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(Episode previously named “Compassion”)
In this episode, Dani discusses compassion, mindfulness, and sustainability.
For links & recommendations, view full episode notes.
Dani is honest and refreshing in her takes on the world and society. Listen as she explains how she’s come to understand the world through kindness, both towards ourselves and everything else.
[0:00] Hi everyone! Welcome to another episode of Understanding Kindness. My name is Dani and today I want to talk about compassion. I’d also like to talk about mindfulness and veganism {ooOo}. I’m tying these all together because I’ve learned that the latter two help reframe our minds and allow us to be more compassionate people.
[0:26] In this episode, I want to take you through how I came to understand this, and as always, share the resources that helped me to get here. So today I’ll be talking about The Bearded Vegans podcast, “The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation” by Thich Nhat Hanh, and “The Story of Stuff: The Impact of Overconsumption on the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health-And How We Can Make it Better” by Annie Leonard. So, let’s get into this episode of Understanding Kindness.
[0:58] (Theme).
[1:08] So, I’m trying something new again. This week I’ve written a script for the episode. Although I enjoyed being candid on the mic in the last couple episodes, I find that I have an easier time gathering my thoughts and getting my point across better when I’m able to write my thoughts down and really think about them before just blurting them out. I’m sure it won’t be as casual in the beginning, but I’m also sure that with practice I will get better. To be honest, this isn’t exactly how I envisioned doing this podcast, but I believe it’ll be the best way to get my message across. And I’ve loved writing since I was young so it’s actually a great feeling to be writing my own ideas down again. I also love talking (duh) so this is a happy union of the two. Let’s get into it.
[2:02] So, I became a vegan about 4 years ago. I was in college and my best friend at the time started eating a plant-based diet and dabbling in veganism a bit before she ultimately went back to eating animal products. The concept of it seemed interesting to me, and I called myself an animal lover so this seemed like something I could get behind. I decided to give it a shot. I started eating a plant-based diet and really enjoyed it. I wasn’t a big meat-eater before going vegan so not eating meat wasn’t difficult for me. I loved dairy cheese though. That one was a little more difficult. It took a while to find a non-dairy cheese that I enjoyed, but once I did I loved it! I’d also love to try making my own nut cheese some time because I’m sure it would just {kissing noise} taste great! I began to notice how much more I loved eating and preparing food when everything I was eating and cooking was so colorful, and flavorful, and aligned with my ethics.
[3:04] At this time I also started getting into podcasts myself so, I googled “best vegan podcasts” and clicked on the first one on the first blog that I clicked. That podcast was called “The Bearded Vegans”. Andy and Paul, who are the creators and hosts of the podcast, are the reason I am the vegan that I am today. The definition of veganism that they live by is to do the most good possible, and (in their words) “don’t be a jerk”. As I learned more about veganism I was lead towards learning about sustainability and anti-oppression. So I began to define my veganism on those terms as well. Since then I have strived to live by this definition in my life and how I move about the world. I want to live in a sustainable world without oppression of any beings and that’s what I am fighting for. I’ve realized that my life is not worth any more than any other beings’; and my tastebuds, or my want for convenience are not more important than someone’s life. As I’ve learned these things in my short time as a vegan and as I’ve seen how far we are from the world I want to live in, I’ve realized that I need to spread this message and show everyone the way that I got here, and how we can achieve this so we can all live in a compassionate, sustainable world without oppression of anyone.
[4:33] Another way that I’ve come to understand my place in the world is through meditation and mindfulness. I recently started reading “The Miracle of Mindfulness” by a Buddhist monk named Thich Nhat Hanh (who my friend Ang introduced me to) and many of the ideas in the book resonated with me and just made perfect sense, so here I am sharing them with you. Mindfulness is being completely present. It’s understanding our place in the world and how miraculous it is that we are here, living, breathing. We cannot take that for granted, we need to be in each moment. This, in itself, is an act of self-care & self-love. Allowing yourself to be fully in this moment now, allows you to stop trying to escape it with thoughts of the past or future. Trying to escape the moment brings about fear, anxiety, depression, negative emotions that do not allow us to be present, enjoying the moment. When we are truly present, we can see & feel how extraordinary and precious each moment of our lives is. This moment will come and go, and we’ll never experience it again, so we must savor it now. When I’m in the moment, enjoying it, I am able to understand how every being deserves this. My life, and my wants are no more important or precious than another’s. I can see and understand that everyone deserves to be completely free and able to live a life that is free from oppression. I’m able to understand myself better too when I can be in the moment and see what bothers me or upsets me. Only then am I able to work on those things so that hopefully one day they’ll no longer bother or upset me. Many things in our lives stem from not thinking about the harm our actions actually cause. A book that opened my eyes to this reality was “The Story of Stuff” by Annie Leonard. It’s a phenomenal book that takes you on a journey of how our stuff is made, from extraction of resources to disposal and afterlife of all this stuff. The reality of the actual cost of our stuff is kept behind closed doors so that we don’t have to think about the harm we are causing. It may be difficult at times to look at our actions and see that they do not line up with the compassionate person that we say we are, but it is fundamental to becoming that person that we actually want to be. We’re all talk until we do something that aligns with our morals, our ethics.
