Food Philosphy

       This is a bit of a long entry, I might recommend utilizing the headers, or you could of course read it continuously without stopping. I hope whoever reads this, takes as much away from it as I feel is presented. There is much value in this writing to me, I'm well aware that I'm putting myself out to be criticized and questioned, I'm fully prepared to defend the ideas presented, so without peril, read on, haters can hate, skeptics can questions, critics can criticize, and anyone can appreciate and consider.


Food Philosophy

       First of all, I’m going to state that while I have been a practicing vegan for multiple years, and strongly advocate the philosophy associated with this lifestyle, I am not singling out patrons of veganism to be cruel, mock, attack, or humiliate them. If anything, I would side with someone who claims to be vegan before I would the “average Joe” who typically knows little about the products and food they consume.
It is highly probable that anyone who has considered veganism has at least questioned their surroundings and way of life, and what is good for them.  Although I never use veganism as part of my identity (like many do), it was still a cornerstone in my basic ideology of life, purpose and function. Furthermore, I do not frown upon those who choose not to be vegan, and have no problem “settling” for a salad when out to lunch with friends. However, within this way of life lay a subculture of people who seem to have made a clique, based on who is “more vegan” (whatever that means) than the other, judging those who aren’t as vegan and/or those who haven’t made similar quantity or quality of sacrifices. I never got into this clique, simply because I don’t really associate with that crowd, and also because as stated earlier, I don’t use VEGAN as an identity.
I’ve found that those who have a one track mind of veganism have just that; a one track mind. From my experience it’s all they think about; it’s their only identifier.  They’ve forgotten how to question ideas and customs, left concerned only about whether it’s vegan or not. This leads me to another subject that really annoyed me, the labeling. “Vegan this, Vegan that, oh this is VEGAN!!!!” ENOUGH!!! It’s ridiculous, “Vegan Fruit Salad” what the hell does that even mean, of course its vegan! It’s just fruit. Many have forgotten what plants even are, “I’m looking for a sweet dessert treat… that’s vegan friendly, any recipe suggestions” Answers stormed in, with brownies, cookies, ice cream, muffins…….. Strawberry’s anyone? How about nature’s candy! VEGetariAN, vegan is composed of the first and last syllables of vegetarian, because it’s vegetarian without all the “other stuff” in the middle, because the concept of vegetarian has become distorted and twisted. I know a lot of vegans who don’t eat plants though, they eat plant based foods. These meals have succumbed to much processing, and aren’t digestible most of the time. The food industry is active for one reason, to make money. If they really cared about what people were putting into their bodies, there most likely wouldn’t be a baking isle in the grocery store.
Do I think plants are bad? No. Do think eating animals is bad? No. It is my belief that the consumption of plants and animals that are produced in mass quantities is terrible? Yes. Is veganism wrong? I don’t think so, but it needs to be done correctly, just like any other diet. A proper vegan diet needs to be supplemented, almost like any other diet typical of the society we live in. Veganism won’t save the planet, or the animals. Don’t get me wrong, most of the food that is readily available to us is of poor quality and lacking nutrients thought to be within food sources. Many of these foods are marketed towards the vegan community, and highly processed “foods” that contain very little nutritional value, and what is there, isn’t properly digested hence not being absorbed adequately. The majority of these “foods” that are supposedly “whole foods”, are actually nothing more than the illusion of food, extremely chemically influenced substances that have the appearance what it might have been 100 years ago. If you stick with a plant based diet, I would suggest eating raw, locally grown organic foods only. Unfortunately, you won’t be receiving the macro nutrient profile that is desired for optimal human sustenance.
       One example of thoughtless effort is honey. I’ve heard it before, “you’re eating honey? I thought you were vegan.” Well, guess what, actually I’m a spirit in a human body, and yes I think honey is totally acceptable to consume. Here’s why… Without bees pollinating plants, there would be substantially fewer plants. So, if you to argue that by consuming honey, you’re contributing to the exploitation of bees, stand by your argument and stop eating plants.
Life is cyclic.  The process of survival, evolution and species progression is dependent on life and death. The soil that plant life grows in is made of at one time “dead” matter (plants, animals, insects, etc.). Now, it has living micro-organisms occupying the area, and they will eventually die too. I think some ideological movements and practices, along with their supporters, are so focused on being politically correct, to the point of righteousness, that they lose sight of the real task at hand. Most never stop to question group mentality, its way easier to stand in a crowd and protest than it is to protest alone. When you’re in a crowd, there’s no time, rhyme or reason to question the motives and why would you? Groups of people aren’t “wrong”…. are they? I’m not a Christian, but there was a time I’m told, when Christ wasn’t exactly the most popular guy on the block.  Groups sometimes tend to act as one entity.
I understand the empathy involved with vegan ideology.  I support it too. I will do all I can to stop supporting annual mono-crops and massive agriculture operations. Soy, corn, wheat (especially on a mass scale) are my enemies just as much as factory farmed animals.
I don’t shop at certain stores, I don’t purchase animal hides, I don’t believe in the exploitation of animals or humans, or any living being for that sake. I consider myself to be morally alert and strive to express this through my actions.
Nothing escapes death, and no one escapes the participatory acts resulting in death, even when the acts aren’t intentionally performed. What separates many people is those who are conscious of the role they play as a human, some are conscious of their destruction, conscious of their acts, and others  who are not, continue their behavior without considering the effects of their actions. Those who are aware of our place in the cycle of life should not feel guilty about killing, which is different than murder. We will all eventually be killed, by a disease, or poor health, cancer, “old age”… Most likely we will be taken by a micro-organism of some kind who was in the end “stronger and/or smarter” than the cells in our body. Death is reality, accept death.
One common mantra throughout the vegan community is, of course, “meat is murder”. I believe this was a tactic, to hopefully, remind people or make them consider where the meat on their plate came from, since many don’t even think about it. A lot of consumers, just know that it’s there and that its food, so they eat it without considering where it came from. I would like to ask people with a plant based diet, especially those who have put themselves on a throne to make the same consideration when eating their tofu and soy based products, their seitan and wheat based products, and the virtually endless list of corn based products and “goods”. Not out of spite, not to counter their philosophy, but for their own good.

