Reflections on the Environmental Crisis, Veganism, and “The Perennial Philosophy”: When faced with a Choice, We must Choose

Let’s begin with a thought exercise.

Suppose for a moment that we are shopping for dinner. Assuming all other things to be equal, we have a choice of two items to purchase for dinner tonight.

The first set of items are a package of soy burgers and whole wheat buns. The second set of items are a pork chop and a bunch of asparagus.

The first set of items were produced in various places. The soy was grown by a large farm somewhere in South America owned by a major multinational corporation. The wheat was grown by a large farm somewhere in the Midwest of the United States, owned by that same multinational corporation. These grains were then shipped to different centers to produce and then package the end product. And then, after a handful of thousands of miles later, voila, it appears in our neighborhood grocery store aisle.

The soy for our burgers were grown from GMO seeds on a monoculture crop (for those not aware, GMO means these seeds are genetically modified to be resistant towards glysophate, also called Roundup, which is a well-known chemical toxin doused on plants to kill any potential unwanted intruders).

The wheat, also grown on a monoculture crop, is labeled as organic. In this case, what this means is that the farm employees sprayed “all-natural” pesticides to discourage other forms of life from feeding on their crops. There’s no way around this in a monoculture setting, organic or conventional, both must have some means of pest deterrence because we have disrupted and shifted away from the intrinsic balance within a natural diverse ecosystem.

Additionally, since both the wheat and soy are annual plants that are grown within a monoculture context, our purchase is directly contributing to an acceleration of our environmental crisis.

Intense cultivation of annual crops have been shown to dramatically degrade the health of the soil, and as a result, we find ourselves in a world where two thirds of its landmass is in the process of desertification. This leads to water run off, increasing droughts and turbulent weather patterns, a decreased ability to sequester carbon in the atmosphere, and a substantial reduction in the nutritional density of our foods.

Furthermore, the sprawling cultivation of monoculture crops and the (as I mentioned necessary within this context) usage of pesticides is a principal contributor to the current insect genocide which is occurring (one recent German study estimated 70 pct of the global insect population has been wiped out in only the past thirty years). This thereby has lead to a mass extinction of bird species, soil critters, and the long list of species death count goes on and on unabated.

Beyond the devastation to the soil, and the damage done to local ecosystems, the practices of ‘Big Ag’ have pushed smaller subsistence farmers out of their livelihoods, no longer able to compete economically — and thereby through necessity pushing these families into overpopulated polluted cities. The sad effect this has had on human ecosystems warrants an entire book in and of itself, but I’ll leave that for you to explore.

I could go on and on here about the disastrous effects of monococulture crops and Big Ag practices, but I think, at this point, you probably get the picture.

So let’s contrast this with choice B.

Both the pork chop and the asparagus were purchased directly from a local farmer named Mark. Twelve years ago, disillusioned by the inherent unsustainability of modern agricultural practices and inspired by a vision of healing and regeneration, Mark quit his job as an engineer, using the entirety of his savings to buy a hundred acre plot of land, and began building a restorative farm.

Initially, the soil on the land was completely barren. The prior owners of the land, and the the generation of owners before them, used the property for the cultivation of annual crops while permitting cattle to roam free and overgraze. It was terrain, at this point, largely devoid of life.

Fast forward twelve years later, and Mark has built an oasis of life. The biodiversity of new life that has entered into this land is astonishing. The soil, which was once mostly dust, is now home to a multiplicity of tiny organisms. The extra three inches of topsoil that has developed over this time also sequesters massive amounts of carbon from the atmosphere and feeds a panoply of plants that are among the most nutritionally dense you’ll find anywhere.

And what an abundance of edible and medicinal plants it is! All perennials — a wide assortment of berries, fruits, fungi, leafy vegetables, and tons of medicinal herbs. He then uses the nuts from his oak, walnut, pecan, and chestnut trees, grinds them into a flour, and makes delicious breads and other tasty baked treats.

Let’s not forget about the livestock — integral workers within his restorative farm. Mark utilizes an ensemble of chickens, pigs, cows and sheep, managed holistically through rotational crop grazing, to build healthy top soil, while eating weeds and other unwanted pests. He loves his animals and recognizes them all by name; the pigs in fact often squeal with a zealous exuberance when Mark approaches with a bin of aesthetically defective apples, or some other visually impaired crop, and then pets their heads.

Mark doesn’t use one spray of pesticide either — “organic” or conventional — on his entire farm. Unlike monoculture crops, he doesn’t need to. A disease might wipe out one of his crops in any particular season, but that often can mean conditions are present which would be particularly advantageous for one of his many other staple crops. In other words, through introducing diversity back into his ecosystem, he gains protection from downside risk.

