Over the past few weeks, I have remained steadfast to my commitment to pursuing a plant-based diet that continues to exclude all meat products. I am, however, unsure as to the effect it has on others. Last night, for example, I was taken out to dinner by my closest friend here at Lafayette along with his mother who was visiting him for the weekend. Chosen by him, we went to a steakhouse.  Not to my surprise there was only ONE entree on the entire menu that I as able to eat. It seemed as though one did not attend that particular restaurant unless they wished to exclusively consume meat. This brought to my attention that there is a stark divide between restaurants that provide “meat-centric” food options and those that provide alternatives such as vegetable based entrees. My conclusion is that most Americans are either substantially interested in trying to incorporate non-meat items into their regular diet or they are completely disinterested in this vegetable loving shift from the status quo.

Here in the United States, due to our complex network of supermarkets and our industrial farming industry it is considered the norm for one to eat meat for at least two out of their three meals each day. This continues to surprise me as each year new studies are released that encourage Americans to attempt to diversify their diet- if not for the wellbeing of animals then for their own personal health and well being. Furthermore, vegetarian diets are much more affordable than those of our meat eating counterparts. Despite the nearly endless supply of a variety of meats offered at the supermarket, it is still a much more economical choice for one to adhere to a vegetarian diet as the cost of fruits and vegetables has always significantly lower than that of meat.

Overall, I am still committed to pursuing a vegetarian diet and I do not think that this will change any time in the near future. My only mental reservation is that we as vegetarians must to more to encourage a shift in diet for all Americans from that of  almost entirely consisting of some sort of meat to perhaps only eating meat once per day. In the end, I do not expect these results to come quickly, however, I am interested as to how I can help to expedite the process of change in shifting the status quo surrounding meat consumption and vegetarianism in America and decreasing the polarization between the two groups.

This is the second round of meditative sketch collaging that I have done for my personal project. I decided to spent a little more time focusing on the meditative aspect of this practice, so I made a playlist of calming music and rented out a quiet study room in the library so I could focus all my energy on my art. Surprisingly, this collage came out much less unified than my last one, which was interconnected with a flow of life energy symbolized by the flowers present in nearly every sketch in the collage.

The disunity in this collage is probably due to my personal conflict with the material that I was analyzing. For this collage session, I set my intention to focus on expressing my interpretation of Kurlansky’s Nonviolence: The History of a Dangerous Idea. I noticed I had a very strong reaction to his depiction of Christianity, especially in its history of being manipulated by state powers and being brokered as political leverage. Many of my sketches show typical symbols of institutionalized power controlling images Christianity or censoring/shaping a faith to fit their agenda. This was difficult for me as I am uncomfortable seeing my religion depicted in this way in Kurlansky’s text, but found a release in expressing this discomfort through art and claiming ownership over my own interpretation of his claims. I genuinely do feel more at peace with the text after this particular session.

During this past week, I    have been practicing a form of Buddhist meditation called Zazen or Zen meditation. Zazen means “seated meditation’ in Japanese. There are two different ways to practice this form of meditation, however both require a seated position (on the ground or a chair), and the back must remain straight. Your gaze is low and focusing on the ground two or three feet in front of you. The form of practice is called Shikantaza, which means ‘just sitting’. When doing this, the meditator does not focus on a specific subject, the goal is to remain in the present moment as much as possible. It consists of being aware of what passes through your mind, without focusing on one specific thought. The second way to practice Zen meditation, which is the form I  practiced, is called focusing on breath. During this exercise, as you breathe in you count one number, starting with ten and counting backwards. When you get to one, start counting over again. If you get distracted or lose count, start over at 10.

This form of meditation was extremely helpful with making me feel more centered and grounded. I    tend to think and worry about the future a lot of the time, and practicing this exercise helped bring me back to the moment and focus on what needs to be done that day. I    had an especially crazy and emotional week, and concentrating on my breath gave me a form of distraction and I    was able to channel my energy into something productive, which lowered feelings of anxiety.

