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The photography in this video is magnificent! Breath taking sunsets and spectacular wild life scenes, interspersed with "cowboys" in mix. These were taken by Wyman Meinzer - a professional predator hunter...
Now... From my POV all I see are beings that are prey for man! Not a single one of these nonhumans is free from our use or control. Not the wolf, the birds, the snakes, the horses, and certainly NOT the cows!
If someone wants to hunt for predators... Try the pickings in any major metropolitan area - A football game... Or your local mall. You'll find all the predators imaginable.
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| The Sustainable Scale Project |
But the more arrogant in our plundering, the more things adapt and mutate... Things, bacteria and viruses, that might slow down and halt our lusts, are always lurking as a penalty. It's a universal leveling, karma or anything you'd like to call it - But generally things can only go so far before there is a price to pay. And from what I'm seeing during this uber-commercial, gluttony-driven, animal-consuming-season - The more I'm revising my yearly Christmas wish list.
For years I thought - If only there was peace... Peace! Peace on Earth - That would be the best gift ever! But now... I think it makes much more sense to want justice instead. For without justice - There can never be peace.
If you don't know - But care to learn about the most unfairly treated beings ever... The ones who know no peace and have no justice:
Please watch Earthlings and your ethical conscience will tell you what to do to set things right.
11 comments:
It would have been a truly beautiful video if were just about wild animals roaming free in that amazing scenery without the sub-plot of human domination.
Earthlings is one of my favourite movies, even though it's so hard to watch. I walked around stunned for a few days after seeing it. But if we can't acknowledge the suffering we cause, how will we change?
I'm so glad you are doing this.
Such a disconnect: a love of the land and its inhabitants sufficient to coax these breathtaking scenes from a camera, and yet a willingness to blast to smithereens that pristine loveliness with another kind of shot -- from a gun.
It makes no sense to me that genius could be used in such a warped way -- to do evil at times, instead of all good all the time.
When you wrote the word "predator," it reminded me of other crushing "or" words: terminator, manipulator, dominator, annihilator, aggressor, abductor, accumulator, appropriator, captor. A human predator purposefully, willfully manipulates, dominates, abducts, captures, terminates, annihilates animals -- and accumulates their body parts as if they were so many possessions, badges of honor.
I wholeheartedly agree with you, Bea, that peace can never reign in an individual's consciousness and displayed on earth until justice for all (borne of respect, compassion, empathy, mercy) is envisioned by the spiritual eye, desired in the unselfish heart, apprehended by the intelligent mind, and lived in the daily actions.
You beat me to it...I've been having a nagging feeling that I wanted to write something about 'justice'...mainly because I'm a little uncomfortable with the 'animal lover' tag. I don't think 'loving animals' is the principal factor that drives my stance that all sentient beings own their own lives and that it is wrong to harm them. I don't 'love' all animals. I love some animals but not all animals. But...justice is a slippery word. I can't quite get a handle on what justice means. What is your notion of the meaning of justice?
I was just reading an essay on the opening words of the U.S. Constitution, and was struck by how, in the order of ideas, justice comes before tranquility (peace): "We the people of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."
I know you've asked Bea what she thinks justice is, but while I'm back here, may I refer all of us, for starters, to Wikipedia's interesting description: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice
Actually CQ the wikipedia article is partially what prompted me to ask what is meant by justice.
At one point they use the tautology "justice is the act of being just..." which is not too helpful.
I'm a little more comfortable with the section where they write about fairness and equity...that seems pretty close to the notion of everyone being treated the same which, curiously enough, seems to have some neurological underpinnings in some (all?) species. Justice seems to have a number of meanings but fairness (meaning everyone treated the same) seems more concrete to me.
Sorry Bea, I'm using your comment section to explore my own thinking...thanks. :-)
And thanks CQ for the reference.
You're right David. Knowing what I know - The "livestock" part of it spoils the wonder of it all. But hey! That goes beyond the vidoe - That's my view of the day-to-day world too!
I know it's yours as well with your plastic shoes among the (now) blood-less leather and suede ones... Singing your heart out about peace and kindness. I know you have changed to be a better part in this world - And I thank you for it!
