Press green flag for music, press stop for silence. I've been meaning to write this for ages, and I realise this isn't exactly cheerful or holiday-friendly...but I'm leaving Scratch soon, so here we are, this had to be said. (Oh, and I'll reveal the reason I chose this imagery and song presently.) Are you seated comfotably? Then I'll begin... I've been a Vegan for about a year and a half now, ever since I climbed Ben Nevis with my parents. Of course, I already knew that Climate Change is a huge threat, but that hadn't really sunk in until I saw just how small the patch of snow on Ben Nevis was. (Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the UK, and *Should* always have a patch of Snow on/near it's summit, due to it's altitude, but that patch has been shrinking as temperatures rise thanks to the human-enhanced greenhouse effect...) As I was reading 'Generation V' by Claire Askew that night, I made the decision to go Vegan. For our planet, and for all who live on it. I'd been thinking of going Vegan for several years at that point (Thank you, Simon Arnstell, for opening my eyes with the film 'Carnage'...) But seeing that snow, and realising (Not just knowing in the academic sense, but feeling in your heart, Comprehending...) what eating (and using) animal products meant... I made my decision. Changing my diet to be Plant-based is the aspect of my Carbon footprint I have the most say in, and it's a decision I'm glad to have made! As well as that, I've felt caged and trapped enough in my life, even though I'm supposed to be a free person, (Hence the song, and the art) that I don't want to inflict that, or worse, on another feeling being. I don't want to support other people doing that, either. Meat means killing another animal so you can eat- and if sensible altenatives exist for you (like they do for me), why take another life? Dairy and eggs mean keeping another animal alive so they can serve you, and supporting the idea that Chickens (now approx. 1/6 th of all birds on earth) Cows, and other non-human animals, can be used & abused as you wish; that lives can be 'owned'. I don't want to put my name to that, or support it with money or consumption. That said, Whatever you eat, I don't judge you for it! Anyone can be awful or amazing, your diet says nothing about that. I applaud any steps you take in the direction of being kinder to the planet (and kinder in general)! Please be Civil in the comments, and feel welcome to ask me any questions you may have- I'll do my best to answer them all, if I can!
Fire, and the Forest Backdrop, are from the Scratch library. Paradise (the song) is By Coldplay.
