Making the connection.

October 2nd

Three days ago marked a rather monumental day. Not only was it my big sisters birthday, which brought me back home to Birmingham for some good O'Sister time and it a little wine.. But it was also World Day for Animals, and a day where a campaign was born - #fastagainstslaughter. A worldwide fast in solidarity of the billions of animals that suffer each day.  It was chosen by FarmUSA to be on this day because it falls also falls on Gandhi's birthday... A man who's years of protests and fasts brought about so much positive change.

When factory-farmed animals are being taken to slaughter they are often subjected to periods of around 12 hours or longer without food or water. After a life without an ounce of kindness or care; they are deprived of the very basic necessities in their final hours, before being, often very brutally, murdered. (More info about the pledge in the link below if anyone wants to read more)

So on October 2nd I proudly joined thousands of others in a fast, a way to raise awareness, to fight against this cruelty and also to connect, in a very small way... 
The hunger we experienced on this day cannot be compared to that of those animals and the billions of other starving human and non-human animals around the world; but in those 24 hours (or longer in some cases) that we fasted, we felt just a small amount of what they experience.. The difference being we have the choice over that hunger. We have the luxury of choice about when we will next eat or drink, they don't. 
This pains me more than I can explain. Nearing the end of the expected 24hours, I had a lot of feelings of guilt.. Not the same type of guilt we often associate with food.. It wasn't about me, or some stupid diet.. This was bigger than me. This was a feeling of connection and compassion on all levels. I've always loved animals, but I have never felt more connected to them than I did during this time, they were in my thoughts the whole day. I ended up going over 40 hours before I ended the fast.. And I wasn't alone; on the Facebook page for the campaign we found support in each other, we shared our experiences and I discovered that many others also continued the fast for longer. The amount of love in that group is amazing. So much compassion, so much desire for change. For positive change. 

This is what is needed. This particular pledge was just one campaign against one of the many ways in which animals (and people too) are being exploited and made to suffer around the world. Why is this even still happening??
We need to fight for more people to show compassion. To not turn their eye, to take responsibility. To love.

I just hope that more and more people begin to awaken to this as I have. I hope that more people want help create positive change on a bigger scale. All I ask, is that any of my friends that are reading this.. a) thank you for getting this far and not closing the window when you saw it was another 'vegan-rant' b) please just think about what you are buying and consuming, where has it come from and who has suffered. Be conscious, make wise choices.


As Gandhi said...


  

It's time we took responsibility for what we find on our plates. 

With love x



http://farmusa.org/Alerts/ALRWDFA14-FastReminder.html

http://www.dayforanimals.org




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