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Practicing Non-Violence through our Daily Food
MS. IRENA UPENIEKS
The main focus and attention of the Parliament of World Religions centres in issues of peace, brotherhood, spiritual love and harmony as well as violence, wars, men's cruelty to men, cruelty towards other living beings and the destruction of environment.
In my talk, I would like to touch briefly upon compassion, ethics, vegetarianism, health and our daily food. It is at this point here, that I have to say, with great sadness, that the biggest attrocities and violence in the world are committed for the plate on our table - the food we eat.
We have seen increased violence everywhere around us and wonder why. The answer is simple but human beings like to avoid hearing it at all costs.
It begins with the food humankind consumes. Food has a direct impact on the brain, nervous system and blood stream. Most people don't realize and hardly ever give a thought to it, that billions and billions of animals are raised and slughtered for the enjoyment of the human palate. Often I refer to this as -blood sacrifice. This is the very beginning and root cause of all killing and all violence. From an early age, children are taught and forced to eat animal flesh. They eventually become the grown-ups who, in their turn, continue this same practice and in this way, re-enforce this as an (continuous) unending mechanical habit and tradition.
Yet, we do not need to kill and have animal flesh to maintain our existence and health. That has been proven long ago, by strict vegetarians, who never touched any kind of animal flesh. But today, more than ever,
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