Great Spirit Prayer (origin unknown)
Attributed to Martin J. Shutt
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"Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the wind,
Whose breath gives life to all the world.
Hear me; I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice
Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people.
Help me to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards me.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf & rock.
Help me seek pure thoughts & act with the intention of helping others.
Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy - Myself.
Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.
1 comment:
“If anyone wants to save the planet, all they
have to do is just stop eating meat. That’s the
single most important thing you can do.” —Sir Paul McCartney
Global Warming: A 2006 U.N. report found that the meat industry
is responsible for more greenhouse-gas emissions than all the cars, trucks,
planes, and ships in the world combined. Researchers at the University
of Chicago have determined that going vegetarian is more effective in
countering global warming than switching from a standard American
car to a hybrid. Pollution: Animals raised for food in the U.S. produce
130 times more excrement than the entire human population of the U.S.!
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the runoff from factory
farms pollutes our rivers and lakes more than all other industrial sources
combined. Land Use: More than 260 million acres of U.S. forest have
been cleared for grazing and for growing grain to feed farmed animals.
More than 90 percent of all Amazon rain-forest land cleared since 1970
is used for meat production. Many times more land is required to feed
a meat-eater than a vegetarian. Water Use: Livestock production
accounts for half of all the water used in the U.S. A vegetarian uses only
300 gallons of water per day, while a meat-eater uses more than 4,000.
Energy Use: The meat industry uses more than one-third of all the
fossil fuels consumed in the U.S. Oceans: Commercial fishing nets
often scrape the ocean floor clear of all life and destroy coral reefs; they
also kill porpoises, birds, sea lions, and other “bycatch” animals. Coastal
fish farms release massive amounts of feces, antibiotics, parasites, and nonnative
fish into sensitive marine ecosystems. Animals: Chickens, pigs,
turkeys, fish, and cows are intelligent, social animals who feel pain, just as
humans, dogs, and cats do. More than 27 billion animals are mutilated,
confined, and killed in horrible ways by the U.S. meat industry every year.
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