When we have a choice it is always best to choose kindness. Veganism is simply the kinder choice. Sharon Gannon More Quotes by Sharon Gannon More Quotes From Sharon Gannon In fact, we would know ourselves that we are not meant to be meat eaters, and we would not have allowed ourselves to become conditioned to meat eating in the first place, if the effects of meat eating were felt right away. But since heart disease, cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, etc. usually take many years to develop, we are able to separate them from their cause (or contributing factors) and go on happily eating an animal-based diet. Sharon Gannon cancer heart animal The number of human deaths due to hardening of the arteries and other similar diseases suggests that human beings were not meant to eat animals; our bodies are unable to digest the animal fat effectively and it ends up stored in our blood vessels, not to mention our waist lines, buttocks and thighs! Sharon Gannon numbers animal blood We have been conditioned, taught, and coerced by the agents of our culture (parents, grandparents, advertisers, food critic, etc.) to eat the flesh and drink the milk of other animals. Because of this conditioning, which has occurred over a long period of time (thousands of years), we have developed addictive eating habits and blinded ourselves to the facts of our biological system and its true needs. Sharon Gannon animal long years Human overconsumption is a greater problem than human population growth, and meat eating is a big part of that problem. Sharon Gannon meat-eating population growth If we want to consider the sanctity of life in deciding what to eat, the choice is clear. Eating a plant based diet causes less harm, to ourselves, to the other animals, to the planet. Sharon Gannon choices want animal Human population growth is a problem in that most humans consume more than they need. The Earth's resources are now strained to sustain the needs and wants of the human population, which continues to escalate. Sharon Gannon population growth needs Some well-to-do parents may say, "I have a right to have as many children as I want because I can take care of them." That may be so, but can the Earth take care of them? Sharon Gannon parent earth children What we do as an individual affects the whole world. Sharon Gannon individual whole world Human beings are Earthlings and as Earthlings are connected to every other living being on this planet. Sharon Gannon planets connected humans When many people start practicing yoga, they are amazed to discover that their body isn't just something used to carry their head around - their body has intelligence too. We start to feel how our actions affect the lives of others - this could be described as becoming political, because the word politic means the "greater body" - it refers to the community of others with whom we share the Earth. Sharon Gannon yoga mean people To be political actually means to care about your community. Sharon Gannon political community mean The fact is that eating meat and dairy is bad for your health, the health of the animals eaten, as well as the health of the planet. Sharon Gannon meat animal facts What could be more physical than what you eat, where you live, and who you live with? These are all very physical issues. Sharon Gannon where-you-live issues Each of us, through the actions we take, plant the seeds which will eventually but inevitably grow and create the reality we will find ourselves living in. Sharon Gannon plant action reality When I see a person wearing a fur coat, I see not only the coat but the animals who were cruelly abused, killed and skinned to make that coat, and also I see the person wearing that coat being reborn as a poor fox crazily circulating in a tiny cage waiting to be skinned. And I see the poor dairy cow who has been raped and exploited, and in the same picture, I see the new future dairy cow taking her place, in the form of that person putting milk in her coffee, today. Sharon Gannon coffee waiting animal I passionately feel that as long as we view ourselves as superior and other animals as exploitable our consciousness will remain stuck in a level of ignorance that will disallow a full realization of the truth underlying reality. Sharon Gannon ignorance animal reality Don't try to do this by yourself: to become a good yogi you need a teacher. Find a teacher you can bow to, who can teach you how to be kind - how to serve others - because the key to enlightenment lies in that. Be humble, work hard, study and practice. Chant the Name of God, do japa and meditate, every day. Sharon Gannon hard-work teacher lying Try your best not to get distracted from your goal. Let everything you do be your way of getting closer to your enlightenment; never take a vacation from spiritual practice. Sharon Gannon vacation practice spiritual Create the kind of world you want to live in by how you treat others now. Sharon Gannon kind want world Whatever you want to have happen to you make it happen for others now and eventually but inevitably you will reap the seeds you have sown. Sharon Gannon reap want happens
