Category Archives: Making a Difference
Giving Tuesday
This is the first year that I’ve heard of Giving Tuesday. What a great concept, especially as it comes directly after the shopping frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
There are so many ways to give today (and always) – through local charities, food banks, blood donations, volunteering or even random acts of kindness.
Please spread the word and give as you can. We can make this world a better place.
Photo credit: CanadaHelps.org
The Price We Have To Pay…
This is the argument I felt I was up against – time after time – prior to the Federal election.
I hope our new Prime Minister proves this cartoon character wrong.
The ‘Green’ Pope
I’m not a Catholic, but I’m delighted to hear that Pope Francis calls the earth “our Sister-Mother” and that he’s turned his attention to protecting ‘her’ and all ‘her’ inhabitants. He recognizes that we’ve abused the “gifts of God”. With a following of 8 million world-wide, having him address these concerns has got to be good news.
Finding Meaning in Illness
When confronted with cancer John Mann – best known as the frontman for the band Spirit of the West – wrote music to help him describe the horror of the disease, the treatment and the recovery. The songs were poignant, often funny, and classic ‘John Mann’. I’ve listened to the CD many times.
Now the music is being used as the backdrop of a stage play that is currently being performed on Granville Island. Like the music, it fluctuates between being heartfelt and laugh-out-loud funny. The music alone is moving, but having the story brought to life with actors makes for a profound theatre experience.
What a brilliant concept Mann had, taking his most difficult experience, putting it to music in his own unique style, and using that as a vehicle to question the meaning in life, illness and death. The theatre audience comes away with no real answers, but a deeper understanding of the journey we all face. We are reminded that not one of us knows what tomorrow will bring. All we can do is live each day we are given to the best of our abilities.
Thank you, John Mann, for using your talent to make the the music that helps us explore the questions we all must ask.
Animals are my friends
I don’t either, Mr. Shaw.
Photo Credit: Gene Baur
McHappy Eggs!
The news today is good. McDonald’s has decided to serve only eggs laid by hens living in cage-free conditions. This will greatly improve the lives of millions of chickens who, until now, were packed into cages so small they couldn’t walk, spread their wings or engage in natural behaviours. I suspect this move is a result of a shift in the public’s awareness about animal welfare.
cage free or free run hens
free range hens
However, the news could be even better. The best choice is to use only eggs from free range chickens, hens that are free to express natural behaviours while roaming indoors and outdoors. Being cage-free is an improvement in living conditions, but the barns can still be extremely overcrowed will little or no room to move or flap wings.
A friend recently lamented the trouble he had when purchasing eggs. There are so many options – Omega 3, Free Range, Free Run, Organic. What does it all mean?
My advice was to reach for the Free Range Certified Organic ones. It’s just the right thing to do.
Is it just me…
… or does it seem odd that there is a move to ‘adapt’ to global warming (planting drought resistant gardens and even artificial turf in lieu of grass) instead of an all-out effort to reverse the warming trend?
There is only so much an individual can do. Real change has to come from government policies and direction. There is an election coming up. Let’s vote wisely.
Hard-Wired Compassion
We are born compassionate beings. Babies and toddlers often show unprompted moments of kindness, yet somewhere along the way some of us seem to lose this trait. Road rage is one example. Trophy hunting is another.
The case of Cecil the lion lit up the compassion impulse in so many of us despite the fact that Cecil was just one of thousands of animals that are killed in the name of amusement each year. In BC it is the threatened grizzly bear that is trophy hunted. If each one of our grizzly bears had a name and their individual and unique personality traits were well documented as was the case with Cecil, would we fight harder to bring an end to trophy hunting here in BC?
As well, because we are compassionate we would never subject our pets to inhumane conditions yet we continue to eat meat from factory farmed animals who suffer horrifically. It’s easy to forget their suffering because it is well hidden from us. (“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” Paul McCartney) Cecil became instantly famous because he had a name, but all animals can suffer stress and pain, not just the majestic lion, and not just our cats and dogs. The factory-farmed animal doesn’t know anything but a life of stress and pain.
If we truly want to live our lives with the compassion and caring that is hard-wired in our hearts, we have to take a stand against both trophy hunting and factory farming. If we choose to eat meat, we should know where it comes from, know that the animals were free range and humanely cared for and slaughtered.
“The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” Mahatma Gandhi
Photo credit: http://thespiritscience.net/2015/07/05/the-scientific-health-benefits-of-being-compassionate/
Wasting water
My province is experiencing an unprecedented drought this summer. Living in a rainforest, we’ve always taken our water for granted, but now we’re being asked to find creative ways to reduce our water consumption. Our gardens have withered because of the watering restrictions, our cars remain dirty , but what else can we do?
I discovered one more way to conserve water in my home – collecting the cold shower water.
My shower has to run for a ridiculously long time before the water gets warm enough for me to step in. With our water restrictions in mind, I decided to collect that cold water. I was shocked that it filled an entire pail which I now use to water my remaining flowers but it makes me squirm to think of how much perfectly clean water I’ve allowed to run down the drain over the years that I’ve lived in this house.
We may groan about having to conserve water this summer, but after seeing first hand the distance people in India and Africa have to walk just to collect water and then carry it home, I am just grateful that water still flows from my taps, and I vow to be more mindful of how I use it.
http://inweh.unu.edu/archive/WaterForLife.html (photo credits)
