It's not where you start it's where you finish
From All-Creatures.org Animal Rights Activism Articles Archive

FROM

Joanna Blad
September 2018

As a civilian non violence specialist, a lover of all life, I have found my place. I am meant to spread the word of harmlessness, for until the war on animals is ended, the war between human vs human shall continue uninterrupted as well.

One of Joanna's vegan speeches at Toastmasters

Perhaps being a victim myself has led me where I am today. Perhaps being a spiritual seeker has led me where I am today. I get the cosmic lesson in this earth school to learn to stop attacking and murdering all beings and to see oneness instead of separation from all others.

In my early childhood, I experienced my first encounter with abandonment and as my formative years continued, abandonment issues would linger for me. Jump to my early twenties starting my first romantic relationship. My partner would eventually abuse me mentally, physically, emotionally and then abandon me and after him, this pattern continued for me.

Thank goodness it's not where you start it's where you finish. I had some good times as well, I traveled the world on 5 continents, over 20 countries. I enjoyed hobnobbing with rich and famous people, but still abandonment issues would plague me. Until I learned to love myself I would always attract men into my life to mirror my own self hatred.

After being dumped from a 10 year long relationship, on the verge of a nervous breakdown, I came across a spirituality called A Course in Miracles, that started to heal my mind, putting sanity in place of insanity. I became a new person, a new self loving me emerged and with that an unconditional unifying love for all beings. I entered a world of new insights of all beings interconnectedness. At this same time too I learned about animal vivisection, horrific experiments done in the name of science where animals are intentionally tortured and then murdered at the experiments finish. This reminded me of my experience of abandonment and unloving behavior. I couldn't fathom that any being should endure such intentional cruelty by others. Being a victim, I never wanted to be a victimizer. Here is when my complete universal compassion for all beings kicked in and my journey for animal rights began.

It's not where you start it's where you finish. I also learned about the horrors of the most rampant form of animal abuse, the indoctrinated teaching by society to eat animals and their secretions such as dairy and eggs. I reminisce that no being should live in domination of another mate, parent, friend or society.

Being vegan now for the last 8 years and no longer a victim of anyone, I strive to make known that all beings should be liberated from the domination of man's cruel and evil ways. As a vegan educator explaining what happens in the animal agriculture industry can be heartbreaking for me. Life for these animals from their raped induced birth to their brutal murder on the slaughterhouse kill floor is like watching a horror film only knowing that it is real gruesomeness and not a Hollywood movie production. As a civilian non violence specialist, a lover of all life, I have found my place. I am meant to spread the word of harmlessness, for until the war on animals is ended, the war between human vs human shall continue uninterrupted as well. Because of the horrors these beautiful animals must endure, they are my heroes.

May we learn to eat foods that Mother Earth grows and not eat of Mother Animals and her children. Here is a quote from Leo Tolstoy, "As long as there are slaughterhouses there will be battlefields." I say world peace begins on our plates, our bodies shouldn't be animal graveyards.

It's not where you start it's where you finish. If you could eat healthy, nutritious, delicious, appetizing vegan food without any animals being harmed why wouldn't you?

Return to: Animal Rights Activist Strategies