Archive
Entering into the future: The Planetary Context
Robert Gilman completed a PhD in astrophysics at Berkeley in 1969 and gradually got more interested and involved in work on global sustainability. He has made a strong contribution in thinking on how we can enter the future as successful as possible.
In one of his recent presentations, dr. Robert Gilman shows us how we are entering into a new context. By looking back through the history, he shows us how we have moved from the tribal age and into the age of empires. We are now taking the next step into what he refer to as the planetary era. Several factors have and will contribute to these changes, including many of the global challenges we are facing. One of his key points is also the importance of working to make the transition periods as painless as possible – both in a short and in a long perspective – to avoid unfortunate consequences and burdens when we enter the new era.
The presentation is very inspiring and can be warmly recommend:
Når vi trer inn i en ny tidsalder: The Planetary Context
Robert Gilman tok en doktorgrad i astrofysikk før han begynte å jobbe stadig mer med global bærekraft. Han har gjort et stort og viktig bidrag i å bidra til å skissere konturene av framtiden og hvordan vi best mulig kan tre inn i den.
I en av sine presentasjoner viser Robert Gilman hvordan vi er i ferd med å bevege oss inn i en ny tidsalder. Ved å se tilbake gjennom historien, viser han at vi har beveget oss først fra stammesamfunnenes tidsalder og inn imperienes tidsalder. Vi er nå i ferd med å ta det neste skrittet inn i det han betegner som den planetariske tidsalder. En rekke faktorer har bidratt og vil bidra videre til disse endringene – inkludert mange av de globale utfordringene vi idag møter. Et av de viktige poengene er også viktigheten av å gjøre overgangsperiodene minst mulig smertefulle – både på kort og lang sikt – slik at vi ikke trekker med oss uheldige konsekvenser når vi trer inn i en ny tidsalder.
Presentasjonen er svært inspirerende og anbefales på det varmeste:
Hvordan kan vi unngå kollaps og skape et bærekraftig samfunn?
Collapse av Jared Diamon. Foto av Earthworm. CC-BY-NC-SA-2.0
Jared Diamond, forfatteren som blant er kjent for boken Guns, germs and steel, viser i boken Collapse hvordan ulike samfunn gjennom historien har kollapset fordi de ikke har levd bærekraftig med sine omgivelser. Gjennom å studere historien i lys menneskenes liv og påvirkning av naturen, og samspillet med geografien og naturlivet, viser Diamond tallrike eksempler på hvordan menneskelige feiltrinn har ført til total kollaps. Noen av stedene der sivilisasjoner kollapset var på Påskeøyene, hos Mayaindianere, Angkor-imperiet i Kambodsja og blant norrøne folkegrupper på Grønland. Også i mange samfunn i dag er det eksempler. Det er svært mye som taler for at det som skjedde i Rwanda og mange andre konflikter i stor grad var forårsaket av en forutgående kollaps. I mange av disse skjedde endringene såpass gradvis at innbyggerne neppe innså farene før det var for sent, som på Påskeøyene der befolkningen hugget ned trærne og mistet livsgrunnlaget.
Det er lett å tenke at dette i hovedsak har vært relevant for tidligere samfunn. Jared Diamond viser oss imidlertid at svært mye av det som skjer i verden i dag som er parallelt med det som skjedde i mange av samfunnene som har kollapset gjennom historien. Mange aspekter i ulike samfunn er i dag svært nær kollaps og mye har allerede kollapset. Samtidig er ulike steder i verden mye sterke tilknyttet hverandre enn vi ofte tror. Om deler av naturen i ulike områder skulle kollapse i dag, ville det kunne få enorme konsekvenser for resten av verden. En kollaps vil fort bli global og ramme store deler av livet på jorden. Et eksempel er klimaendringene der byrdene i hovedsak bæres av verden som helhet. Dette understreker betydningen av at vi må stå samlet og jobbe sammen for å motvirke katastrofale naturskade.
