Vegan Uncensored: Playing Nice Online

Vegan Uncensored: Playing Nice Online
� The online vegan community is one of the strongest vegan communities—the Internet has given us a way to cross countries and cultures and come together to talk animals, activism, food, passion, and the like. The Internet has done amazing things for the movement. It has given us a place to speak our minds — [...]

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The online vegan community is one of the strongest vegan communities—the Internet has given us a way to cross countries and cultures and come together to talk animals, activism, food, passion, and the like. The Internet has done amazing things for the movement. It has given us a place to speak our minds — but unfortunately we don’t always speak our minds nicely. What can make this bad situation worse is that the Internet provides a mask to hide behind—we don’t necessarily have to put a name or a face to our words.

Vegans are, in general, a group of passionate people. It’s often our passion, and our compassion – for our bodies, for our planet, for animals – that brings us to the lifestyle in the first place. This is why it is so upsetting when we get into nasty, heated quarrels on blogs, forums and comment sections. All kinds of people do this—not just vegans—but when a group so dedicated to compassion turns, well, uncompassionate, it’s a bummer. I know sometimes things make us angry. How can we not stir up a piss pot when we see things promoting animal cruelty – or just blatant hypocrisy – on the Internet?! If we pick a fight about something, aren’t we fighting for our cause? No. Not when our cause is compassion.

Ranting and raving does not support our cause. It will turn people off, damage our credibility, and make us look a bit loony! Getting nasty online, regardless of what we are arguing for or against, only further supports the stereotype that vegans are a bunch of angry activists up on their high horses. And it makes our fight for compassion look a wee bit hypocritical.

When we see something we disagree with online, why not state the point—but in a calm, collected, well-thought-out manner? If you’re so mad you can’t see straight, take a breather, do something else, and then come back and respond. Don’t take advantage of the fact that you can say what you want on the Internet without repercussion, or even identification. Would you say the same thing, using the same language, if your face was attached? What if your children were listening?

The next time you stumble on something that makes you furious, like Starbucks using beetles in their beverage mix, or that man from Georgia, Kirby Campbell, getting less jail time despite his cruel behavior toward animals, state your opinion, and do it with dignity, good research and strength. Compassion is the word, people! Live it.

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Martha Ringer: A Complete Night's Sleep (Try This)

Martha Ringer: A Complete Night's Sleep (Try This)

For many years I have tried to capture the essence of what being "tucked in" at night meant to me as a child. I once gathered stories from friends about how they go to sleep at night and how they were tucked in as children. I was convinced that how we finish the day impacts us in many other ways.

My original vision was to write a children's book. The actual finished product that will be released later this summer is a book for adults. I was touched to hear first lady Michelle Obama, in an interview this week, speak about their own family ritual of being tucked in at night by Barack, a ritual that includes herself.

As a child I remember the comfort I experienced being tucked in at night with great tenderness and loving by my mother. As an adult, I have created a way to tuck myself in with the same sweetness and loving.

Consciously taking ourselves to sleep at night is also the best way I know to complete the day and let go of what doesn't need to be dragged into tomorrow. In my experience, completing the day allows our bodies to rest deeply and begin the next day refreshed.

My current ritual of tucking myself in takes about 10-15 minutes. I do it once I have turned off the computer, plugged in my iPhone to charge in another room, brushed my teeth, etc. There are many nights when I think I'm too tired and I will skip this process altogether, just like I imagine my mother thinking years ago, "Honey just tuck yourself in." But my mother would always tuck me in, no matter how tired she was. That's what parents do. So I figure I deserve the same commitment to myself.

In my consulting practice, I work with executives to transform the backlog of unfinished projects and actions into completion. I often hear my clients talk about their challenges with sleeping and waking up in the night worrying with things on their minds. Completing is freedom, in my experience, and results in clarity, relaxation and peace of mind. I remember a number of years ago, a client exclaiming: "I slept for the first time in a year" after our first day of gathering and processing the incompletes in her life. I know from this and many other client experiences that completing directly impacts our quality of sleep, rest and our wellbeing.

The finishing of today allows for the newness of tomorrow. And it is a way to love and honor who we are. Take time before bed to quiet the mind and review the day; see what worked, what did not, what we might have judged that needs forgiving, what still needs completing and write it down. Include time for out loud or written statements of gratitude and appreciation for yourself and others. I also track progress on habits I am developing -- for example, consistent exercise. I end my tuck-me-in process with a blessing before turning out the light.

Completing the day with yourself celebrates you and reminds you that you are worth being tucked in with loving. And what if it is the answer you have been looking for to a good night's sleep?

The upcoming book has been recorded as an mp3 and is available for $.99 on Amazon or iTunes.

The book on ITunes

The book on Amazon

For more by Martha Ringer, click here.

For more on sleep, click here.

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Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

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Source: EzineArticles.com

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