In comparison to any of the staple monoculture crops, Mark is able to produce a comparable quantity of calories per acre. When we consider quality of those calories though — i.e nutritional density — the two systems are incomparable: there’s no contest, Mark’s farm wins in a landslide. And since Mark is focusing on perennials, both the financial and energetic costs of maintaining one acre of his farm is a fraction compared to the monoculture crop.

That said, it’s taken Mark a long time to gain any semblance of financial security. Even though he has been able to provide all his family’s needs for food through the farm, he has still had to work various odd end jobs to cover his other expenses.

No matter how nutritionally dense and tasty his food is, and no matter how sustainable and regenerative his farming practices are, the consumer demand just hasn’t been there. His situation is improving however through word of mouth as well as partnering with several local co-ops.

Despite the financial insecurity for himself and his family, Mark enjoys his days immensely and finds a profound sense of meaning and purpose in his life.

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So now that we have a bit of background context, let’s return to our thought exercise.

You’re faced with a choice of what to purchase for dinner tonight: the package of soy burgers and organic-labeled bread, or the pork chop and asparagus.

Initially, I said “assume all things to be equal”, and as is generally the case when anyone utters these words, we can also assume that whatever’s being offered is actually built on a foundation of ridiculous assumptions. We all know that the first set of food items can be easily purchased at your local grocery store for an obscenely low cost. And for option B, you have to actively seek out a local farmer that is doing regenerative agriculture, build a relationship, and spend more money and effort then you otherwise would. But for this exercise, let’s just simplify and make our ridiculous assumption.

So what’s your choice? Is there a preferable option from a health standpoint? Will one of the dinners be more nutritionally dense? What about from an environmental standpoint? And lastly, which of the two options is the preferred choice when we consider this from a moral vantage? In other words, which ways, if any, do our two options lend themselves to healing; and in which ways, if any, do each of these options lend themselves to suffering?

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The second option entails the slaughter of another sentient being, this is clear and upfront. This thought — accompanied with the horrific images of what happens inside factory farms — are often an initial catalyst for many people in choosing to abstain from eating meat.

The French economist Frederic Bastiat once declared, however, that the world consists of “that which is seen, and that which is unseen”. Along that vein, we can all easily see that image flashing across our mind of the screaming cow being dragged to its brutal slaughter. But what about all the death and destruction that quietly lurks behind our modern agriculture system? These are typically not as easily visible, but in no way does that make them any less real.

The Economics profession actually has a term for all this “invisible” destruction: they flippantly batch them into a bucket they call “negative externalities”. And it’s these negative externalities — often much more difficult to quantify and measure — which are typically unaccounted for in our discourse.

What makes the moral consideration particularly interesting, though, is all the cultural baggage that accompanies it.

Let’s not fool ourselves: we all come out of a predominant culture that is deeply death — phobic. It is outside the scope of this essay to delve into the many contributing factors behind this fear, but in your analysis, you’d be hard-pressed to not include the separation so many of us westerners have from our food production systems. We just walk into the grocery store and — poof — that’s where our burger comes from! This is representative of how in so many ways we have become distant strangers to Nature and her cycles.

Contrast this with traditional societies who always traveled with Death as a companion. Our ancestors had an intimate understanding, that fundamentally, Life lives by the grace of Death. This recognition gave way to a deep deference to all the animals — and plants — that through their sacrifice, provided them with a renewal of life.

It’s not just our more traditional societies which understood this principle though. This Idea that death is not only necessary, but that it is actually the driving force behind the unfolding procession of life, is one that permeates the teachings of the deeper (esoteric) spiritual traditions — or, as Aldous Huxley once described them, “The Perennial Philosophy”.

Let’s take the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus within the Christian tradition, as an example. We could choose to see this story through a historical lens, but we also need to acknowledge the fact that some version of this same story has been repeated throughout the waves of time within a multitude of different masks. So the question then becomes: is there a common symbolic meaning behind this narrative?

A common interpretation among scholars is that the death isn’t really referring to the physical body of Jesus, but rather to His spiritual body. It is the death of His ego structure — that vehicle of judgement which defines and confines ourselves and others into our little boxes, solidifying the illusion that we are independent beings thrust into a big and chaotic world that is fundamentally separate from ourselves.

The resurrection, then, refers to our spiritual rebirth, in which we now awaken to see the world through a new pair of eyes: one of inter-dependence, in which subject and object blur, meaning is indistinguishable from existence, and where all roads lead to indivisible Becoming. Under this lived understanding, Heaven isn’t a place of real estate ‘up there’, but rather an experience — an experience that can be found in every moment — of non-dual wholeness and belonging.

As another example, take the Sanskrit term “Lila”, found within Hindu mythology. Lila refers to the “play” of Life, that epic drama of existence in which the two protagonists — destruction and death on the one hand (played as Shiva), and creation and rebirth on the other (played as Shakti) — merge into a timeless dance throughout the eternal corridors of time. Death is viewed as the necessary counterpart of Life; they are not adversarial rivals but inseparable lovers.

