Jain Spirit 2001 12 No 09

Author(s): Jain Spirit UK
Publisher: UK Young Jains

Page 47

YOUTH
We Must Do Something
WE MUST DO SOMETHING!
Kunal Shah executive member of the Young Jains of America (YJA), appeals to his peers.
Potato/Scorpion Poison - Scientists at the Institute of Virology in Oxford have introduced the gene responsible for scorpion poison into a genetically engineered pesticide. The gene produces a toxin which immediately paralyses target pests for attack by the slower-acting virus.
Aside from the issues of killing involved in production of food and of plant/animal combinations, the companies responsible for GM foods and agro-chemicals cause unnecessary suffering and death to animals in laboratories.
Companies such as Monsanto, Aventis and Syngenta use laboratories just as those run by Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) to test their herbicide and pesticide poisons. Animal testing is unacceptable to vegetarians and many non-vegetarians alike.
The UK Vegetarian Society, in common with many other organisations worldwide, is opposed to the use of Genetically Modified foods. In August 1998 the Society's Board resolved:
"Genetically Modified products, or products containing Genetically Modified ingredients, are not acceptable to the Vegetarian Society because the Society believes it is impossible to guarantee that such products are completely in accordance with the Society's vegetarian principles."
Since August 1999 any food product bearing the Vegetarian Society approved logo is not permitted to contain GM ingredients.
The examples above show clearly that GM foods are not suitable for those who wish to avoid killing or suffering of animals, nor indeed are they suitable for any person wishing to avoid poisons, untested technology or environmental damage.
Those who wish to avoid animal "contamination" of their food have always had to be on the lookout to avoid such ingredients. Now there are good reasons for excluding also Genetically Modified foods from their diets.
Jai Jinendra
The recent attacks in NYC and Washington, DC were very tragic and have changed the lives of many throughout the country. Our heart goes out to all those who have suffered a loss as a result of the cowardly acts of i1th September. We hope that in the path to recovery, you find strength in your community, your family and Jainism. The time ahead is daunting and uncertain, but as we all begin the return to normalcy. We cannot help but recognise that life will not quite be the same as it was prior to these tragedies.
Show, through writing or speaking, your sympathy and support for the victims, both American and Indian.
Write or speak out against violence and hate crimes. • Show patriotism in any form.
Flyers, on college campuses or around school halls, speaking out against hate and racism.
Multi-educational and anti-racism speakers and lectures.
Encourage, and of course follow by example, the flying of American flags outside our homes and workplaces. • Participate in donation drives, collections, and giving blood. • Have a joint prayer service with other faiths.
"We must do SOMETHING! We can't sit idle and watch as the world continues. YJA must use its resources and capabilities to make a positive change on the world." Those are the sentiments we have received from several individuals in the past few weeks, and are ones we have contemplated endlessly. These strong words should resound in our heads as goals for us during these times. After personally communicating with several groups of people from NY and DC, we have come up with several important tasks for EACH AND EVERY ONE of US to accomplish individually, and as a collective group. Every little thing we do, though it may appear small, will reverberate in a big way. Here are items that we came up with after having discussions with some people. Consider carrying out these tasks to involve you in helping to heal the country. Keep in mind that we are as much Indian as we are American!
TAKE THE INITIATIVE. Please respond dynamically with ideas of actions we can take on a local level.
DO NOT sit back idly and let this pass.
DO SOMETHING that you think will make a positive change in the world. As Mahatma Gandhi once said, "We must be the change we want to see in the world.""
Marcus is the editor for the website "Genetically Modified Food - UK and World News" at www.gmfoodnews.com
Go out and BE THAT CHANGE!!!
December 2001 - February 2002. Jain Spirit 43
Jain Education Interational