De største truslene som løftes fram er:
- Avskogning og ødeleggelse av naturomåder
- Tap av biologisk mangfold (som påvirker naturen, matproduksjonen etc)
- Manglende regulering av fornybare ressurser i havet
- Jorderosjon og tap av fruktbar jord
- Ikke bærekraftig forbruk av fossil energi
- Ødeleggelse av mange av de viktigste ferskvannskildene
- Endring av kapasitet for matproduksjon som følge av klimaendringer
- Forurensing av luft, vann, jord og levende liv
- Spredning av steds-fremmede arter som ødelegger økosystemer (slik som kongekrabben i Norge)
- Utslipp av klimagasser som skaper klimaendringer
- Økning i verdens befolkning som setter økende press på naturen og livet på jorden
- For stort og økende fotavtrykk fra hvert enkelt menneskes ved bruk av ressurser og ødeleggelse av natur og biologisk mangfold
Det er lett å kun fokusere på enkeltproblemer og glemme at mange av dagens problemer henger tett sammen. Jared Diamond skriver at folk ofte spør ”What is the single most important environmental/ population problem facing the world today?” A flip answer would be, “The single most important problem is our misguided focus on identifying the single most important problem!” That flip answer is essentially correct, because any of the dozen problems if unsolved would do us grave harm, and because they all interact with each other. If we solved 11 of the problems, but not the 12th, we would still be in trouble, whichever was the problem that remained unsolved. We have to solve them all.” Hør gjerne hans TED talk fra 2008.
Truslene som venter oss dersom vi mislykkes å løse dette på en god måte er store. Historien viser at mange av de som har mislyktes har kollapset på grunn av sult, sykdomsepidemier, og krig og folkemord som har vært utløst av problemene nevnt ovenfor. Han viser også eksepler på hvordan det er enklere og mye mindre kostnadskrevende å håndtere utfordringer tidlig enn å vente til de bygger seg opp til store problemer.
Mange tror i dag at teknologi vil kunne løse dagens utfordringer uten at vi selv trenger å gjøre endringer. At det vil skje videre innovasjon er det lite tvil om, men å anta at dette alene skal løse utfordringene blir som å oppholde seg i et hus som brenner uten å evakuere huset og håpe at brannen slukker av seg selv. I et samfunn som på mange områder har stor risikoangst er dette et paradoks. Det er også stor tro på at økonomisk rikdom skal kunne kjøpe oss ut av problemene. Å reparere skadene vil nok dessverre være mye dyrere og mer krevende enn å forebygge dem. Den eksponentielle økonomiske veksten som vi har sett i de siste årene innebærer også store farer.
Vi trenger imidlertid ikke være passive observatører og se vente på at det blir katastrofer. Svært mye av de negative effektene kan unngås dersom de nødvendige stegene tas i tide. Dette kan inkludere både innsats på personlig plan, påvirkning gjennom forbrukermakt, grasrotsarbeid, og inkluderer i høyeste grad også politiske valg. Politiske strukturer er skapt nettopp for å bidra til at ressurser forvaltes godt og at at ikke enkeltmenneskers handlinger kan skade fellesskapet. Dessverre ser det ikke ut til at mange av dagens Stortingspolitikere har innsett nettopp dette. Mange ser ut til å tenke fireårsperspektiver og glemme at det er et politisk ansvar å bidra til en langsiktig god framtid.
Diamond trekker fram at kunnskap til historien kan gi oss mulighet til å lære av våre feiltrinn og unngå å gjøre de samme feilene i framtida. Dette vil kreve god langtidsplanlegging og villighet til å kritisk vurdere vårt eget levesett. Miljøpartiet De Grønne sin politikk bygger på dette og er bygget på fire solidaritetsprinsipper: solidaritet med mennesker i dag, solidaritet med mennesker i framtida, solidaritet med dyr og planter og solidaritet med naturen. Som Diamond også viser tydelig, henger naturligvis disse sammen slik at de som ønsker en god verden for framtidas generasjoner bør ta hensyn til både natur og planteliv, dyr og mennesker. Gjennom grønn politikk og kritisk refleksjon rundt hva som må endres fra dagens samfunn, kan vi sammen bygge et godt samfunn som er bærekraftig også på lang sikt. Hvorfor ikke være med å bygge et slikt samfunn?
Ønsker vi fordømmelse fra våre etterkommere?
Klimamarkering på Fløyen 23. februar 2013.
Bilde ved Lars T Fadnes, CC-BY-NC-2.0
Professorene Sigmund Hågvar og Arne Johan Vetlesen stiller et viktig spørsmål i sin kronikk i Aftenposten 21.juni. Spørsmålet er stilt på vegne av kommende generasjoner til oss som lever i dag: «Hvorfor gjorde du ikke mer mens det ennå var tid, gitt kunnskapen som fantes?» Som de fleste av oss nå er klar over, er klimaet i endring og påvirker verden idag. Ser vi framover er klimaendringene varslet å få dramatiske konsekvenser for framtiden – med mindre det gjøres en større kursendring. Mange eksperter anser klimaendringene som den største trusselen mot helse i dette århundret.
Spørsmålet er derfor om vi med åpne øyne vil fortsette i samme kurs som vi gjør idag og forberede oss på de ubehagelige spørsmålene og konsekvensene som vil møte oss i nær framtid, eller om vi heller vil skape et bedre og bærekraftig samfunn. Hva kan vi da gjøre? Skal vi komme i mål er det behov for både personlige og politiske endringer. Hver og en av oss må gjøre en innsats i å forme sin livsstil på en måte som bidrar til å best mulig vare på jorden, medmennesker og medskapninger og framtiden. (Les gjerne mer om dette i tidsskriftet Bærekraftig helse.) Samtidig trengs det politiske endringer for å gjøre det lettere å leve på en slik måte og gjøre at det blir mindre attraktivt å ødelegge livsgrunnlaget. Det er dette som er kjernen i grønn politikk og bakgrunnen for at Miljøpartiet De Grønne nå er i ferd med å innta Stortinget.
Skal vi lykkes i skape kursendringene må vi være mange som står sammen. Vi trenger derfor innsats fra både deg og meg. Da blir det lettere for oss å møte spørsmålene i framtiden og kunne fortelle at vi gjorde hva vi kunne.
Stop potential genocide in Burma
There is now a substantial risk for a tragic genocide of the the Rohingya group in Burma. To stop this, we must all put pressure on the leaders in Burma to prevent such tragedies from happening. Sign the Avaaz petition to send the message to the leaders in Burma to prevent the potential genocide in Burma by clicking here. Read more about this from Avaaz:
Dear friends,
 Most people didn’t know who the Rwandans were until 800,000 had been killed. Now, the fate of the Rohingya people of Burma is hanging by a thread as mobs attack them while the police look on. The Burmese President could stop the violence – all he has to do is approve a plan to protect them and ensure it is enforced, while granting them citizenship. Let’s appeal to European leaders to press him when he visits them in days, and stop the next Rwanda:
 |
Most people didn’t know who the Rwandans were until it was too late, and 800,000 of them were dead. Right now, the fate of Burma’s Rohingya people is hanging by a thread. Racist thugs have distributed leaflets threatening to wipe out this small Burmese minority. Already children have been hacked to death and unspeakable murders committed. All signs are pointing to a coming horror, unless we act.
Genocides happen because we don’t get concerned enough until the crime is committed. The Rohingya are a peaceful and very poor people. They’re hated because their skin is darker and the majority fear they’re ‘taking jobs away’. There are 800,000 of them, and they could be gone if we don’t act. We’ve failed too many peoples, let’s not fail the Rohingya.
Burmese President Thein Sein has the power, personnel and resources to protect the Rohingya, all he has to do is give the word to make it happen. In days, he’ll arrive in Europe to sell his country’s new openness to trade. If EU leaders greet him with a strong request to protect the Rohingya, he’s likely to do it. Let’s get 1 million voices and plaster images of what’s happening in Burma outside his meetings with key EU heads of state:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/we_said_never_again_en/?bRuKtbb&v=26526
Torture, gang rape, execution style killings — human rights groups are using the term “ethnic cleansing” to describe the brutality in Burma. Already more than 120,000 Rohingya have been forced to flee, many to makeshift camps near the border, while others have fled in boats only to drown, starve, or be shot at by coastguards from neighboring countries. Reports show that violence is escalating — earlier this year President Thein Sein declared a state of emergency after another round of deadly attacks, and it’s just a matter of time until there is a large scale massacre.
Genocides don’t happen when governments oppose them, but the Burmese regime has been leaning the wrong way. Recently, a government spokesperson admitted that authorities were enforcing a rule that limits the Rohingya population to having only two children and forces couples seeking to get married to obtain special permission. And experts report that government authorities have stood by or even participated in acts of “ethnic cleansing.” President Sein has finally been forced to acknowledge what’s happening to the Rohingya, but he has so far refused to implement plans to stop the violence and protect those at risk.
Until he does, the risk of genocide hovers like a dark cloud over not just Burma, but the world. Through their trade relations, UK PM Cameron and French President Hollande have massive leverage with Sein — if they press him to act when he meets with them this month, it could save lives. Let’s make sure they do. We’ve failed too many peoples, let’s not fail the Rohingya. Join the call now and share this with everyone:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/we_said_never_again_en/?bRuKtbb&v=26526
Time and again, the Avaaz community has stood with the people of Burma in their fight for democracy. When the regime brutally cracked down on Buddhist monks in 2007, Avaazers donated hundreds of thousands of dollars/euros/pounds to provide technical support and training to activists to fight a communications blackout. In 2008, when a devastating cyclone killed at least 100,000 Burmese, but the venal military regime stopped all official international aid from coming in, our community donated millions directly to monks on the front line of the aid effort.
Our community didn’t exist when genocide was committed in Rwanda, 20 years ago. Would we have done enough to stop it? Let’s show the Rohingya our answer to that question.
With hope and determination,
Luis, Jeremy, Aldine, Oliver, Marie, Jooyea and the whole Avaaz team
PS – Many Avaaz campaigns are started by members of our community! Start yours now and win on any issue – local, national or global: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?bgMYedb&v=23917
MORE INFORMATION
Burma riots: Video shows police failing to stop attack (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22243676
Burma: End ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ of Rohingya Muslims (Human Rights Watch)
http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/04/22/burma-end-ethnic-cleansing-rohingya-muslims
Video shows Burmese police standing by as Buddhists attack Muslims (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/22/burmese-police-buddhists-attack-muslims
The unending plight of Burma’s unwanted Rohingyas (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23077537
Dalai Lama Pleads for Myanmar Monks to End Violence Amid Damning Rights Report (ABC News)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/dalai-lama-pleads-myanmar-monks-end-violence-amid/story?id=19013148#.UXV3vCt4a5w
Thein Sein to visit Britain, France in July (AFP)
http://www.dvb.no/news/thein-sein-to-visit-britain-france-in-july/28815
Stopp folkemord i Burma
Det er nå en stor risiko for et tragisk folkemord av folkegruppen Rohingya i Burma. For å unngå dette, må vi alle sette press på lederne i Burma for å hindre at en tragedie lignende til det som skjedde i Rwanda igjen skjer i Burma. Dette kan du gjøre ved å signere Avaaz sin underskriftsaksjon som sender beskjed til lederne i Burma om at de må beskytte folkegruppen som trues av folkemord. Les mer om dette fra Avaaz:
Dear friends,
| Most people didn’t know who the Rwandans were until 800,000 had been killed. Now, the fate of the Rohingya people of Burma is hanging by a thread as mobs attack them while the police look on. The Burmese President could stop the violence – all he has to do is approve a plan to protect them and ensure it is enforced, while granting them citizenship. Let’s appeal to European leaders to press him when he visits them in days, and stop the next Rwanda:
|
Most people didn’t know who the Rwandans were until it was too late, and 800,000 of them were dead. Right now, the fate of Burma’s Rohingya people is hanging by a thread. Racist thugs have distributed leaflets threatening to wipe out this small Burmese minority. Already children have been hacked to death and unspeakable murders committed. All signs are pointing to a coming horror, unless we act.
Genocides happen because we don’t get concerned enough until the crime is committed. The Rohingya are a peaceful and very poor people. They’re hated because their skin is darker and the majority fear they’re ‘taking jobs away’. There are 800,000 of them, and they could be gone if we don’t act. We’ve failed too many peoples, let’s not fail the Rohingya.
Burmese President Thein Sein has the power, personnel and resources to protect the Rohingya, all he has to do is give the word to make it happen. In days, he’ll arrive in Europe to sell his country’s new openness to trade. If EU leaders greet him with a strong request to protect the Rohingya, he’s likely to do it. Let’s get 1 million voices and plaster images of what’s happening in Burma outside his meetings with key EU heads of state:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/we_said_never_again_en/?bRuKtbb&v=26526
Torture, gang rape, execution style killings — human rights groups are using the term “ethnic cleansing” to describe the brutality in Burma. Already more than 120,000 Rohingya have been forced to flee, many to makeshift camps near the border, while others have fled in boats only to drown, starve, or be shot at by coastguards from neighboring countries. Reports show that violence is escalating — earlier this year President Thein Sein declared a state of emergency after another round of deadly attacks, and it’s just a matter of time until there is a large scale massacre.
Genocides don’t happen when governments oppose them, but the Burmese regime has been leaning the wrong way. Recently, a government spokesperson admitted that authorities were enforcing a rule that limits the Rohingya population to having only two children and forces couples seeking to get married to obtain special permission. And experts report that government authorities have stood by or even participated in acts of “ethnic cleansing.” President Sein has finally been forced to acknowledge what’s happening to the Rohingya, but he has so far refused to implement plans to stop the violence and protect those at risk.
