This being Vegan (Feast) Thursday, it seemed appropriate to address the issue of Cecil the lion. NEVER wanting to be one to offend, I tend to stay pretty quiet about my choice to thrive on a plant-based diet and refrain from purchasing animal products. After all, the more time spent in meditation, the more clear I feel about NOT being a judge and jury of anyone else.
It would be a lie to say, though, that it is not frustrating to read and hear and see all the outrage over the killing of this most magnificent king of the jungle. For most of us, it is beyond our comprehension to kill a lion. Same goes for a cat, or a dog. All day long we post pictures of animals and converse about how much we love them.
No. I am not the judge, but who of any of us is? Who decides which animals are pets, which are for farms, which are for zoos, which are for hunting, which are for hanging on a wall, which are for food, which are for shoes and purses and furniture?
Many will point out to me that is all about culture. In some cultures it’s ok to eat cows, while in others, it’s about the worst thing you can do! Certainly as Americans we frown upon anyone that would eat dog meat, or horse meat, but when you step aside from “culture” what really IS the difference????
No. I never set out to offend. This morning’s meditation was about how when we are our TRUE selves, we are our WHOLE selves. Then, while taking a very quick scroll through Facebook, I saw this:
