Shut Your Mouth & Open Your Eyes
I'm utterly appalled at what I've just seen... I went to the myspace of what I concidered to be one of my favorite bands and actually took the time to read a bunch of stuff on their profile. No matter what, no matter how I feel, I state now that I still love their music - they're lyrics are full of meaning and their music has a sound that is full of energy - I would not stop listening to their songs just because I disagree with something they've put on their myspace.
However, I'm so disgusted with their methods. It is not really that I disagree with their opinions on politics and veganism, as it is apparently their top issues, but I definately disagree with how they go about it. There were messages on the profile from the lead singer basically trying to guilt trip people into veganism and blaming people who voted for Bush or did not vote against him for the war and all of the negative stuff that's happened to the country the past few years. (I do agree that indirectly, voting is a way of giving him power in which he can make the decisions and do the things that affects our country, but if people vote for him or don't vote against him, it does not technically mean they wished any of those bad things to happen.) To state that those of us are basically bad people who continue to eat meat, or to vote a certain way, is just wrong in my opinion. It's basically saying they're better than the rest of us... they might as well call us meat-eaters scum.
It is no different than how the over zealous people are about religion, telling you if you don't believe in what they do that you are a bad person, evil, you won't be saved and you're going to hell, and all the stuff you believe in is evil and wrong.
Like religion, why does there have to be any one right way to believe in anything? I try to stay open-minded about all things... I believe that there is no one way to worship or practice religious or spiritual beliefs - one person who worships God is no different than another person who worships Buddah, it is only a different way of going about the same things, they're all higher powers and I don't think that one is more right than the other. In politics, I have my opinions about our country and our government, but I don't try to force my opinions and thoughts on others. I have no wish to offend anyone who might have a different opinion about our government, our president, our country than I have. The point here is our country is full of people from all walks of life, as is the entire world. Everyone comes from a different background which shapes the way they lead their life, the way they make decisions and form opinions. I cannot pretend to understand what some people have been through to make them have the feelings and opinions they have... so why say any of them are wrong? I may not want people to die in a war, but that does not mean I will speak ill of the people fighting it on either side. Why does anyone's opinion have to be right or wrong? I feel they simply are what they are. The same goes for vegitarianism and veganism which has become a big issue among a lot of people lately. Especially personal for me because I have so many friends and family who are. I do not disagree with their opinion on how it affects animals, and yes I would not wish to harm or kill animals myself, but I'm not going to stop eating animal products. I do wish the treatment of animals raised for food was better, I wish we didn't have so many farms soley for food. But a long time ago - before she reverted to vegitarianism - my mom told me that animals had a purpouse. All animals are part of a food chain, we may be at the top, but like us other animals eat animals too. Our methods of doing so are more cruel and I wish they were not, but I believe a lot of animals are here to nurture us. I feel that guilt-tripping people into veganism is just as wrong as the people who continue to eat meat. We're all at fault for something. But people are going to continue to kill animals for food, why waste it? I can see how one might consider that supporting the continuation of killing animals for food, and I don't really disagree. But is there not a way we can all come up with a compremise, like finding more humane ways of farming and raising animals for food?
Everyone having the same beliefs is not harmony, it's monotony. Harmony is understanding other's perspectives and opinions and respecting that. Wars and crimes come from confusion and misunderstanding. If we all had the same beliefs and opinions, we would never learn anything from eachother. Everyone's a traveller who's experiences can teach us something if we are only willing to listen. Think of all the different things we could learn from someone from another country, a monk, a priest, a soldier, a politician, a prisoner, a student, a teacher, the elderly, a homeless person, a famous person... anyone...
Open your eyes, open your minds, respect. We're not all alike and things are not black or white, wrong and right, they just are.
That is the path to peace and harmony - respect.
However, I'm so disgusted with their methods. It is not really that I disagree with their opinions on politics and veganism, as it is apparently their top issues, but I definately disagree with how they go about it. There were messages on the profile from the lead singer basically trying to guilt trip people into veganism and blaming people who voted for Bush or did not vote against him for the war and all of the negative stuff that's happened to the country the past few years. (I do agree that indirectly, voting is a way of giving him power in which he can make the decisions and do the things that affects our country, but if people vote for him or don't vote against him, it does not technically mean they wished any of those bad things to happen.) To state that those of us are basically bad people who continue to eat meat, or to vote a certain way, is just wrong in my opinion. It's basically saying they're better than the rest of us... they might as well call us meat-eaters scum.
It is no different than how the over zealous people are about religion, telling you if you don't believe in what they do that you are a bad person, evil, you won't be saved and you're going to hell, and all the stuff you believe in is evil and wrong.
Like religion, why does there have to be any one right way to believe in anything? I try to stay open-minded about all things... I believe that there is no one way to worship or practice religious or spiritual beliefs - one person who worships God is no different than another person who worships Buddah, it is only a different way of going about the same things, they're all higher powers and I don't think that one is more right than the other. In politics, I have my opinions about our country and our government, but I don't try to force my opinions and thoughts on others. I have no wish to offend anyone who might have a different opinion about our government, our president, our country than I have. The point here is our country is full of people from all walks of life, as is the entire world. Everyone comes from a different background which shapes the way they lead their life, the way they make decisions and form opinions. I cannot pretend to understand what some people have been through to make them have the feelings and opinions they have... so why say any of them are wrong? I may not want people to die in a war, but that does not mean I will speak ill of the people fighting it on either side. Why does anyone's opinion have to be right or wrong? I feel they simply are what they are. The same goes for vegitarianism and veganism which has become a big issue among a lot of people lately. Especially personal for me because I have so many friends and family who are. I do not disagree with their opinion on how it affects animals, and yes I would not wish to harm or kill animals myself, but I'm not going to stop eating animal products. I do wish the treatment of animals raised for food was better, I wish we didn't have so many farms soley for food. But a long time ago - before she reverted to vegitarianism - my mom told me that animals had a purpouse. All animals are part of a food chain, we may be at the top, but like us other animals eat animals too. Our methods of doing so are more cruel and I wish they were not, but I believe a lot of animals are here to nurture us. I feel that guilt-tripping people into veganism is just as wrong as the people who continue to eat meat. We're all at fault for something. But people are going to continue to kill animals for food, why waste it? I can see how one might consider that supporting the continuation of killing animals for food, and I don't really disagree. But is there not a way we can all come up with a compremise, like finding more humane ways of farming and raising animals for food?
Everyone having the same beliefs is not harmony, it's monotony. Harmony is understanding other's perspectives and opinions and respecting that. Wars and crimes come from confusion and misunderstanding. If we all had the same beliefs and opinions, we would never learn anything from eachother. Everyone's a traveller who's experiences can teach us something if we are only willing to listen. Think of all the different things we could learn from someone from another country, a monk, a priest, a soldier, a politician, a prisoner, a student, a teacher, the elderly, a homeless person, a famous person... anyone...
Open your eyes, open your minds, respect. We're not all alike and things are not black or white, wrong and right, they just are.
That is the path to peace and harmony - respect.