Through the disconnection with our agricultural systems, through the unconscious adoption of the questionable assumptions behind scientific materialism, and through being inundated with organized religions devoid of spirituality, we have as a culture lost touch with the “Perennial Philosophy”. To reclaim this wisdom — which, through my vantage, is absolutely imperative for the survival, and consequent flourishing, of our species — all that is asked of ourselves is to look towards our elders with a newfound resurgence of curiosity and deference.

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The time has come to wrap up our little thought exercise. Here are a few of concluding remarks:

• Firstly, I want to stress, if you identify as a vegan and you feel attacked from the words that I wrote, this was in no way my intention. Many of my friends that choose to eat an animal free diet are among the most compassionate and caring people I know. They often have a deep desire to create a more sustainable future that contains less unnecessary suffering. When I mentioned in my last post the recent “trend” in veganism, I’m speaking in the mathematical sense; I think this is, in many ways, a healthy movement which reflects an expansion of our circle of empathy and understanding.

• Where I diverge in viewpoint is the practical application of these ideals.

It’s worth restating one more time: I am not criticizing any individuals here; rather I am criticizing a set of Ideas which often form as the basis behind these individual choices and subsequent actions. This is a crucial distinction.

• What our thought exercise suggests to me is that no matter whether we are talking about consuming a Standard American Diet, a conventional vegan diet, or some hybrid of the two, if we are leaning on modern agricultural practices, our choice is exacerbating the crisis. True, one of the options is **less** awful then the other from an environmental and moralistic standpoint; but, unlike our political system, we **can** potentially make a choice beyond merely the “less bad” of the two. Through “voting” with our time and energy (which money can be a proxy), we can feed ourselves with nourishing whole foods that also support our local farmers that are using holistic and restorative agricultural practices.

• In response to my last post, a friend of mine responded:

“Sure, Tim, this all sounds nice, but it’s just too romantic and naive. It will never work. In reality, our world is one filled with large corporations driven by greed and profit. And there’s no consumer demand to drive your proposal. Stopping consumption of all animal products is the only solution. If we don’t act now it will be too late!”

I could have responded “Oh no, you are mistaken!” I then could have proceeded to describe how all civilizations throughout recorded history have ultimately failed and driven themselves ultimately to extinction through the use of their agricultural practices and how our current crisis is simply a culmination of this on a global scale. I could have gone on and expounded upon each one of these “negative externalities” that are implicated within our modern agricultural systems or how she is over-simplifying an inherently complex and nuanced issue. But I did none of that.

I simply replied, “If we are operating from the old, prevailing paradigm, I’m afraid it’s already too late.”

If we really want to address our environmental and political crises, we first must address our crisis of imagination.

• Please don’t think I’m coming from any moral high ground here. There’s no pedestal under my feet; I’m just another imperfect human trying to do the best I can, working with whatever information that I may know, just like anybody else.

I have no illusions of my many hypocrisies. Nor do I run from them. If I feel like eating an avocado from Peru, or if I want to fly to India to study with a particular teacher, I don’t think twice about it. I accept myself in that now-moment for where I’m at, and I move on with my day. We all live in a highly dysfunctional society that is systematic in its dysfunction. We must act from where we stand.

I am quite aware of the footprints that I make — both those that may leave a negative environmental impact, as well as those that leave a positive environmental impact. And when I refer to “environment” I don’t intend to convey some romantic ideal detached from human presence; I mean environment in the sense of wherever I happen to find myself in that particular moment in time. The art of Life, as I see it, is about finding a balance between these two footprints in whichever environmental context you find yourself.

• When I look out into the world, everything that I see is a representation of Ideas. When I lean back on this chair, or I look out to the cabin outside my window, I understand that these structures had to exist first as a blueprint in somebody’s mind. And just like the physical reality we can touch and taste, those “invisible” structures that make up our social institutions and culture, these are also just a function of Ideas. They are weaved together into existence through the Stories we tell each other and agree upon. History, you see, I think is much less about the particular people as the Ideas that these people carried. Our society, our culture, what you call ‘me’ and I call ‘you’ and all of manifest reality with it, I see as but an expression of this great Dance of Ideas.

• We find ourselves in the middle of a chapter in a particular historical novel in which many of the previously agreed upon stories we have shared with each other and accepted as real are beginning to fray at the seems. The seeds of destruction were always contained within these stories, but now the contradictions are becoming glaringly evident. It is our task, if we so choose to take it, to tell a new story, to share with our world a new way of being.

• In closing, I would like to offer you an analogy to play with.

What if Ideas are like fire, and our conscious awareness is the wind that carries and breathes them into existence?

Where, then, do you choose to place your Life-creating attention?

What Ideas would you like to help manifest into existence?

And lastly, which of the infinite possible worlds will you choose to will into Creation?

The choice is yours, and nobody can take that choice away from you.