Some Thoughts On Mindfulness and Living With Compassion

I've been taught that compassion, a sense of empathy and a genuine, caring heart, is one of the martial virtues. It's one of my dojo's "Black Belt Traits." Expressing compassion and loving-kindness for all creatures has been a cornerstone of my fledgling, UBBT-inspired meditation practice, too. Over the last couple of weeks, several coinciding events have really begun to change my thinking about what compassion really means, especially in relation to my personal habits of consumption:

Two weeks ago, I drove past a vegan group that was protesting outside of a local KFC, and I found myself silently rooting for them on the inside. The very next day, I stumbled upon Thich Nhat Hanh's letter to the CEO of KFC, asking him to consider treating chickens more humanely.

Yesterday, I was somewhat repulsed by an online article and film clip about the new Fenway Franks. Now, I've got nothing against a good hot dog (at least I don't think I do), but the insipid music that's playing in the background of the film clip while meat is being processed really stuck me as an insensitive trivialization of the fact that those "hot-dogs-to-be" are actually former cows.

On my way home last night, I listened (in disgust, to be honest) to an NPR spot on farm raised whales that are harvested for commercial use. Okay, I can appreciate using every part of the whale: after all business is business, and efficiency counts. But why the hell do the whale farmers bother to teach the captive whales to sing — and "express their individuality" (i.e., treat them as pets) — if they're going to kill them?

(Okay, that last one was a well-played NPR April Fool's joke... but my point remains.)

And today, the last straw: a student of mine sent me a link to a disturbing report on the treatment of animals at a New England poultry farm.

Now, I've already been eating less and less meat lately in acknowledgement of the health benefits of eating more veggies, legumes, and fruits, and also to do my little part to reduce the impact that the meat industry has on the environment. I've read Pollan's "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and scanned "In Defense of Food," and I've learned quite a bit. But now, more and more, I'm feeling sympathy and compassion for the creatures that we meat eaters routinely ingest.

I don't think I'm quite at the point of giving up my meat habit 100%, and I'm not sure that I ever will arrive at that point, but I'm definitely becoming more conscious in my food choices, going vegetarian when I can, and purposefully and mindfully choosing cage-free / free range products. I'm making a new habit of taking a moment before I eat to really feel gratitude toward all the human, material, and animal resources that made my meal possible.

So, from this moment on, no more mindless eating. That's a start, anyway. (And no judgment, either, I promise! You can eat the way that you want, and I won't look at you sideways!) I don't really know where this particular path will lead me (and I don't know how much it really has to do with training in the martial arts), but I'm willing to follow it for a while to find out.