The Cure for Historical Amnesia

Since this is the closest I can come to shouting from the rooftops, here goes. I want to tell you about a book that I, personally, think is one of the most important books written - ever. The name of it is For the Prevention of Cruelty: The History and Legacy of Animal Rights Activism in the United States and I can't recommend it highly enough. When I first heard about it - by seeing the author, Diane Beers, speak at the Strength of Many Conference in L.A. last year (put on by Animals and Society Institute and the Culture and Animals Foundation), I was blown away. I could not believe this story hadn't been told before. How is it possible that this book hadn't been written until now?

I think it's so important for activists to know upon whose shoulders we stand. Otherwise, I think we risk what Diane calls "historical amnesia," which I think is detrimental to any social cause. Diane is a historian and scholar, and she cares deeply about this story, about its heroes (many of whom are women!), about the speciesism so rampant in our society, and about telling the story accurately and eloquently. She is a thorough researcher and dug through buried documents and photographs and left no stone uncovered. Her writing is beautiful and her respect for the subject is evident.

Having said that, THIS IS NOT A BOOK THAT WILL APPEAL ONLY TO ANIMAL ACTIVISTS! If you've ever had a dog or a cat, if you've ever donated to an SPCA, if you've ever wondered why activists do the work we do, if you've ever worked for any social justice cause, if you just want to read a fascinating, beautifully written, eloquently told story, PLEASE buy this book.

I promise you it's not full of disturbing accounts of animal abuse; it's a story about the bravery and courage and steadfastness and determination and dedication of the early activists, many of whom were women and most of whom were involved in other social causes, such as child abuse, abolition of slavery, and voting rights for women. It's also about the founding of organizations you most likely support today - the ASPCA, the AAVS, and the local SPCAs. You'll be fascinated to know the animal rights movement started out of concern for work horses and centered in Philadelphia. That Jack London was an outspoken advocate for circus animals and was the inspiration that caused Ringling Barnum and Bailey Circus to STOP having animal acts for five years. That Mark Twain was a staunch opponent to animal research and wrote a critically acclaimed and popular book about it.

Anyway, please buy the book - and after you do, write a review on Amazon.com. You can order it through my bookstore: http://astore.amazon.com/compassiona02-20/detail/0804010870/002-1175387-3308023 (for which Compassionate Cooks earns a small commission). But whatever you do, buy the book!? OKAY? Nuff said.

P.S. My interview with Diane Beers will appear in the April issue of Satya Magazine (http://www.satyamag.com), so if you're not a subscriber yet, I encourage you to become one! :)

Active Listening

I think we have forgotten how to talk to one another. Certainly the anonymity of the Internet has contributed to this and has dulled our discourse, dehumanized our dialogue. We listen with divided attention, more interested in hearing our own voices and ready to respond with a defensive answer or a witty quip. This is particularly true when it comes to talking about vegetarianism. Thoughtless (i.e. "without thought") responses come flowing out of people's mouths when confronted with the idea of not eating once-alive, once-kicking animals. A dichotomy of good vs. bad is immediately imagined, and hackles are raised even before the bell goes off.

Communication is central to everything I do, as this sensitive subject requires special care. Admittedly, it is exhausting work - prepping for the cooking classes alone takes countless hours, and it is when the class is over that I am utterly spent - not because of the hours I've been on my feet - but because of the energy that goes into fostering a dialogue in each of my classes. I'm exhausted not just from talking but from listening. I absorb and honor every word and try to create a safe space for students to say what they need to. It takes energy to listen.

Every day, whether it's via email, in my classes, or on the street, I am asked the same questions over and over. (Every vegetarian knows what this is like.) But I try and treat each question as if it is being asked for the very first time. And you know what? It is. By that individual. I know that many people are hearing what I am saying - about veganism, about animals, about nutrition - for the very first time, and since we've all been brainwashed by the same machine, there is a relatively small pool of responses from which people draw.

You don't have to be an educator to honor the dialogue that I believe we all so desperately want. I know many vegetarians who are tired of answering the "protein question" or fielding justifications about eating animals. And I know it can be tiresome, but not only to I feel it is my responsbility to speak on behalf of the truth when asked about vegetarianism, I believe it is a breech of trust if I don't. I would be breeching the trust of the animals who need me as their voice, and I would be breeching the trust of the person asking the question who is trusting me with their fears or concerns or needs. I am compelled to answer with grace. I am expected to answer with truth. I am honored to answer at all.

This doesn't mean that the non-vegetarians are off the hook. Each one of us knows when we're asking a genuine question and seeking authenic dialogue or when we're merely spouting off judgments and trying to provoke anger. All of that is just based on fear - of hearing the truth, of having our own truth revealed to us, of being inspired to make a change. Each time we push away the truth about this issue, we're just delaying our own growth. It will happen eventually, so we may as well just jump in now. If we're not actively participating in life and all its complexities and pain and suffering, then we're just stagnant.

My husband and I regularly attend a Japanese Tea Ceremony, and one of the most valuable things that we've taken from it is the idea of "facing forward." During the ceremony, guests are expected to pay attention to every detail, to admire the scroll and the tea wares, to be fully present. Now, at home, whenever one of us feels the other is distracted when we want to say something, we ask the other person to please face forward. It's a much gentler way (and much more effective) than saying "you're not listening to me!"

So, I'll leave you with that thought. May we listen to each other with authenticity and respond with integrity. May we speak for truth. May we face forward and look directly into each other's eyes, directly into our own fears and embrace the joys and sorrows that come with living fully present and fully open.