Hi veganelder - mi casa su casa...
I sure hope this sketchy little mini-thought on justice won't deter you from writing and sharing your thoughts as well... Here or anywhere else.
Simply put - When I think of justice it's just what's fair. I suppose it's like good art - I know it when I see it... Doesn't make me an expert. But there is that gut reaction. I knew what injustice was the moment I laid eyes on a caged pig. Nothing since has been the same... Trying to "make things right".
I know that in some instances justice also has elements of revenge, vengence, punishment and retribution. But in the cases of a Hitler and the like... Can there ever be equal, fair and satisfying "justice" to those crimes? I don't know how it ever could. Maybe justice resides in utopia... with peace on earth. (?) :/
I don't "love" all of us equally either. I don't know how that's possible. I've heard many times that parents love all their kids the same... How is this so? Aren't certain traits more admirable... Doesn't each have a unique character that one would find more endearing than the other? For me, it's the same in the nonhuman world as well... But of course none of those preference or prejudices should make things "unfair" and certainly never unkind.
And that's what gets frustrating in our culture that designates what's "appealing" in one species and then uses those notions to block out, make invisible and voiceless, the justice and equal consideration everyone deserves. But then... A whole nation discriminated against another because of the color of eyes, skin and religion -
Justice? The only thing I can wrap my mind around is that it can never be arbitrary. It has to be "equal" to one and all - Or it's not equal to any.
Thanks VE for working towards that fair world...
Hello CQ! I know what you mean about the extremes of the scenes... Some shot with a camera - Others we know destined to be shot with malice. :(
Fascinating look at "crushing words"! And I know I didn't articulate all that about peace- But I sure am glad you did!
That's very interesting how justice in the constitution comes before peace... But the wiki entry sure does bring up many variables on exactly what "kind" of justice we're talking about...
In Justice as harmony - I'm drawn to the analogy that Socrates used with the ship and drunken captain... Politicians can be corrupted - But the navigator (the philosopher) knows the way --- That's really cool!
And that some nonhumans also possess an instinctual "inequity aversion" might make it even more clear why children get fairness at the onset... And it's usually only time and societal influence that they learn to disregard and compromise that natural tendency. I've read where empathy is hard-wired... Surely that's a branch that grows on a tree of justice. (?)
Thanks for your suggestion to go to Wiki --- There's obviously more to ponder and learn. I guess... That's being fair to justice - To understand it and know it as accurately as possible - Maybe then we can set it's true quality in it's rightful direction? --- Navigating towards peace.
Thank you Vegaia! This portion of what C. David Coates had to say illustrates perfectly the injustice I was speaking of... The human gluttony, the millions of starving and the wasted resources stuffing "meat animals"... The mass slaughter of wildlife and on and on. No peace there at all! Appreciate you making and sharing that connection!
Well, if things don't have a way of popping up again. Things like this post, for example.
If you hadn't linked, in your Valentine's Day "Once Upon a Vegan" post, to VeganElder's Feb. 9th "Life Isn't Fair" blog, I wouldn't have happened upon it. (I just wish there were a way to receive VE's posts automatically, 'cuz I don't know how to do RSS feed; maybe I should learn?)
And what an amazing blog his is. I'll go back there in a minute.
Just had to pause here to say, "Oh, yes, I DO remember this PROVOKED post, and I DO remember my comments, but I never went back to it to see VE's comment or your replies, Bea. Appreciate 'em!
Recently I put all the posts from your two blogs (ever since I began following them, that is) in a folder separate from my Bea folder. I want to take a day to open each of those blogs and reread them quickly and note your responses that I never returned to read. Thank you for them all in advance! :-)
Now, back to VE's "Life Isn't Fair" to comment....
Hi CQ - Yes it is interesting how links can lead elsewhere... Many times with new ideas and thoughts.
I appreciate you dedicating time to organizing this and other blogs - I can't even keep up with what's current!
And I totally agree that I love reading VE's writings... Especially what was stated last on Life Isn't Fair. I love how he and others - you included - Can take an idea and unravel it so that it finally makes sense. I guess I love those who think critically... If not for this it would be a very, very frightening and "un-fair" world -
As always, thank you for the visit! ;)
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