Disaster Preparedness

I've been on a preparedness kick recently. 

On a basic level, it's just taking the time to reorganize parts of my life that had gotten a bit disorganized. I don't like to spend time looking for things.

But on a more important level, I did things like check the fire extinguishers which I discovered were out of date, so I replaced them.

Also, I believe it's important to have ample food and water supplies available in case of emergency.

It's one of those things that you hope you never have to use.

Maybe it's the stage of life I am in. Not sure.

Just been on my mind recently.

The Coming Vegan Awakening

I  think the day will come when being a meat-eater will be viewed in the way that we view racists, sexists, or homophobes.

I could be wrong, and it could be the world in which I orient myself, but I am seeing a growing sense of awareness. Whether it's Impossible Burgers at Burger King or major grocery chains advocating a meat-free lifestyle, it's clear that something is happening.

Add in documentaries such as Game Changers that aren't evangelical, but science-based and there's some real evidence that the movement is growing.

I've been on a 97.9% vegan diet for about 4 years now.

Not quite 100% because I have eaten the occasional egg or two, don't pay much attention to eggs as ingredients in bread, for example, and still eat honey.  Working on that.

For me, the journey started off based on my own personal needs and goals, it was around diet.

However, as I've learned more about nutrition, I've also learned more about the philosophy of veganism which is really a philosophy of mindful eating. It's also a philosophy of compassion.

I've never eaten pork products, but when you see a video like this (and you know the same thing happens for all types of animals), I wonder how much longer people who claim to be conscious and aware (and probably love their dogs or cats) will justify their position. 

This is the pork industry, this is your #bacon.

Pigs are as innocent and intelligent as a 3 year old human, they feel pain like us and this is how the industry treats them because of the demand.

If you buy animal products, you are directly funding this..#meat #food #Vegan pic.twitter.com/IXP0c61QjM

— The Vegan Nutritionist Ⓥ (@vegannutrition1) October 16, 2019

If you watch cooking shows, you'll hear comments like "everything is better with bacon."

Once upon a time, people would say "you have to wear a fur coat" or "whale blubber....whatever."

I think the Vegan wave rides the climate awareness wave.

There are plenty of ways to get protein (everyone's big concern) and stay healthy on a vegan diet.

Two people I like on Twitter are The Vegan Nutritionist and Ashwani Garg

I was at an event a few weeks ago where someone was roasting another person for being a vegetarian.

In the future, that kind of behavior will be frowned upon and restaurants like this will be boycotted.

Friends keep you accountable

Yesterday, I was talking with a friend who said to me.

"you know, there's something I have to get off my chest."

He then proceeded to tell me about something I had done to him a few years ago that he thought was totally selfish and inconsiderate on my part.

He was right.

I was ashamed that I had behaved that way.

However, I was grateful that my friend had the courage to confront me.

More than that, I appreciated the display of confidence in me that he had. He must have believed that telling me would serve a purpose.

I've come to realize that the friends I value the most are the ones who keep me honest and who appreciate when I do the same for them.

Who shall live and who shall die?

One of the fundamental questions-and certainly one of the most poignant parts of the service- during the time of year that spans Rosh Hashana to Yom Kippur is the idea that some of us won't be around at this time next year.

It's a tough concept to keep in mind. After all, we've been at a bunch of services in years past so you might say that you have a "good track record."

Still, there were holidays well before I was born that I didn't attend so it shouldn't be that much of a stretch.

Yet, for me, it is.

So, this year, I went in thinking to myself, "what if this is really the last Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur that I ever experience?"

I looked around the room, watched some of the people, listened just a bit more closely to the words of the Torah and the songs.

Ever since Thanksgiving, I've been using an app called We Croak. Thanks to my brother, Barak, for pointing it out.

As the site says, "The WeCroak app is inspired by a Bhutanese folk saying: to be a happy person, one must contemplate death five times daily."

I can't say that I'm 100% happy 24/7, but I can say that the contemplation of death during the services did make me feel lighter as I realized the opportunity I had in front of me to appreciate the present of the present.