[7:26] Once I became vegan and began living a more sustainable, compassionate life, I felt a sense of alignment within me that my actions were matching up with the morals and ethics I knew I wanted to live by. My life has not had a greater sense of purpose and pleasure since I’ve become vegan. I live every day of my life striving to make a better world and to do the best I can in the world we live in currently. I’m not perfect and I make mistakes just as everyone does; and in pre-COVID times, I forget to bring my reusable grocery bags to the store, or my coffee cup to the coffee shop. I’ve thrown something in the trash because I wasn’t able to find a recycling bin. I do these things sometimes, and I feel bad about them, but I’m aware of the real impact that I do have and I try to make it easier to do the better thing the next time. To me, the most important thing to remember is if we have the choice, we should strive to make the one that does the least harm. I don’t want to live in a world with oppression and murder; I don’t want others to justify their choices with the notion of something being “for the greater good”. Nothing is justifiable if it hurts or oppresses another. Just as you are able to hurt or oppress someone, someone can hurt or oppress you. If you can justify doing that to someone else, no matter the reason (“but it tastes so good”, “but I need it now”), someone can justify doing that to you and it’s only a matter of time passing for that to happen.
[9:08] This is similar to my discussion on racism in the previous episode, except most people play the oppressor in this situation (since most people aren’t vegan). If you’re able to make the choice to cause the least harm and you fail to do that, you’re part of the reason that there is still oppression in this world. Every time you eat something from another being, you are saying that their life was for you, the things that their body created were for you. Not for the sake of them just living their lives, just as you are able to live yours. Every time you order something cheap on Amazon or wherever (and possibly think, “there’s no way actually creating this amounts to the $7.99 that I’m paying for it”), well you’re saying the resources and the slave or low-wage labor used to create this product was for you. Now, I’m not saying that I have not partaken in these things before. I’m saying that once I became aware of them and my true impact, I knew I had the responsibility to do the best I could with this information. That’s what I want for you too. I want you to learn about your impact so that you can begin to be a better person, a more compassionate person. I know it’s there in you.
[10:25] I‘m saying this to those of us who have other options, other choices. I’m not talking to those who are currently being oppressed and don’t have other options and resources. We live in a late-stage capitalistic society that has disenfranchised specific people and cut them off from specific resources, giving them access to only so many options (and most of the time, those options perpetuate oppression). I’m not talking to these people. I’m talking to those of us who feel the need to have more and more, more food, more stuff. Having is not the meaning of life. Giving is the meaning of life; giving kindness, giving compassion, giving understanding. When we truly open our eyes to see how our lives have been set up to be convenient so that we don’t have to think about anything, we can pull back the curtain to see just how much harm a busy, convenient life causes. It’s not our faults for being brought up in an oppressive society, we can’t help that. Once we have the knowledge though, it is our responsibility to do better, to create a society that does not oppress others. It’s our responsibility to understand the harm we have done in the past, and to understand that the only way to make a better world is if we do the work ourselves, now. Once you know, and are able, you no longer have an excuse. Once you know, and continue your life without change, you’re perpetuating the oppressive system. I’m not saying you need to be perfect and here’s how. I’m saying that it is your responsibility to do as much good as you possibly can. Take steps, start small, but continue to strive to do better. Continue learning, continue growing. Don’t we all want to leave this life knowing that we did the most good possible, that we strove to end oppression and live more compassionate lives? Be real with yourself, don’t lie to yourself. Be kind to yourself, and understand the reality of your actions so that you can do better.
[12:45] Be mindful in your actions. Be in this moment. See how wonderful it is to be here, how precious this moment is. Now understand that others deserve to be in this moment, to see how wonderful it is to be here, how precious each moment is. Take back your time by being completely here. See how nothing is here for you, and you are here to exist now, just as every other being is.
[13:22] I want you to change. I want you to understand your place in this world so that you can experience less fear, anxiety, depression. I want you to understand your place so that you can make this world a better place for us all. Nothing will change unless we are all united in this front to do the most good and end oppression for all. Someone else’s life is not yours, just as your life is no one else’s. Wake up and see the harms that you’re really causing, and stop doing them. Until you take the actions to live a more compassionate, less oppressive lifestyle, you’re still causing harm. Get rid of the negative feelings and do what you know is right. Do what will make you feel good, and will allow you to leave this life knowing that you did the best you could. Each moment is precious for each of us, allow others to enjoy each precious moment just as you do.
[14:28] To learn more about these topics, straight from the places where I was able to, listen to The Bearded Vegans podcast (episode 228 is one of my favorites), read “The Miracle of Mindfulness: An Introduction to the Practice of Meditation” by Thich Nhat Hanh, and read “The Story of Stuff: The Impact of Overconsumption on the Planet, Our Communities, and Our Health-And How We Can Make it Better” by Annie Leonard.
[15:21] If you enjoyed this episode, help support the podcast! All this content is free and I’d love to make it my job one day, so if you’re financially able join our patreon or send a one-time or recurring donation through paypal! You can also share an episode with family or friends, and give UK a kind rating and review!
Check out UnderstandingKindness.com for all episodes, transcripts, and blog posts. And why not take a listen to my other podcast, Better When Awkward, co-hosted by my childhood best friend Jasmine!
Get in touch with me by emailing UnderstandingKindness@protonmail.com, or through social media. You can find all links in the episode notes.
For now, be kind, be compassionate, be understanding, and question everything. I’ll be here. Thank you for listening to this episode of Understanding Kindness. [End transcript]