This past week I have found myself better able to persevere with my project. It is still difficult for me to subscribe to a full vegetarian diet, and I’ve eaten meat more than once. However, mentally I now find myself more connected to the cause, and two factors have contributed to this: I’ve been reading more articles on the subject, and have been communicating about my experiences with others both through posts and conversations. The articles that focus on the conditions these animals are raised and kept in have dissuaded me on many occasions from consuming meat, and now that more people are aware of my project I can’t just give up on it.

With my friends and family I’ve tried talking specifically about these industrial farms, and how by going vegetarian one can boycott these businesses. Many of them questioned the diet’s apparent lack of protein, and I countered this argument by pointing out how only recently (during the Industrial Revolution) we began consuming meats in such high amounts. However, nearly all of them responded that they would continue with their traditional diets, while only a few expressed real concern for the issue. It became clear to me how habits that are objectively wrong can be become normalized by our culture.

On another occasion, I found a video that focused on the horrors of the chicken meat industry (linked below), and showed it to a couple of friends. They were noticeably shocked and disgusted, afterwards I told them that by eating the “traditional” diet they were sanctioning these practices. One of them decided to try being a vegetarian, while the other considered it. Their reactions toward the video reminded me of the power visuals have in this anti-meat campaign. In the future I’ll try to show more people these kinds of videos, because even though these videos tend to be graphic, they are effective in making the viewers question their diets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pixGkSFBty0

As my first two weeks of vegetarianism comes to an end, I have realized that this lifestyle is not very hard to maintain in the real world, or in a college environment (that is, if you have the means to do so). In learning about the macro-nutritional value of many non-animal products, I’ve been able to create meal combinations that fill me up in the same way that meat would. Getting to a comfortable place in my diet has allowed me to focus more on the ins and outs of the practice of nonviolent eating.

In continuing my research into the world of animal nonviolence, I located an article called Factory Farming: Misery for Animals on the Peta’s website, which touches upon the cruel practices of the meat industry. Many of the practices stated were ones I had never known existed, and frankly, they made me feel nauseous. A few of the unnatural practices of major factory farms include (though are not limited to), the use of antibiotics to speed up growth and keep animals alive in unsanitary conditions, genetic manipulation to aid in further growth and production rates of the animals, and the defeathering/hair removal of animals by means of boiling water, or the hacking and skinning of their bodies, all while conscious. It’s practices like these and the numerous others (storing animals in incredibly confined spaces, etc), that make me not only want to quit meat for good, but also figure out why there are not more vegetarians in the US.

Back in 2014, it was shown that vegetarianism in the US, (for all reasons, including non-violence) included about 2% of all people. This number seemed surprisingly low to me, especially considering the numerous publishings exploiting the ugly side of the meat industry, as well as the increase in mainstream health fads, etc. I found that this percentage (though one of the lowest in the World), was not incredibly far off from most other countries, whose percentages ranged from about 2-11%, according to World Atlas.

In India however, vegetarians take up a whopping 38% of the population, making them the most vegetarian friendly country there is. According to an article in the Huffington Post, there are various reasons for this difference in numbers, one of which includes the major presence of religion in India. The majority of Indian people are of Dharmic faith, meaning they practice one of the four primary Indian religions, (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism), all of which put emphasis on the idea of ahimsa, or nonviolence. Other reasons include the heavy use of agricultural practices in non-coastal Indian areas, (and therefore many vegetable based cuisines), as well as the higher cost of meat vs. vegetable products.

As I continue my personal journey of vegetarianism, my overlapping goal is to figure out some of the root reasons for the incredibly low rates of vegetarianism in the US, and attempt to uncover some possible ways in which we can push to increase the desire for adapting to a vegetarian diet in resistance of nonviolent practices.

