On February 22nd, Gentle World’s Co-founders Light and Sun celebrated their 47th veganniversary, providing living proof that vegan human beings can not only lead an exemplary, love-filled, respectful, responsible, caring, healthy, active and vibrant life, but also inspire countless others to do the same. Becoming a vegan 47 years ago was not only forward-thinking, but also forward-feeling, as there was [...]
When Light and I became vegan in February of 1970, there was one reason and one reason only. It wasn’t because of its health benefits, which were unknown at the time, as was its positive effect on the environment. If factory farms existed, we hadn’t heard of them. Animal rights was not yet an issue, [...]
“In a vegan world the creatures would be reintegrated within the balance and sanity of nature. A great and historic wrong, whose effect upon the course of evolution must have been stupendous, would be righted. The idea that his fellow creatures might be used by man for self-interested purposes would be so alien to human thought [...]
“The object of the Society shall be to end the exploitation of animals by man” and “The word veganism shall mean the doctrine that man should live without exploiting animals.”
Jazz singer Billie Holiday was one of the greatest female vocalists of her time. In 1948, Holiday sang to a sold-out crowd in Carnegie Hall. The venue broke its own record, with 2,700 tickets sold in advance.
We didn’t know that there was a word “vegan” at the time. There were no health food stores, no tofu, and no animal rights movement that we knew of.
Instead of a philosophy and way of life that seeks to avoid the exploitation of nonhuman animals, veganism is viewed by many as a fad diet now – and often as one that allows the occasional consumption of products derived from other animals.
Shifting away from the common belief that other animals are renewable resources will lead to a new perception that recognizes animals as the conscious, feeling, innocent individuals they are.
The vegan evolution will inspire a heightened spiritual awareness, purify the body, and make possible personal and planetary healing unprecedented in human history.
Aside from simply being on the justifiable side of a cause, a major reason that social justice movements of the past succeeded was persistence.
Prescribed by sages throughout history as the most effective way to temper the bestial nature in man, taking the vow of Ahimsa means resolving to refrain from causing any harm to any living creature.
Donald Watson’s legacy extends beyond providing a name for our movement, but creating the term ‘vegan’ is certainly one of the most salient and perhaps widest reaching of his contributions. The vegans of today and tomorrow can look to Watson as a major catalyst for the formation and proliferation of our principles.
