Following the Earthquake & tsunami, things are slowly starting to return to normal here in Japan. There were massive effects from the disasters and threats from the power plant releasing deadly radiation into the air, land and sea; more than can ever be calculated or explained. I don't think life will ever be the same for anyone after such a shocking and tragic event. The world's fanatic media attention has slowly faded away from the ongoing threats and affected people...but we know that it's still there. Somewhere online there are places where you can find the real HUMAN Dramas that have unfolded (not the radiation scare crap that only created hype and ruins Japan's chances of economic recovery). We can expect that as the weather warms up, the rolling blackouts will start up again (in Tokyo) and disrupt daily life because the demands for electricity will go up as people turn on their AC units!
I have tried to post some news stories from TV on my facebook "notes" in case you want to read up on some of the human stories. I am so sad and send prayers every day for the lives that were lost and severely affected by what has happened...I chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo that everyone can somehow heal from the tragedy and unite together to build a better Japan & a better world. The Karma of Japan is quite heavy since it was the only country in the world to have felt the unleashed power of an atomic bomb attack on it's citizens and then followed by another nuclear threat that still continues to take the lives of many more people and animals, fish and wildlife.
There is no way to escape it's effects on our bodies and on our psyche. I am not prepared to surrender to the darkness or potential threats. The only small glimmer of hope that I can see, from this incredible mess we Humans have made of this planet, is that somehow people will find the courage to stand up & prevent this from happening again...to anyone else, anywhere else. Now, more than ever, I feel the weight of the karma of the world, resting on my shoulders, to take action. In my small way, to contribute towards something beyond myself and my lifetime I choose to speak out against the use of nuclear power (both military and for power production). I can't do much to stop the governments of the world from running over my vote for real GREEN, CLEAN energy...but at least I can TRY to raise my voice on my blog and catch the attention of someone out there who might be willing to take action in their own way as well!
I say, "What about Nuclear power is CHEAP? They way it takes life? What is it about nuclear power that makes it a "GREEN SOURCE OF ENERGY?" The way it makes money for you, who are running the show? Why is it so SAFE that you want to build it away from large populations of people and run wires to the cities, far away from where it's produced? IF it's so safe, then why don't you build it in your own YARD? How can you tell me it's 100% safe? When all I can see around me is the cloud of confusion in an invisible threat that I can't feel until 50-60 years later?!?!"
Just like the lessons learned from the people who lost everything, standing amongst piles of rubble, with the hopes to rebuild a better community; I am also joining in their fight to return to 'normal' life, contributing to conservation, in my own way. Starting in my own community and connecting with my friends (online and in real life), I am trying to strengthen the bonds of humanity that bind us together. In the big picture, we share common goals, to live a healthy life with peace and security, so we can express our individual value and contribute to society. We need to have the freedom to take action and stand up for what's right, to live for the future (without being overly concerned with the threat that tomorrow is not promised to us).
Many creatures do not have this luxury, (if they are thinking about tomorrow or not) because their habitats and lives are being threatened by invisible enemies that they cannot fight on their own. There are toxins (not just radiation) being leaked into our air, water and soil that cannot be traced to a single source, not just here in Japan, but all over the world! The only way we can combat this, is to educate ourselves about it...starting with what we eat and how it's grown. I'm not only thinking about wild animals here, but also about the domesticated ones that are raised only to be slaughtered and eaten by us.
I've been a vegetarian for a long time, trying out different things as I went along- but I find that of all the little actions I could take like recycling and turning off the lights, my 20 years of choosing to eat less meat every day is the MOST environmental action I can take. There's so much energy that goes into growing, harvesting, and distributing meat that is, to me, wasted on people causing obesity, heart problems, digestive problems, allergies, and over all feeling yucky.
If you're a science nut like me, if you've ever learned about trophic levels, primary producers, primary consumers, and the secondary consumers...well then you know what I'm talking about when I say energy is wasted at every level biologically. That's on the small scale of things, but on the larger scale it the cost to society and agriculture that raising meat has that we don't see. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then just know there's also lots of energy and land that goes into making your quarter-pounder then it costs for you to buy at the fast food place.
Imagine all the grains that go into feeding the animal, the poop and gas that is produced (esp from cows!) while it's alive, the process to kill and clean it and all the water used to keep it clean, the refrigeration costs to transport it and distribute it until it's cooked and eaten, and then the after effects of that on your body.
If people would visit their local industrial farm, and and see the conditions the animals are raised in, (thanks to growing up in South Carolina, our school trips took us to such places!) that was enough to convince me that I do not want to eat the stress and hormones that are pumped into these animals on the industrial processing line. That is why I would eat wild meat but not man-raised meat. It's also the idea that there's 50 billion+ chickens in the world produced for the meat industry! I mean, is that really necessary?!?!
I started being a veg-head when I was in high school and I started with once a week, not eating meat. It was tough because everything at that time had some form of meat or animal product in it! Now-a-days in the USA there's more options. Lovely options like organic veggies vs. veggies that are grown at the risk of loosing the goodness of the soil and rain (to herbicides and pesticides). Then I grew in my efforts to reduce my meat intake...of course my mom was like "What do I make for this kid so she doesn't keep complaining?!?!" but her Japanese veggies became tastier to me once I became a vegetarian. I could appreciate the subtle taste of veggies!
Of course you want to balance your diet with information to get the right balance of healthy nutrients and avoiding empty calories (most sweets and junk food). When I started I was a "junk-food vegetarian" replacing what meat I didn't eat with crap foods. Now I know better...and enjoy cooking for myself and my hubby!
Everyone has their own limitations and you must listen to your own body, but we can live with much less meat in our diets then we think! Perhaps then the fish, cow, pig, and chicken populations will find their natural balance again -eventually?
I can't live a single day without taking action to live a earth-friendly lifestyle or I beat myself up! I found that being a vegetarian, I can end everyday with "Well, at least I didn't eat any meat today" and that just makes me feel better that I took the action I needed to help save a little energy and be a little "greener" in my lifestyle. Of course, there's much more that I do everyday then that, but you get the idea.
I don't know how I transitioned from nuclear power plants to vegetarianism, but I'll keep sharing my thoughts and activities on my blog. If you're interested keep reading! :) Thanks for letting me share!
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