Food Production

         Let’s discuss the food industry, consider factory farming. Vegans are strongly against factory farming animals, at least any person under the spell of “vegan” that I’ve met was. The animals are treated cruelly, they’re largely stationary their entire life, pumped with strange chemicals, forcing them to grow larger and quicker than nature intended. These victims are also fed “food” with ingredients that are indigestible, and simply for the purpose of weight gain. Factory farming animals is only profitable to those who sell the products of it, everyone and everything else suffers as a result of factory farming animals. I honestly cannot state one good result of the industrialization of animal farming.
What about the industrialization of plants? Is there anything immoral about this? Factory farming exists also in modern agriculture practices. The product, in my opinion, isn’t exactly superior.  For example, wheat, corn,  soy beans - these aren’t exactly nutritional powerhouses. Still, they are grown in MASSIVE quantities, to be used in many different foods as additives, binders, or even main dishes, also a variety of other non food products. You can’t develop an argument stating these massive amounts of land have always existed. Acre after acre, was at one point decimated to become a giant plant based factory farmland. These are not perennials; they are annual mono-crops. They’re about as “natural” as factory farming animals, “natural” being a term used much, as a counter argument to defend vegan idealism, I’m forced to define for use during this application. The result of these factory farmlands is an inferior plant, lacking nutrition and unproven to be safe for human consumption, in CAFO’s you have animals that are saturated with chemicals and hormones to elevate growth speed and immunity to disease, in factory farmlands you have a synonymous environment as a result of pesticides, herbicides, and GMO’s.
To define ‘natural’, I would argue anything that happens without added human influence, you cannot change or alter nature or natural sequence. Most vegans define natural as something to do with previous natural predator/prey order, the environment the way it “use to be” pre-industrialization, AND (this is important) pre-agriculture, maybe comparing past ecosystems with what they’ve become today, as a result of human industrialization and imperialism.

Right or Wrong?

Plant based diet, morally correct? I’m not so sure about that. I wonder how many animals lost their home when the massive amounts of land were tilled and destroyed so that acre upon acre of some invasive mono-crop completely foreign to the ecosystem could be planted and grown. Not to mention being raised with chemicals and “protected” by poisons…more chemicals. The planet as a whole has many different ecosystems, which contain a vast selection of micro- organisms, species, and plants; each separate environment is as delicate as any other. A lot of people don’t recognize the damage being done to various locations around the planet as a result of their participation mass market consumption. Many habitats are completely destroyed as a result of human infiltration, whether it is construction, logging, and yes even mass agriculture and factory farming. Part of the reason the problem isn’t acknowledged that in some cases the conditions are considered normal, many people have lived their entire life with the familiar scene of annual mono-crops and mass agriculture. In other scenarios the problem simply isn’t seen by the consumer, and the product isn’t questioned, therefore the origin isn’t even considered. Plants are destroyed, soil is damaged, and loses much of its nutrients, animals lose their habitat, and a lackluster product is grown in the name of destruction.

