Week 19: Eat plants
Much attention has recently been given to the benefits of moving to a meat-free or vegan diet. Reasoning from science says that this is the most significant personal lifestyle change we can take to minimise our impact on the planet and reduce our carbon footprint. Science also shows that eating animal products is neither essential, healthy nor evolutionary our natural diet.
However, there is another vitally important issue to consider, that is not as well promoted or as well explained…
The Pervasiveness of Consciousness
Recently we have started to become aware of how consciousness – the kind we as humans can identify with – is much more widespread across nature than we first thought.
In time this ‘world view adjustment’ will likely have a considerable impact on our ingrained and normalised habits and behaviour. For example, if we understand that animals are much more like ourselves than we thought, is taking a life for a brief moment of pleasure at a meal justifiable?
The inconvenient truth is that in real-time, billions of animals across the globe are suffering in horrendous intensive farming conditions. Most of the horrors of which are hidden from us. Vegan activists often ask, how can you eat meat and love your pet? Maybe they are right. Is it time to harness some of our best human capabilities - compassion and mercy - to help us change to a better life?
Two award winning, gentle but powerful films have recently been released that help us understand and change through a process of reconnecting - by seeing the beauty of the animal world as it actually is. So yes, this week’s action is to watch a film - ideally both of them.
1) COW — directed by Andrea Arnold and feat. Billie Eilish
2) MY OCTOPUS TEACHER — directed by Pippa Ehrlich
Sources: Nutritionfacts.org
About Pentameter:
Pentameter revitalising businesses by aligning purpose, culture and identity to tackle our most pressing social and environmental challenges. As part of the Year of Action, Pentameter are inviting you to reconnect with nature during May 2023.
Find out more about their work at https://www.pentameter.co/
