Vegetarianism is a link to perfection and peace. But it's a small link. There are lots of other issues: apartheid , vivisection, political prisoners, the arms race. There's so much going on in this world today, so much ignorance among people. That's not to say I'm not standing amongst everybody. But the point is, what can we do now? That's the thing about vegetarianism; it's an individual's decision and it's something you have control over. How many things do we really have control over?
Interpretation
Vegetarianism represents a personal choice toward a better world, yet it is just one aspect of many larger issues we face.
In this quote, River Phoenix emphasizes the significance of vegetarianism not only as a diet choice but also as a moral stance towards perfection and peace. However, he acknowledges that it is only one small link in a vast network of global issues such as apartheid and political oppression. He highlights the importance of recognizing our individual power to make choices amidst the overwhelming challenges in the world, prompting us to consider what actions we can take personally.
In practice
In a discussion about ethical eating, one could quote this to emphasize the personal responsibility we have in making choices.
We need an extreme movement because what is happening to animals is so extreme. Some misinformed people claim that animal rights activists are terrorists, but these people are simply ignorant of who the real terrorists are - the companies and industries that torture literally billions of animals each year.
There is no space in which worship should not take place, no time when it should not occur, and no activity through which it should not happen.
We assume, to begin with, that the individual is at least as complex in his internal structure as the language is which he speaks - otherwise, how could he speak a language which is complex?
If the newspapers of a country are filled with good news, the jails of that country will be filled with good people.
Religion says earn your life. Secular society says create your life. Jesus says, 'My life for your life.
Grief, of course, is not something that operates according to a specific time frame, and it seems cold to suggest otherwise. Yet when we do not grasp that God is present in pain, we eventually insist on victory or, worse, blame the sufferer for not "getting over it" fast enough. This is more than a failure to extend compassion; it's an exercise in cruelty.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, old people in America had prayed, "Please God, don't let me look poor." In the year 2000, they prayed, "Please God, don't let me look old." Sexiness was equated with youth, and youth ruled. The most widespread age-related disease was not senility but juvenility.
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