Unseen Costs

Sick animals make the people who consume them sick, but there is more profit and productivity when farming animals in a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) environment. There’s a reason these big companies don’t ever push for grass fed beef, chickens that live in the open air free to roam and eat worms, pigs that get to roll around in mud where they can be, well… pigs! These same companies don’t use their industry practices as part of an advertising scheme either. Between extreme stresses, minimal “living” quarters, poor diets (corn, grain) these animals become sick, both mentally and physically. They exist in an environment of close quarters and confinement. In many cases animals can’t support their own weight as a result of growing too quickly from the growth hormones given to them. The beaks of chicks are cut off so they don’t stab each other with them, because they are too closely confined with each other. The environment produced is saturated with disease, from the consumption of feces and being fed corn and soy bi-products.  And be aware that consumption of sick animals leads to sick consumers. Would you eat a rotten or diseased cucumber? I didn’t think so.
        If you purchase beef from a super-market, odds are that if it’s grain (corn) fed, not grass fed like it would be naturally. Chicken and pigs are also fed corn, also unnatural. None of these animals eat corn naturally, and they cannot digest it properly and aren’t getting any nutritional value from this “food” source.
When people eat sick animals, they get sick I.e. cancer, CHD (cardio-vascular heart disease). The animals pass on all of the unhealthy fats they’ve acquired from their poor diet to the person eating them. Just as if you were to eat a rotting apple, you would probably feel an effect of some kind. But you probably wouldn’t eat a bad apple, because you would immediately recognize something wrong with it. Most people don’t understand the difference between corn fed and grass fed beef, caged and free range chicken and pigs. As a result they don’t even begin to consider the difference of the condition of the animal and its health, especially upon consumption. A marbled steak is thought of being glamorous, actually it’s a sick animal full of fat, and not saturated fats that should be the desired, this is a result of fat that is produced from food sources that are nutritiously inferior.
These CAFO’s feed animals “food” that they cannot digest. Their biology doesn’t synchronize with food they are fed, simply put they cannot digest it properly. With this stated, you can see why the animal is sick, it’s malnourished. It would be like you eating nothing but grass, eventually you would be sick, because you cannot digest it. Your body doesn’t contain the proper micro-organisms, amount of stomachs, and bacteria to break down and digest cellulose. A cow on the other hand, has the perfect biology from their teeth and chewing style to their stomach and digestive properties to consume grass.
Factory farming animals isn’t sustainable, and neither is plant based industrialization. These operations are most concerned with quantity of product(s), not quality of product(s). The root cause, in my opinion, is over-population of humans, which creates a greater need for food, i.e., there are too many mouths to feed. Simply put, there are too many of us and not enough resources.
Back to quality; focusing on plant products, we now have “options” in the grocery store that create the illusion of having a choice between purchasing and consuming standard products vs. those harvested via “better” or more natural options. For example, when something is labeled “NATURAL”, it is simply an attractive buzzword that means very little about the actual quality.  “Natural” means the plant was grown naturally, hence it grew and out of the ground or on a tree. Natural is a term that has been lost in translation. Actually, according to the FDA’s website they have yet to define the world natural, “From a food science perspective, it is difficult to define a food product that is 'natural' because the food has probably been processed and is no longer the product of the earth. That said, FDA has not developed a definition for use of the term natural or its derivatives. However, the agency has not objected to the use of the term if the food does not contain added color, artificial flavors, or synthetic substances.” I find this very interesting, yet they haven’t defined what is natural, they also aren’t reluctant to dictate what natural isn’t. Also, “Organic”, in my opinion, is no longer relevant.  Citing the FDA’s website once again, they have failed to define organic when being used on food labels, this is very disappointing, “The term "organic" is not defined by law or regulations FDA enforces.” The food and drug administration we cannot forget is an entity of the federal government. Also what and why are they enforcing regulations on something they apparently are unsure of recognizing?

