Vegan Momma

Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

This past Monday I was going to write something about Martin Luther King. Martin Luther King day is a recognized holiday here in the United States. However, I could not bring myself to write anything about this man. As I briefly stopped by some of my favorite spots on the blogosphere, I noticed his famous I Have A Dream speech plastered everywhere. Each time I saw it I couldn’t help but think if the poster or those who commented on how great a speech this was truly got the full meaning of what he was trying to convey. One of the many characteristics I’ve always admired about Martin Luther King was the respect he had for those who thought differently than himself. That’s something I try to incorporate into my life. It’s not always easy but knowing I want the same treatment from others I make a practice of following my own example. Martin Luther King was a compassionate man who’s views inspired to take action and turn their dreams into a reality.

I posted one of my favorite quotes by King at the beginning of this post. In real life and, online I’ve seen many fall into these categories. Alliances are drawn because of their beliefs on a wide range of issues. Sometimes the views held are inaccurate. I always believe there is a better way to deal with those who think differently than ourselves than negativity. It’s easy to agree with those who think exactly like us. That takes no effort the true test is giving respect to those who think differently than ourselves.

Think about the way you treat those who think differently than you when it comes to politics, religious, lifestyle choices, race, education, or socioeconomic status. I could list more, but I think you get the idea. Do you treat people who think differently than yourself differently or do you give them the same respect as those who think exactly like you? Perhaps we should focus on listening to one another. We should be willing to listen to views besides are own in doing so we might understand why people think differently than we. Instead of attacking each other we need to spend more time building one another up and yes respecting those who think differently than ourselves.

I don’t care what others are saying about you or the group that you are affiliated with. Lashing out at the person or group keeps the negativity going. Guess what? You might always have someone that unfairly judges you. Knowing how unfair this is modify your own behavior and treat those you come in contact with as individuals. Think about your actions and the effect it they can have on others. It’s time to break the negative cycle

Question: When judging a person or a group? Do you need to change your views?

[tags]Continuing the Dream[/tags]

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This is a question I’m asked often in the real world, and also here on Vegan Momma. I usually direct people to The Raw & The Cooked which has simple, delicious, and nutritious vegan recipes. Do you have to be vegetarian or vegan to be healthy? No, but as with any eating lifestyle you have to make healthy choices. Yes that includes vegetarians and vegans. You can be an unhealthy veggie if you make poor food choices.

Another great resource for adding more vegetables into your lifestyle can be found at Animal Writings. This website is hosted by Gary. He’s a fabulous soul and I’m truly blessed that I found his virtual home. I always enjoy reading his post through RSS feed. Gary started a series a few weeks that focuses on ways one can incorporate more vegetables into their daily lifestyle.

I put Gary in my RSS feed last week. I recognize my readers by including their posts in my sidebar for a week. Well Gary has been here for two weeks. If you’ve been a reader of Vegan Momma for any length of time you know how passionate I am about nutrition, and I felt this series was too important to eliminate it after the one week mark. How did I meet Gary? I’m not sure although I do believe I met him through Vegan Freaks. It’s been a few years since I discovered Gary’s wonderful virtual home. I truly appreciate the way he writes about animals. His approach is nonjudgmental, and I do believe it makes some people think of the ways they view other beings.

Please stop by and read his informative series. Easy Ways to Reduce Meat Consumption. Change can be overwhelming, and Gary has done a fabulous job of helping people introduce more produce into their daily lifestyle. Gary you should turn this into an ebook.

Vegans, like any other group, occasionally have inaccurate labels tossed at them. Reading Gary’s posts it’s obvious that he cares for humans and animals, and he’s not judgmental. This is something I practice also.

Gary, my apologies for not pointing to this valuable series sooner. I’ve been meaning to complete it, but something always came up. Today I made the time to complete this task.

[tags]vegans, Animal Writings, reduce meat consumption[/tags]

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