Life has been so busy lately that I haven't had much time to reflect on all that has been going on, nurture my dreams, or give myself to the causes that matter most to me. Like you, I feel each day passes more quickly than the one before and I am robbed of the opportunity to work for positive change. As much as I love to write I find it difficult to carve out the time necessary to do so. Between working, running a household, and squeezing in my daily quiet time and workout there isn't time to do much else. Every now and then I find it necessary to permit myself to simply exist instead of pushing myself to do more.
But all is not lost. Even though we may feel stretched beyond our limits we can do more simply by living according to our convictions. For instance, although I might not have the time or resources to more fully participate in the vegan causes near and dear to my heart I can donate money and at least eat and live to promote a more compassionate and healthy lifestyle. On those days when I cannot find the time to exercise I can at least eat nutritiously. Though I cannot change the government's stance on climate change or the animal abuse and pollution rampant in factory farming I can do my part to effect positive change by sharing with others what I am learning about the impact of factory farming on our environment and by choosing to leave meat off my plate.
"Be the change you want to see" has become a motto to live by for many of us. Actions truly do speak louder than words, and how we choose to live has the power to change the world, for better or for worse.
The choice to abstain from eating animals has not won me any popularity contests. On the other hand it has caused animosity between me and members of my own family and some of my closest friends. My desire that they experience better health and greater happiness will never be enough to persuade them to trade in barbecue and fried chicken for broccoli and chickpeas, but I hope the positive changes they see in me as I continue this journey will eventually cause them to wonder if perhaps I am onto something.
The feeling that there is truly so little we can do in a world that is so wrong can be overwhelming at times. But it needn't be if we will simply remember to "be the change we want to see."
Copyright 2017 by Dee Dee Wike and Joy Wike. All rights reserved. www.feelingveggiegood.com
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Monday, June 19, 2017
Overwhelmed
All of a sudden I am feeling very depressed. It's been on my mind recently that the human species is pretty awful. We are destroying the planet, many of us have no respect for the animals we share our planet with, and we think we are above everything.
We're selfish, greedy, and conceited, to say the least. Despite what some people may say, we still want to accumulate a lot of money and possessions. We have too much stuff, at least in America. Nothing can be the same, and we have more than enough variety! Often, we're probably more wasteful than we are grateful.
You know, nothing is simple anymore. Nothing is natural anymore. Our planet is full of chemicals, and harsh ones at that! Have we not progressed enough? Because I believe we have! Do we honestly need touch screen refrigerators? There are a ton of people in other countries who don't even have refrigerators!
In our society, everything has to be convenient. We can't even take the time to look up the weather on our smart phones. No, that would be too hard. Now we ask a device to do it for us; "Hey Alexa, what's the temperature outside?" Heaven forbid we step outside to see if it's hot or cold!
Let's talk about how our cars are becoming safer. Today's cars have sensors that let you know if you're about to hit someone. Did anyone ever think that we're actually going to create drivers that are going to be more lazy and pay less attention? I mean it's nice to have insurance in case something unexpected occurs, but we still need to pay very good attention while driving. Driving can be dangerous, and we don't need to rely on our "smart cars" to do everything for us.
Let's all admit it. We love technology. But do we ever really think about it? I honestly have no idea how the Internet works. Do you? We press buttons, type things on our screens, and are able to swipe through people's pictures on Instagram. But how? It's probably so complicated I don't even want to know. What are all the symbols, numbers, and letters for? Technology scares me sometimes, and if it doesn't scare you, it should.
We're over fishing our oceans, killing amazing animals like rhinos in Africa, and zoos are so normal now it's just like going to the movie theater. We care about all the money we make from commercial fishing so much that we don't give a second thought to all the animals we kill that aren't fish, and the huge impact commercial fishing has on the oceans. We go to the African savanna and kill amazing creatures like rhinos, lions, and giraffes because we think it's cool. It's not respect in any way, but cold blooded murder. And in no way is it helping the ecosystem. I am not a radical "anti-zoos" person, but when I think about it, zoos are a little messed up, not to mention unnatural. I realize some animals who end up in zoos are rescued or taken from a bad situation, but that is certainly not the case for all the animals who end up in zoos. I just really don't see how it's natural to take a wild animal out of its natural environment, where, mind you, God perfectly placed the animal, and take it to live in a confined area where it will spend the rest of its life. Oh well, there are water pools, toys, rocks, grass, and the safety of knowing they won't be eaten. It is not the same as if they were to live in the wild. Not even close. It's even more unnatural that they breed these animals that are in zoos. Sure it's cool to be able to see different species of animals, but then again that's why there are wildlife photographers. Wild animals are not meant to be in captivity. Hence the term "wild"!