Ulterior Motives

There is much influence inside of the government that comes from the upper echelon of many big corporations that reside in the mass agriculture and factory farming industry. As a result, I can only lose a degree of confidence and validity of quality decisions in the law making process when applied to the food industry.
I recommend that you consider some of these names the next time you purchase and/or consume food products. You may be surprised to learn that you may be supporting this cruel, and unjust system, even indirectly:   Cargill, Monsanto, ConAgra, Tyson, ADM (these are the BIG ones in “food” production).  Also, Dean foods, who own White Wave/Silk, and who owns most of Deans foods? Citigroup, Coca-Cola, Exxon/Mobil, GE, Home Depot, Microsoft, Pfizer, Philip Morris and Wal-Mart. All of these companies support the destruction of masses amounts of land to plant giant annual mono-crops. It doesn’t end there, ConAgra is the manufacturer of LiteLife, you know, the soy products. Hain Food Group, is supported by Exxon/Mobile, Phillip Morris, Wal-Mart, Lockheed Martin, Monsanto, Citigroup and Entergy Nuclear is responsible for and owns Garden of Eatin’, Health Valley, Terra Chips, Westbrae, Bearitos, Bread Shop, Celestial Seasonings, and Imagine Foods (Rice Dream). Then there is General Mills, who owns General Mills?  Texas Instruments, Monsanto, McDonalds, Nike, Pepsico, Starbucks, Target Stores, Dow Chemical, Disney, Chevron, General Electric, DuPont, Exxon/Mobile, Phillip Morris, and Alcoa Aluminum. The chain continues, Philip Morris owns, operates, and oversees Kraft Foods, which by the way happens to own Boca Burgers. Poland Spring Water and Arrowhead Water are owned by Nestle. Like your Odwalla Juice? CocaCola runs it, and Fresh Samantha too. A lot of these vegan “friendly” products don’t seem so friendly anymore.
The companies mentioned are run and associate, by and with, people who focus mostly on the money game, i.e. Capitalism, and they play it well. The capitalist system is nothing more than an economic system based on self-interest and profit… I.e. GREED. So, what can you do? It’s nearly impossible to live in the western world and not support these companies. First of all, don’t waste time writing your local politicians, senators and congressmen, this has proven to be a failed method of change, especially when many of them have close ties within the food industry and benefit much from the survival and prospering of this tyrannical system. Simply pull the plug. For example, stop eating corn, soy, wheat and attempt to cease us of any bi-products of those sources. Support local farmers by purchasing their goods, or at least as much as you can.  Start by splitting your grocery list; get half from your farmer, and the remaining items from the grocery store. Your most powerful vote is cast with your wallet, if you’re not purchasing a product the company simply won’t provide it, simply because they’re providing a product to make money, this can encourage products safe to the consumer being sold in the marketplace.
Should you choose a crop of some kind, make sure it’s not of the GMO variety. Genetically Modified Organisms could be the biggest threat to the survival of a healthy human race and will undoubtedly be part of the destruction of our planet.