Until he does, the risk of genocide hovers like a dark cloud over not just Burma, but the world. Through their trade relations, UK PM Cameron and French President Hollande have massive leverage with Sein — if they press him to act when he meets with them this month, it could save lives. Let’s make sure they do. We’ve failed too many peoples, let’s not fail the Rohingya. Join the call now and share this with everyone:
https://secure.avaaz.org/en/we_said_never_again_en/?bRuKtbb&v=26526
Time and again, the Avaaz community has stood with the people of Burma in their fight for democracy. When the regime brutally cracked down on Buddhist monks in 2007, Avaazers donated hundreds of thousands of dollars/euros/pounds to provide technical support and training to activists to fight a communications blackout. In 2008, when a devastating cyclone killed at least 100,000 Burmese, but the venal military regime stopped all official international aid from coming in, our community donated millions directly to monks on the front line of the aid effort.
Our community didn’t exist when genocide was committed in Rwanda, 20 years ago. Would we have done enough to stop it? Let’s show the Rohingya our answer to that question.
With hope and determination,
Luis, Jeremy, Aldine, Oliver, Marie, Jooyea and the whole Avaaz team
PS – Many Avaaz campaigns are started by members of our community! Start yours now and win on any issue – local, national or global: http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/start_a_petition/?bgMYedb&v=23917
MORE INFORMATION
Burma riots: Video shows police failing to stop attack (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22243676
Burma: End ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ of Rohingya Muslims (Human Rights Watch)
http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/04/22/burma-end-ethnic-cleansing-rohingya-muslims
Video shows Burmese police standing by as Buddhists attack Muslims (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/apr/22/burmese-police-buddhists-attack-muslims
The unending plight of Burma’s unwanted Rohingyas (BBC)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-23077537
Dalai Lama Pleads for Myanmar Monks to End Violence Amid Damning Rights Report (ABC News)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/dalai-lama-pleads-myanmar-monks-end-violence-amid/story?id=19013148#.UXV3vCt4a5w
Thein Sein to visit Britain, France in July (AFP)
http://www.dvb.no/news/thein-sein-to-visit-britain-france-in-july/28815
Gratulerer til Palestina med etterlengtet annerkjennelse
Folket i Palestina har gjennom lang tid lidd tungt. Nå har Palestina søkt om anerkjennelse som stat med observatørstatus i FN. Med støtte for dette fra 138 mot 9 medlemsland er det en historisk dag for det palestinske folk som nå vil ha større muligheter til å kunne få diplomatisk hjelp for å hindre undertrykking, eller som Palestina’s president Mahmoud Abbas sa, “Your support will send a promising message to millions of Palestinians… that justice is possible, and that there is a reason to be hopeful, and that the peoples of the world do not accept the occupation. Your support for our endeavor today will give a reason to hope.”
Gratulerer til Palestina som FN medlem (medlemsland nr 194) med ønske om fred og rettferdighet!
Har representert Miljøpartiet De Grønne i debatt om hvordan oljefondet bør brukes: Gjør oljefondet til et framtidsfond
Har representert Miljøpartiet De Grønne i debatt om hvordan oljefondet bør brukes:
http://www.kirkensnodhjelp.no/no/Engasjer-deg/gjor-en-forskjell/bli-med-pa-seminar/bergen-6-november/
Her kan du lese mer om hva MDG mener om dette: http://www.mdg.no/politikk/ og http://www.mdg.no/nyheter/gjor-oljefondet-til-et-fremtidsfond/
Are there any “successful” vegetarians?
Some ask whether there are any “successful” vegetarians? The answer to this question can best be answered by taking a look into some examples from the history among vegetarians who have carved their name into the books of history and present some selected quotes:
…..
“Our task must be to free ourselves… by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. Nothing will benefit human health and increase chances of survival for life on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”
…..
“If a group of beings from another planet were to land on Earth — beings who considered themselves as superior to you as you feel yourself to be to other animals — would you concede them the rights over you that you assume over other animals?”
– George Bernard Shaw, playwright, Nobel Prize 1925
…..
“Now I can look at you in peace; I don`t eat you anymore.”
…..
“Truly man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds them. We live by the death of others. We are burial places.”
…..
“When I see bacon, I see a pig, I see a little friend, and that’s why I can’t eat it. Simple as that.”
…..
“Here’s a test you can try at home: put a two-year-old in a playpen with an apple and a rabbit. If it plays with the apple and eats the rabbit, you’ve got a carnivore.”
…..
