Question society
Question your culture
Question your thoughts & behavior
Your diet
Your values
Your opinions, beliefs, and habits
Question if this is truly who you are
Or what you were taught by others
Life is too short to live it blindly
Not questioning what we have been told
Question everything, including yourself
Is this what I truly believe from logical evidence?
By love?
Or is it driven by greed, hatred, or fear?
I’m lost in the negativity
Drowning in the sea of news
Death counts on my mind
Economy crashing
Endless news of this pandemic
Fear & anxiety
Run through my mind
The 2nd pandemic
Of our times
I know this will all pass
Impermanence ends all
All we can do is have faith
Faith that things will work out
The way they are suppose too
The Ferris Wheel of life
Enjoy the views
The sounds
Bask in awe of life
As you turn slowly
Aging
Growing
Ever-changing
Embrace your childlike curiosity
As you notice all the details of nature
Outside & within you
Beauty found everywhere
Love unconditionally
For everything & everyone is impermanent
Enjoy each day alive
Knowing it won’t last forever
The ride will end for you & I
Allowing others to enjoy the ride
Without death, there is no life
Embrace both
How will we break from the spell of money and power?
Caring more about the dollar then human life
Living as if our bank account is the only thing that matters
Sacrificing our grandparents for the dow jones
Even in crisis, the rich get richer
Leaving crumbs for the rest
I’m not a revolutionary
But a man who questions everything
Especially my own life
I will look within
Within my greed
Doing my best
To choose generosity over greed
And the love of life over the fear of losing money
A drifter
A vagabond
Never commiting long term to a job
A relationship or location
This is how I choose to live my one life for now
For the open road is welcoming
New people
New experiences
The journey along the windy path into the unknown
Adventures with new friends
New places to explore
Discovering who you are through the adversity of uncertainty
The uncomfortable decisions you have to make that push you to be better
Never stagnating in one spot
Not decaying & mold from staying still too long
I’ll embrace this journey as a vagabond for now
Not knowing where life will take me
For every action
There is an equal & opposite reaction
No right or wrong
No morality
No judgment
Just an observation of the law of nature
When we cause unneeded suffering to non-human animals
Humanity suffers
Suffer from viruses like covid-19, sars, and swine flu
Suffer from pood poisoning, air pollution, & toxic water pollution
When we justify violence
We can become violent, cold, and apathetic
Not seeing reality through the lens of compassion
Insanity
Repeating the same mistakes
Expecting different results
We can support peace
We can support our mother nature
Invest in solutions to wean ourselves off meat, dairy, and eggs.
Whether this be whole food plants, plant-based alternatives, or cellular meat
We must choose another path
If we want to thrive into the next century
As individuals we can support the future we would like to see
Do we want a peaceful world full of compassion with less suffering & illness?
Or do we want to support violence and unneeded suffering?
I don’t judge anyone for supporting animal agriculture for I did for 28 years
Humanity must decide which path it would like to take
Not through force but through awareness, education, & compassion
I have a dream
That one day our fellow earthlings will not be exploited
Whether it be for taste, fashion, science or sport
I have a dream that no mother cows will have their calves stolen from them and sold to veal farmers
Exploited for their milk, cheese, butter, and yogurt
Used & abused they are then sent to the slaughter house
I have a dream that no animal will have to live a life of suffering & pain
No animal used for leather or wool
A life is worth more then a fashion statement
I have a dream that no dogs, cats, monkeys, etc will be forced to suffer for science
Forcefully injected with chemicals, drugs, & radiation
I have a dream that no whale, dolphin, seal, or fish will be dragged out of the ocean for fun or food
I have a dream
That all circuses, zoos, slaughter houses, fisheries, and all forms of animal exploitation will come to an end
That humanity will wake up to the suffering of their fellow earthlings
To see them as sentient beings who need our protection
Not things to be exploited for our taste or entertainment
All beings want freedom
Animals suffer just life you & I
Please do your own research
Watch documentaries like “earthlings” or “dominion” and you will see what I have seen
We together can change this world into a more compassionate & peaceful world
This dream of mine will not happen today nor tomorrow
Not even in my lifetime
But the mere fact that I & many others care gives me hope
That maybe one day this dream will come true
For now I will do what I can to help alleviate suffering in this world
Earthlings Documentary:
I recently went to a Vegfest in my local community. The food was great and overall the message was a positive one. A message that we can help stop climate change, transform our health, and vote with our wallets to stop cruelty against animals through eating a plant based diet. A few of the vegans were so angry at meat eaters though. One of the presenters went on an angry tangent about decapitated pigs heads at the grocery store. She yelled at the crowd that she couldn’t understand meat eaters(even though she ate these products most of her life). It was a friendly reminder to me that true compassion encompasses all beings, not just those who live the same way as you. The way of peace doesn’t condone violence but seeks to understand others instead of judge. True compassion encompasses Hitler, Stalin, and Charles Manson.
If we want others to be more peaceful we must be peaceful, it’s as simple as that. Maybe we could just focus on ourself, making our own life our message to others? Our message of peace will be watered down if we communicate in a violent way. Practicing non-violence is something MLK, Gandhi, Jesus, Buddha, and mother Theresa all agreed on. It’s something they wanted us to practice on a daily basis. The next time we complain about the world affairs we could ask ourself “how can we expect the world to be at peace if we aren’t?”
Focus within. One lit candle can light a thousand candles.
With Aloha,
Johnny Hoffman
I won’t change you
I won’t judge you
I won’t argue with you
I’ll stay in my own lane
For life is too short for me to focus my energy on others
Telling them what they should or shouldn’t do
My work will be to accept all as they are
For I’m no god nor tyrant
No dictator or ruler
My path is mine to walk
No one can walk it for me
And I can not force you to change
Grow & change in your own time
Or not!
Who am I to judge?
I have plenty to work on
Much growth to be had
Any energy spent on you would be wasted
For my life is my message
If others follow
That’s great
If they don’t
That’s fine too!
I’ll stay in my own lane
Some of us won’t grow old
Some of us will die too soon
They will not see another beautiful sunset
They won’t see their children grow
Their death is a tragedy
But an important lesson for us all
That life is short
Too short to hold grudges
Too short to be cruel
Too short to hate
Hold the ones you love closely tonight
For we truly don’t know what lies ahead
Show gratitude for your life
Show love to all
RIP Kobe Bryant, Gigi Bryant, & the 7 others who lost their lives today
You all will live on within your family & friends
