Blog - Joyful Curmudgeon - Blog
A Mary T. Hoffman Commentary from All-Creatures.org

 

"Joyful Curmudgeon" An oxymoron?
No! I see all the beauty of God's creation and I'm joyful.  At the same time, I see all the suffering and corruption going on in the world, and feel called to help expose and end it so that we may have true peace and compassion.

 

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Albert Schweitzer – 24 July 2206
By Mary T. Hoffman

"The human spirit is not dead. It lives on in secret.....It has come to believe that compassion, in which all ethics must take root, can only attain its full breadth and depth if it embraces all living creatures and does not limit itself to mankind."

Reading this and other quotations by Albert Schweitzer today encouraged and energized me in the pursuit of legal rights for animals. If Schweitzer, in the early 1950’s, could speak about “all living creatures” in his Nobel Peace Prize Address, “The Problem of Peace in the World Today,” why are so many, who have been vegetarian long enough to be considered “leaders,” unwilling to live and to teach by a higher standard today? Is it a desire to be liked by everyone? Is it to keep donations coming in?

Bending over backwards to appear “tolerant” or as not to appear “extreme” (for example: allowing any animal products in otherwise vegan recipes) only makes them appear weak and wimpy, and prolongs the cruel treatment of the animals as well as prolonging human health problems.

I am not criticizing those who are new to vegetarian/veganism. We all had to go through the learning process, and we are still learning. I am writing about those who do know better and who are teaching others. Living by a higher standard should be reflected in one’s teaching. Compromising results in confusion and loss of respect.

See also:
http://www.all-creatures.org/quotes/schweitzer_albert.html   

Go on to: Re-introduction of Animals: A Bad Idea – 25 July 2006
Return to: Natural Ingredients? – 23 July 2006
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