“Quite rightly, we do not normally take the behaviour of animals as a model for how we may treat them. We would not, for example, justify tearing a cat to pieces because we had observed the cat tearing a mouse to pieces. Carnivorous fishes don’t have a choice about whether to kill other fish or not. They kill as a matter of instinct. Meanwhile, humans can choose to abstain from killing or eating fish and other animals. Alternatively, the argument could be made that is part of natural order that there are predators and prey, and so it cannot be wrong for us to play our part in this order. But this “argument from nature” can justify all kinds of inequities, including the rule of men over women and leaving the weak and the sick to fall by the wayside. “
– Peter Singer, The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter
…..
“Nobody can come up with a good argument for eating animals — nobody can. People as some kind of a joke say, well, ‘It’s tasty’, but it’s only tasty once you garnish it and you put salt and pepper, and you cook it, and you have to do 300 things to it to disguise its true taste. If you put garnishes on a chair or fabric, it would probably taste quite nice.”
…..
“The average age of a meat-eater is 63. I am on the verge of 85 and still at work as hard as ever. I have lived quite long enough and am trying to die; but I simply cannot do it. A single beef-steak; would finish me; but I cannot bring myself to swallow it. I am oppressed with a dread of living forever. That is the only disadvantage of vegetarianism”
“Animals are my friends, and I don’t eat my friends.”
“The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them. That’s the essence of inhumanity. “
…..
“For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.”
– Pythagoras, mathematician
…..
“Non-violence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.”
…..
“Be the change you wish to see the world”
“To my mind, the life of a lamb is no less precious than that of a human being.”
“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
…..
“Auschwitz begins whenever someone looks at a slaughterhouse and thinks: they’re only animals.”
…..
” Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by what is above him when he shows no mercy to what is below him?”
…..
“Consider the biggest animals on the planet: elephants, and buffaloes, and giraffes. These are vegetarian animals. They grow to thousands of pounds of muscle and bone without ever eating cheeseburgers and pepperoni pizzas.”
– Michael Klaper, M.D.
…..
“The Gods created certain kinds of beings to replenish our bodies; they are the trees and the plants and the seeds.”
– Plato (Platon), Greek philosopher, (circa 428-347 B.C.):
…..
“May all that have life be delivered from suffering.”
…..
“We manage to swallow flesh, only because we do not think of the cruel and sinful thing we do.”
…..
“Don´t live to eat, eat to live”
…..
“My best performances were when I was 30 years old, and I was a vegan.”
…..
“As long as Man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love.”
…..
“We marvel that there should have been men, that there still should be men who slay human beings in order to eat their flesh. The time will come when our grandchildren will marvel that their grandfathers had been in the habit of killing millions of animals every day in order to eat them, although they could satisfy their hunger both wholesomely and pleasantly with the fruits of the earth and without killing.”
– Leo Tolstoy, The Pathway of Life: Teaching Love and Wisdom
…..
“Don’t eat meat, ride a bike, and be a frugal shopper — that’s how you can help brake global warming “
…..
“The Superior Man is aware of Righteousness, the inferior man is aware of advantage.”
…..
Above is a collage from NOAH showing some of the famous and successful vegetarians
“Man prays for mercy, but is unwilling to extend it to others. Why should man then expect mercy from God?”
– Isaac Bashevis Singer
…..
Genesis 1:29-30 (King James Version of the Bible)
29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. 30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
(In Norwegian: Første Mosebok, kapittel 1, 29-30:
29 Og Gud sa: «Se, jeg gir dere alle planter som setter frø, så mange som det finnes på hele jorden, og alle trær som bærer frukt med frø i. De skal være til føde for dere. 30 Og til alle dyr på jorden og alle fugler under himmelen og alt som kryper på jorden, alt som har livsånde i seg, gir jeg alle grønne planter til føde.» Og det ble slik.)
…..
Sources:
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Vegetarianism
http://www.veggieboards.com/newvb/showthread.php?20599-What-are-your-favorite-Veg*n-quotes/page3
http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianlifestyle/f/famousveg.htm
Økologisk kollaps som på Påskeøya eller en bærekraftig framtid?
Ønsker vi økologisk kollaps som på Påskeøya eller en bærekraftig framtid? Dette spørsmålet stiller Sondre Båtstrand i et ypperlig blogginnlegg. Valget er vårt…
http://gronnibergen.origo.no/-/bulletin/show/731460_vi-bor-alle-paa-paaskeoeyen?ref=mst
green ubuntu 