I have made some revisions to my personal project since my last entry. Instead of the film focusing on a protagonist grappling with the aftermath of her family member fatally shooting an unarmed civilian while in the line of duty, the film will be about a black protagonist who deals with her younger sister being shot by a black female police officer and uses social media as an outlet after struggling with this violence. The resolution of the plot has the protagonist penning a letter to the police officer and her family. Throughout the film, the protagonist, currently named Amani, will grapple with nonviolence versus violence: how would her sister, currently named Nia, like to be remembered, what would her sister want on the occasion of her death, and how Amani should feel, act, and think about her sister’s death and the greater societal implications of this event. I decided to go this route instead of the previous one because I can only write about what I know, and while I neither have any siblings nor has any of my family members been shot by the police and hopefully never will, I can attest to holding a healthy fear of state/government authorities, especially the police.

While I am not yet at the draft stage of my writing, I am starting to get a feel for my characters, their various personalities, the themes, and the plot. I have also begun to explore in what form I want my film to be expressed, either animation or live action. I can see the advantages and disadvantages of both, and as I delve further into this creative process, I will resolve this. Featured below are pictures detailing the various themes, characters, and plotlines of this short film.                                                                                                                                                             

Since my last personal project entry, I have been more committed to starting a dialogue with both vegetarians and nonvegetarians about eliminating meat from their diet. It is interesting comparing the views of these two groups towards the idea of vegetarianism or veganism. Some of the vegetarians I discussed the issue with were passionate about the lifestyle. Similar to my attitude when I first started my journey, they expressed to me that they thought their dietary options would be limited and ultimately lead them to give up. They revealed that as time went on they began to be more confident in their choice and realized there are many options that allow them to have a fulfilling and balanced diet. Some adapted to a vegetarian diet so well that they challegened themselves even more and became vegans.

During my talk with non vegetarians I noticed that they incorporated meat in most of their meals that they thought it would be virtually impossible to live without it. For example, Fatimah Fair, a student at Lafayette, is passionate about the environment and the well being of animals, however, when asked to consider a vegetarian lifestyle she simply replied with “What am I going to eat? I would faint” Many others share this view that eliminating meat from their diet  would be too drastic of a change. Their dependence on meat overpowers their sympathy for animals. While most agree that the meat industry can be unethical, their lack of action is also influenced by their idea that they are not powerful enough to create change. One of their concerns is giving up meat when other people will continue to consume it and still cause damage.

Considering these viewpoints has lead me to reflect on how I am challenging myself and question if what I am doing is enough. I came to the conclusion that I have become too comfortable with my vegetarian lifestyle and that it is time for me to take the next step. When asking others like Fatimah to take a risk and try something new, I figured it would only be right if I did the same thing so I decided to try out a vegan diet. As stated in The Guide for Nonviolence Practical Action Handbook  by Michael Nagler, to put nonviolence energy to work “ we must have in mind specific goals and must understand how we intend to meet those goals”(28). When deciding to be vegan and convincing people like Fatimah to challenge themselves, I kept this quote in mind to make sure I was setting realistic goals for them and myself. Fatimah, expressed to me that it would be too big of a transition for her completely eliminate meat, so as the first step we agreed that she will eliminate everything else except poultry from her diet.

As I continue with this project, I plan to inform people that they don’t have to dramatically change their diet all at once. The process can be gradual and proportional to their comfort level.

Prior to this personal project I have never created my own mandala, but now that I have I can say that I truly enjoy the practice. As I began to draw my first mandala I struggled with the techniques of mandala making, such as the symmetrical aspect of mandalas. I was not satisfied with my first few attempts to create a mandala, however I think that the practice that I received from those attempts helped me to produce an outcome that I actually liked. For my first mandala I decided that I wanted to stick to using only a pencil and a black pen to create my art, but later in the process I am planning to add colors to my artwork and use different drawing utensils.

So far creating mandalas has been a very relaxing and calming practice and it has given me the opportunity to find time during stressful days to relax and do something that I enjoy.

My hope for my project is to still experiment with the different techniques of mandala making. As of now, I am creating mandalas on a small scale, so that I can focus on the intricacy of each piece that I make. However, I want to create a mandala on a larger scale and devote my time to creating one big mandala. Although I will still focus on the intricacy of the mandala, I think it will be beneficial to make a mandala that takes a lot of time and patience.

Image of my first mandala

Details of my mandala