I'm not a perfect person. I use plastic, binge watch "Lost"on Netflix, and sometimes do virtually nothing because I'm lazy. However, I realize that we are a somewhat sick species and we have MANY flaws. There are some good things we do, but there are also a lot of bad things we do.
The world today is complex and complicated enough. The last thing we need to do is be oblivious of what's going on in the world. We don't need to turn a blind eye, and we need to question things more. We need to look at ourselves, and our species, and reflect.
~Joy
Copyright 2016-2017 by Dee Dee Wike and Joy Wike. All rights reserved. www.feelingveggiegood.com
We're selfish, greedy, and conceited, to say the least. Despite what some people may say, we still want to accumulate a lot of money and possessions. We have too much stuff, at least in America. Nothing can be the same, and we have more than enough variety! Often, we're probably more wasteful than we are grateful.
You know, nothing is simple anymore. Nothing is natural anymore. Our planet is full of chemicals, and harsh ones at that! Have we not progressed enough? Because I believe we have! Do we honestly need touch screen refrigerators? There are a ton of people in other countries who don't even have refrigerators!
In our society, everything has to be convenient. We can't even take the time to look up the weather on our smart phones. No, that would be too hard. Now we ask a device to do it for us; "Hey Alexa, what's the temperature outside?" Heaven forbid we step outside to see if it's hot or cold!
Let's talk about how our cars are becoming safer. Today's cars have sensors that let you know if you're about to hit someone. Did anyone ever think that we're actually going to create drivers that are going to be more lazy and pay less attention? I mean it's nice to have insurance in case something unexpected occurs, but we still need to pay very good attention while driving. Driving can be dangerous, and we don't need to rely on our "smart cars" to do everything for us.
Let's all admit it. We love technology. But do we ever really think about it? I honestly have no idea how the Internet works. Do you? We press buttons, type things on our screens, and are able to swipe through people's pictures on Instagram. But how? It's probably so complicated I don't even want to know. What are all the symbols, numbers, and letters for? Technology scares me sometimes, and if it doesn't scare you, it should.
We're over fishing our oceans, killing amazing animals like rhinos in Africa, and zoos are so normal now it's just like going to the movie theater. We care about all the money we make from commercial fishing so much that we don't give a second thought to all the animals we kill that aren't fish, and the huge impact commercial fishing has on the oceans. We go to the African savanna and kill amazing creatures like rhinos, lions, and giraffes because we think it's cool. It's not respect in any way, but cold blooded murder. And in no way is it helping the ecosystem. I am not a radical "anti-zoos" person, but when I think about it, zoos are a little messed up, not to mention unnatural. I realize some animals who end up in zoos are rescued or taken from a bad situation, but that is certainly not the case for all the animals who end up in zoos. I just really don't see how it's natural to take a wild animal out of its natural environment, where, mind you, God perfectly placed the animal, and take it to live in a confined area where it will spend the rest of its life. Oh well, there are water pools, toys, rocks, grass, and the safety of knowing they won't be eaten. It is not the same as if they were to live in the wild. Not even close. It's even more unnatural that they breed these animals that are in zoos. Sure it's cool to be able to see different species of animals, but then again that's why there are wildlife photographers. Wild animals are not meant to be in captivity. Hence the term "wild"!
I'm not a perfect person. I use plastic, binge watch "Lost"on Netflix, and sometimes do virtually nothing because I'm lazy. However, I realize that we are a somewhat sick species and we have MANY flaws. There are some good things we do, but there are also a lot of bad things we do.
The world today is complex and complicated enough. The last thing we need to do is be oblivious of what's going on in the world. We don't need to turn a blind eye, and we need to question things more. We need to look at ourselves, and our species, and reflect.
“Learn from Yesterday, live for Today, hope for Tomorrow.” ~ Albert Einstein
~Joy
Copyright 2016-2017 by Dee Dee Wike and Joy Wike. All rights reserved. www.feelingveggiegood.com
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