PRESENTATION GIVEN AT THE COMPASSION CONSORTIUM - December 26, 2021

For fifty years I lived in a meat and potatoes world.
And then in 1993 my friend, Cynthia Crisp invited me to a showing of a video in her home of Supreme Master Ching Hai giving a talk to people who worked at the U.N. Stephen Gorad was the co-host and cooked a delicious vegetarian dinner.
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I had never seen a living spiritual Master before. I was inspired. I wanted to do the meditation she spoke about. It  required a vegetarian and later a vegan diet. I asked my friend, “Why vegetarian? Would it change anything?” She said try it and see.
 
Everything changed. I began making connections.
I began connecting in a visceral meaningful way the hamburgers, hot dogs, and T-bone steaks, I loved so, on my plate. They didn’t just come from the grocery or the restaurant they came in a tortuous and agonizing way from living innocent beings who wanted and deserved to live as much as I did.
 
Later in 2007 another connection was made that the meat, dairy and egg industries were feeding Climate Change.  By now, I was a vegan.                                                                                                                                                                                      Supreme Master Ching Hai was alarmed at what Climate Change was doing and could do to the health of our planet. She took immediate action. She started Supreme Master TV a global satellite television that airs 24/7 online and can be seen on TV about constructive news for a peaceful world. Many of master’s followers opened vegan restaurants called LOVING HUT. There are now 200 all over the globe.
        
And that’s when I began writing...around 2007. I’ve written between 15- 20 children’s books. Most of them are from stories people told me or of my own happenings with animals. All the books are with the help of writer friends, fantastic editors, and a gifted French artist Marc Chalvin. Most are on my website here. You can download  and read for free or  buy them on Amazon and some from Barnes and Noble.                                                                                                                                                             
​ As for “COMPASSION IN ACTION” – we don’t have to start a tv station, run a sanctuary, open a restaurant or write books. We just have to do what is natural – eat our three meals a day but change what is on our plate to a plant based diet. That saves an animal each day. As it is now, 80 billion are murdered every year in the USA alone for the meat industry. And of course, the plant based diet brings healing to our physical, mental, and emotional selves along with bringing much needed health to our planet.  In the meantime our planet is crying out with wildfires, floods, droughts, severe weather and the melting of permafrost and glaciers. If we wait for the politicians to address climate change, we are "Waiting for Godot."
​ Marian HM