't often get that many all at once. As I read through all of your excellent responses...this one gave me pause. Lots of pause. Truth is I found myself getting livid...I'm getting livid again as I try to frame this response to you.
Any adult (and I include myself) who's responsible for or in charge of a small developing human who openly and purposely denigrates and/or demeans that child...especially on a persistent and ongoing basis...well (I'm not going to burst into a raving rant here but I want to)...that's as clear and precise an example of bullying as there can be.
I don't like it in human animals nor do I like it in any of our fellow animals. I'm not talking about discipline or teaching or anything like that...I'm talking about using your power over others to simply make yourself feel better. And I'm fairly certain that was what was going on from your brief writing about your growing up experiences.
It is...in a manner of speaking...just another version of how human animals behave toward all other Earthlings. It is taking advantage of a power differential to make ones self feel better by harming (verbally or physically or however) those with less power. What a shitty, horrid thing to do. I hate that stuff HGV...with a passion. If I were magic and could make all of that kind of crap disappear...I would...and I guarantee that if I could the complete universe of living beings on this planet would be instantly millions of times better.
Ah jeez...you seem to have seen through the lie, for that I commend you. For the lie itself...I condemn and hold responsible the adults that did the lying. Shame on them...they harmed you but they did damage to themselves too because they failed at being a grown-up. The sad thing is, their failure...that belongs to them...spilled over onto an innocent...you.
I know it does nothing...but...on behalf of grown-ups everywhere...and on my behalf especially...I apologize to you from the bottom of my heart. You were abused as a child by that behavior and victimized by those with power over you. And that's their bad...not yours.
And...speaking as a former psychologist who gave hundreds of IQ tests in my career...I promise you that there's nothing deficient in your intellect. And...I'm qualified to address something like that...they weren't.
We're a hell of a species...we harm everyone else on our planet and we wreak havoc on our children (and each other) too. If nothing else, we're equal opportunity a**holes (in other words, none are safe from our destructiveness).
Give you a hug from me please.
Hug taken, thank you. :)
And you're wrong that the apology does nothing, because I'm going to wrap it up safely and hold it in my heart where it will serve as a proxy for the apology that the perpetrator can't provide. No, it's a valuable gift, for which I'm truly grateful.
While it took some decades I eventually realized that the words that DID hurt me (Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. is such a crock) was indeed the result of misuse of power, and constituted not only verbal and emotional abuse, but spiritual abuse as well in the sense that they did in fact break my spirit. Luckily I managed (again, over much time) to put myself back together (for the most part), but how many are not so fortunate?
Equal opportunity indeed. Knowing that those who abuse are broken in some way themselves isn't much comfort (although it always helps to have a better understanding of why), but maybe one day we as a species will realize that abuse of one is abuse of all (including ourselves), and it's gotta stop already.
Thank you, veganelder, for your wisdom and compassion. It's much appreciated. :)
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