Time on the elliptical

I enjoy reading however, I find that reading often takes a back seat to life. I had a beautiful system that gave me some great quiet time for reading in the gym of all places. I would spend 30 minutes a day on the elliptical machine and plow through my monthly obsession (book I was reading). Now I am spending thirty minutes a day on a row machine so the ergonomics are such that I am unable to read. I have been trying to carve out some other time to read because, I really enjoy reading. I will let you know how that goes. One of the last books I read on the elliptical was, Some we love, Some we Hate and Some we Eat, by Hal Herzog. The book was study dealing with the complicated relationships between species specifically Homo sapiens and all other animals.

Hal Herzog is a professor of psychology and an expert on the psychology of human-animal relations. The book outlines how people interact with animals and gives some scientific insight into animals. After reading this book I quit eating animal based meat.

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After seeing the evidence for sentient life in the animals that humans slaughter and eat I could not in good conscience eat any more animal based meat. Many of the animals that are slaughtered and consumed experience pleasure, pain and joy. The animals also have robust social structures and family units. The evidence about animals compels me to believe that at the very least they deserve the right to live or not be slaughtered.

So the ethics compelled me to abandon eating animal based meats. I do a lot of the cooking for the family and now I had to find plant based alternatives to animal based meats and that was not as difficult or expensive as I had anticipated it would be. Making the change to a vegetarian lifestyle has been pretty painless actually and I have not felt as lethargic after big meals. I was often lethargic and almost sick when I ate animal based meats to the point of satiation.

Who are we

I have started watching my new favorite tv show on DIsney +, Secret Invasion. I have to warn you now that, this post has one only one small spoiler. The tv show follows Nick Fury and Talos as they uncover a conspiracy plot to take over earth.

Talos is an alien and unbeknownst to Nick Fury allowed all Aliens from his home planet (which was destroyed) to come to earth. There is a great scene where Talos confesses to Nick Fury that he has requested his fellow refugees come to earth.

Nick Fury asks Talos what he was thinking. Talos confesses that he was hoping that the aliens and the humans could live in peace. Nick Fury let Talos know that this was probably not possible because humans could not even live in peace with each other.

This scene made me think about how humans have consistently chosen violence over peace.

There is a great article in the scientific journal concerning War and human nature. The major surprise from the article is that war or violence is not human nature. Basically complex societies seem to be the reason for the violence.

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I always take issue when humans try to make themselves out to be more than they really are.

We ain’t nothing but mammals

Eminem

Humans are part of the animal kingdom. I was asked by someone why I choose to become a vegetarian and I answered them saying that I don’t see why a humans life should be considered more important than a cows or a chickens.

Society has tricked us into a hubris state bordering on solipsism. This selfish state has justified genocide lives and the destruction of our planet.

Lets start rejecting the lies of complex society today and embrace life.