Essential and Beneficial Nutrition

My diet choices are driven by nutritional value and content and the health benefits of plant consumption. Ginger, cilantro, garlic, cinnamon, turmeric, onions, broccoli, lentils, spinach, asparagus, cabbage, celery, cauliflower, avocados, and an array of nuts…. these are great sources of nutrition. I would recommend many of them, if not all of them to be incorporated into a diet plan the benefits of many of these range from anti-oxidant properties, anti-inflammation properties, and certain metabolic benefits. These are benefits that as far as I know, you cannot receive via “second hand”, from the primary consumer, which means you’re not going to get them from eating an animal who eats those foods. No worries though, because most of the meat consumed in the country, which comes from a CAFO, doesn’t eat what they naturally would anyway, let alone the plants listed above.
A crash course in the food chain may be necessary. The food that we consume, whether it is plants or meat, starts with the soil. Poor soil, a lack of nutrients, and proper ratio of micro organisms, means poor vegetation and the primary and secondary consumers  health suffers as a result.  Plants come from the soil, the vegetation is then eaten by the primary consumer, for example a rabbit. This rabbit  will potentially then be eaten by a snake, maybe a bird or any other natural predator. The waste created by the primary and secondary consumer then becomes a part of the beginning cycle, due to the bacteria from feces being active and alive in the soil. Gases are then released, magic happens and seeds from plants are able to sprout and grow with the assistance of sunlight and water.
GMO’s are everywhere today, crops are grown to combat specific pesticides that kill unwanted organisms but are ineffective to the crop due to the immunity of the main yield. Many agricultural practices involve injecting genes from one organism into the crops plants, purposefully mutating the genetic makeup of the plant.  These genes may be harvested from a variety of different plants and animals.  Regardless, the pesticides and GMOs are consumed and studies have shown that within 3-5 generations of GMO consumption, mutations and birth defects are common place.
Saturated fats are an extremely important part of proper nutrition. There is a negative connotation that surrounds saturated fats, due to rumor and misinformation/misleading education. The stigma that swells with the consumption of saturated fats is supposedly they are a direct link to CHD. But the statistics simply don’t add up. There is a study that tries to prove this and is inaccurate and misleading. The information that is collected is not all displayed, the only statistics that are shown are selected to reveal a consistent pattern of CHD related to elevated saturated fats present in the diet. But when all other numbers that were recorded are included the pattern isn’t consistent and basically proves nothing, except that you can’t relate CHD to saturated fat directly. There simply is no direct link between saturated fat consumption and CHD. One fact that has been proven is that healthy cholesterol levels can be attained through intake saturated fats. Did you know that your brain is made mostly of fat?
        A lot of studies are misinterpreted to favor a predetermined conclusion, and the key word is “interpret”, because many times the data can be interpreted multiple ways. Epidemiological studies can “prove” many things. We could do a study that says how dangerous water is. For example, people who have developed cancer in their body all drank water, we could conclude that water must be the cancer causing agent, it’s definitely a common link between all of these people. So when reading studies, viewing graphs, evaluating information be cautious and don’t just accept the conclusion, evaluate the presentation and question it, and make sure that you understand the evidence and why the conclusion has been produced. There is a lot of money to be made in the food industry and the best intentions aren’t always in the best interest of the consumer.
There are essential fatty acids and essential amino acids, EFA’s and EAA’s. Both of these are present in animal based foods. I’ve never heard of an Essential Sugar, I’m referring to carbohydrates. Vitamins and minerals are essential to proper nutrition and dietary practices. These can be acquired through a variety of vegetables. Vegetables, not fruits, and I stress vegetables are digested differently these are carbohydrates sources and much of the time are packed with array of vitamins and minerals when consumed in a rainbow pattern. I like to say keep it healthy by keeping it colorful, I would recommend a green, a red, and one more color or another green. However, these vegetables don’t contain EFA’s and EAA’s, I would recommend including a source of some kind to attain these macronutrients. You may not feel the effects of deficiencies immediately, but they will catch up with you eventually. Some of these problems could be the culprit of permanent damage or irreversible effects.  I’ve been saying  for years, even when I practiced a plant-based diet, “low-fat diets obviously don’t work to lose fat, just look around”. Interestingly enough, fat plays a crucial role in nutrient absorption, and hormone production.

