Beyond Vegetarianism (Beyond Veg Labels)



DRAFT 10:35 am Jan 11th 2008

Beyond Vegetarianism (Beyond Veg Labels)

Perhaps you experienced some difficulty when it came to endorsing ‘A Sacred Duty’ during Talmud study last week I hoped your High Holiday bima sermons would substantially bias your review of this cutting-edge film, made not-for-profit, inspired by very real inconsistencies in modern Judaic belief vs. practice, to look beyond its imperfections and embrace it as a representation of progress. I know we look at media works with one critical and one accepting eye, but I was hurt when your only reference was “calves don’t cry.” Ok, I agree they don’t cry and dogs don’t laugh even if photos may suggest otherwise. So will you allow that minutia under ‘artistic license?’

Implications which arise from A Sacred Duty include: a) one must RENOUNCE yummy diary products, all flesh foods and many ‘normal,’ comfortable practices

b) one must strive mightily and immediately to align with Jewish law

c) things are dreadfully wrong on a huge scale. Being mindful of ourselves processing such implications can be Stress-Inducing indeed! If this dynamic applied to you then I truly understand why you did not automatically sing the film’s praises. But, as my rabbi I ask you to depersonalize your reactions and go for the larger purpose and context. After all, A Sacred Duty is one of the first and only such tools presently available to educate the public, and it deserves credits for pioneering in this domain, does it not?.

Simply acknowledging the horrendous practices of factory-farming cruelty or the addictive nature of unhealthy consumption mores puts The Viewer at risk for an internal maelstrom of conflicting loyalties, behavioral-conditioning tensions and general angst. If we don’t outrightly turn our backs it will definitely start generating internal questioning, forcing us to hold up our beliefs and practices to a strident, new reality. Some people extrapolate to the extremes and call for the idealists to defend themselves, much like a king killing the messenger. I say resist the tendency to make knee-jerk demands such as “Who can stand up to ultimate scrutiny for every eating choice, every energy choice, every ethical choice?” We’re not supposed to do that to addiction counselors, music teachers, those who point us upwards, without being perfect themselves.

As if someone else’s perfection matters in a complex society, an infinitely-variegated life which we experience largely as solitary beings. No, our Judaic Neo-Eco-Kashrut must go beyond the black-white decision that terrifies and turns people off, even if the choices have powerful consequences for their well-being and our planetary condition. Ten years ago Jeremy Rifkin launched the Beyond Beef Campaign, calling for widespread REDUCTION of beef consumption (and by extension, the other unsustainable, harmful agri-products.) His impassioned request to mechanized, industrialized, unsustainable civilization included scientific illustrations of the amazing impact that a mere10% drop in American beef eating would have on the environment, the public health, the world’s economy and ecology, a win-win-win-win situation. Can there be a better choice?

Clearly most people can rationally contemplate reducing their dependence upon the ‘negative’ foodstuffs whereas the prospect of eliminating them summarily makes the subject way too stressful, and their intellects simply shut down. Does this bring to mind your typical ADDICTION Halacha, Menschkite, Spiritual Practices and Green Living, when combined, automatically posit a balance between personal commitment and the larger context around each of us. First of all it’s harder to make solo sweeping changes because most mainstream functions have already evolved accompanying support structures: psychological approbation, intellectual agreement, emotional safety nets and practical ease. Secondly, in my opinion, our entire society suffers from an addict’s syndrome and few are immune from the rippling, ever-present effects. Self-declared Green Ethicists (including vegans) must strive to create or unearth such support, while counteracting the apathetic even hostile responses of their peers or the prevailing unworkable conditions they’ve inherited.

To assist this Balance I suggest a tactical confinement to the Gray Zone wherein we simultaneously recognize a set of desirable values/practices, and also allow ourselves to function with reduced expectations of achievement. Equally true, the zealots and activists must weigh evolutionary vs. revolutionary approaches. Evolutionary means emphasis on education and compassion for the Others. Its opposite consists of harsh, inflexible impositions on the Other’s comfort-zone.

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download