Anyone who takes up the task of explaining the ethics behind veganism, draws their main arguments from the book Animal Liberation by Peter Singer. Time to read this classic from 1975 for myself. Singer is a utilitarian, which means his ultimate goal is to minimize the amount of suffering in the world. Other moral signposts, …
New energy in Paris
The protagonist of the book Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver is looking for change. Since she became pregnant at seventeen years old, the course of her life has been determined by other people. The arrival of thousands of Monarch butterflies in the mountains around the little village turns her life upside down. She becomes involved …
The wolf and the lamb
I was introduced to the principle of non-violence by the books of Gandhi and Tolstoy. These authors made it clear that living non-violently meant that they did not eat meat. After I had been vegetarian for a few years, I began to feel like a hypocrite because I still ate the products of the animals …
Overcoming evil with good
Montgomery, a southern city in the USA, in 1955. African Americans, who make up the majority of the population, are being treated as second class citizens. Because of the so-called Jim Crow laws they have to use separate restrooms, restaurants and schools. In the city buses, ‘colored’ people can only use the rear seats. In …
Interfaith in Medway
People in connection with God: Quakers in silence, Muslims kneeling brotherly together, Hindus in an explosion of colors. The Interfaith group experienced it all. Last Sunday the annual pilgrimage took place, in which we visited several places of worship. The day began in the cathedral of Rochester. There was a small ceremony and the pilgrims …
Corbyn and the bicycle
Last week Jeremy Corbyn was elected the new leader of the British Labour Party. This election has occupied the nation for months. It is of course an internal matter, but Labour is the largest opposition party, so the outcome determines who will be the leader of the opposition. It turned out to be Corbyn, a …