Harmonious Nutrition Practice

     I can and do, respect very much the motive of a plant based diet as a reaction to animal cruelty, and furthermore spiritual and religious reasons. But excluding this single perception, a plant based diet isn’t morally correct. A plant based diet certainly isn’t the best plan for optimal nutrition. Ecological reasons also prove to be inadequate as a means for a plant based diet. For those who integrate one of the latter motives with spiritual or religious believe structures, I believe need to decide what is higher priority, because the message that is being advertised is inaccurate. I don’t prescribe factory farming, or modern agriculture practices. The problem isn’t so much what kind of food you’re consuming, as much as the source of the food being consumed.
        I understand the empathy that is displayed by the vegan community. I also realize that they are often times the first ones to respond with an argument.  Unfortunately the argument is oftentimes based on passion instead of facts. I personally believe the best way to get people onto your wagon is by showing the how and why, not telling someone why they’re wrong and you’re right.  Plants have a role in our diet, but there are other elements that need to be present, and the sources of these cannot be obtained via a 100% plant based diet.
I know murder is wrong, I also know death is unavoidable. Hippocrates is well known for his famous quote “Let thy food be thy medicine”, this is one of my favorite quotes and sometime is treated like a mantra. Hippocrates was a vegetarian, notice, “was” a vegetarian, although I agree with his quote, and his believe that the body can repair itself when given the proper nutrients and provided with the correct environment, he still died.
In my opinion fasting is a very healthy practice, take 2-3 days and do a juice fast, make the juice from 100% organic vegetables and consume nothing but juices, you’ll feel great. However, this isn’t a sustainable practice for extended periods of time. Some foods have micro and macro nutrients that need to be consumed on a daily basis, in other cases use some foods as medicines consuming them weekly or when special healing is required.
To me it’s quite obvious, that current and modern dietary practices are failing. Disease is unfortunately all too common, between cancer, diabetes, and heart disease having been on the rise and showing no signals of receding, why is no one asking, why? Modern science claims to know how to treat these diseases, even though conventional practices DON’T work, and the question of why seems to be ignored.
Even if you can’t consume only locally grown produce, grown and raised from local farmers, do what you can. Vegetarians know that supporting something with your voice or dollars can have just as much of an impact as not continuing to purchase certain products and support particular ideology. If you want to save all the animals, good-luck, the goal is truly noble, but I believe it is unrealistic. Secondly, stop killing many of these creatures by supporting the destructive agriculture industry.
I didn’t write this to point the finger at herbivores, omnivores or carnivores. Hopefully, someone will understand the danger we as a race and as a planet are in. Money and greed are strong at work here, and although the great effort of certain movements is present, the abuse that is displayed by the agriculture industry is just as destructive as the disgusting behavior that is fluent within the meat industry, and we are all suffering as a result. Morality has been twisted, politics and policies are based on deception, and nutrition has been cast aside or is built on lies. I don’t believe the problem here is carnivorous, herbivorous, or omnivorous diets, the problem is the industrialization of food production. Industrialized food practices, and this includes the production and consumption of these products are the root of many ailments attributed to particular modern dietary practices, of course combined with a lack of education and poor decision making by the consumer. Whether its plants or meat, or both they are wrong morally and nutritionally and have paved a path of disease, and very poor behavior, when their source of origin is food industrial complex.
If you’re motivation is humanitarianism, then be humane, be human. If your motivation is to save the world, start with your own world, your local environment and local farmers; past that, good luck. Death is not vain, death without appreciation and/or a conscious awareness of necessary sacrifice is destructive, ethically and spiritually. I’ve never condemned anyone due to their dietary practices, I certainly have questioned them in an attempt of education, but their choice is their choice. I will say that I believe that certain practices, say much about someone’s character, and eating habits is no exception. The fact is that my ancestors and your ancestors consumed meat, and it wasn’t in vain. Had they not, you most likely wouldn’t exist to read this and I wouldn’t be able to write this. If you want to condemn omnivorous eating habits, then start with your existence. Because of your ancestry and their will to survive you are able to exist, show some respect to them, and to the animals that have died in the name of your life, unless you want their death to be in vain.
Your body will expire at some time, and you will then become part of the earth, and play your part in the beginning of the cycle of life. Life cannot be without death, and death cannot be without life.
I think a large part of this food dilemma begins with a planet that is over populated by humans. We, especially Americans, are a huge burden on the planet, reckless consumers, who in turn are a burden amongst ourselves. There simply isn’t enough resources to sustain modern “civilization”. Due to current economic practices, this creates a window of opportunity for corporations to make money, and a lot of it. They’re interested in feeding the world, but not feeding the world nutritious food. These companies are in the market to make money, and overpopulation has created a means to do so, and its contributing to the destruction of the planet and making humanity very ill. A sick population can only create a sick offspring. Perhaps the first step to saving the world would be to limit birthrate. Not having a child could quite possibly be the most socially responsible action anyone could take, but if you feel the need to reproduce, may I suggest limiting your production to 1 child per pair of parents. Adoption is a very noble option, which should not be overlooked. As a whole, humanity should focus on quality not quantity, and this applies to the food being consumed, bought, and sold, as well as the population itself.
Instead of just being part of something, i.e., ‘veganism’, I would rather make a difference using similar ideologies.  If one person reads this and decides that it makes sense, mission accomplished. I’m not requesting that anyone give up any moral principles that they’ve built their personal ideology and philosophy on. I’m asking that you consider the big picture, the ultimate goal of our planet in harmony. Although I’ve definitely considered this is just one angle we can take at our approach, as there are many ailments on our globe of equal importance and urgency, tackling this topic is at least on step in the right direction.