Zoe Weil is the big-hearted genius who is taking TedX by storm. She closed her recent revolutionary speech with;
“Every time we spend a dollar we are casting a vote that says, “Good job! Do it again!” When we buy the products of animal suffering and cruelty – whether in the form of food or by attending a marine park where whales or dolphins have been captured and imprisoned to perform for us or by killing or injuring an animal for sport or by purchasing a personal care item that’s been tested on animals – we unwittingly encourage more of the same. But when instead we choose foods and forms of entertainment and products that cause less harm and suffering and do more good, we are helping to bring about a more humane world.
It’s up to each of us to be willing to open our eyes and hearts and examine the effects of our choices, and to choose based on our values. It’s up to each of us to ask if our momentary pleasure is worth the price of another’s suffering or another’s life.
The next time you interact with an animal whom you know and love, whether a dog, or a cat, or a bird, look into that animals’ trusting eyes. Really look. Allow yourself to experience the mystery of that connection and love across what could otherwise seem like a chasm that separates species. Note your capacity to communicate with one another. Notice the ways in which you are alike. And then ask yourself how you would feel if anyone harmed this animal for food, or entertainment, or a fur coat, or to test a new shampoo. If you wouldn’t want these things done to an animal you love, then the next question to ponder is whether you might want to divest yourself in whatever ways you are able from cruelty towards and suffering of other animals, who feel just as much as your dog or cat in order to live your life in such as way that your compassion and kindness extends as far as possible, which is a wonderful thing.”
Zoe’s talks for TedX are changing hearts and minds, worldwide.
Her most recent is a must-see, and Zoe graciously shares it with us today – do watch it and share it;
Zoe Weil is the co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education and is considered a pioneer in the comprehensive humane education movement, which provides people with the knowledge, tools, and motivation to be conscientious choicemakers and engaged changemakers for a better world. Zoe created the first Master of Education and Certificate Program in Humane Education in the U.S. covering the interconnected issues of human rights, environmental preservation, and animal protection. She has also created acclaimed online programs and leads workshops and speaks at universities, conferences, and events across the U.S. and Canada. She has taught tens of thousands students through her innovative school presentations, and has trained several thousand teachers through her workshops and programs. Zoe’s most recent book, Most Good, Least Harm: A Simple Principle for a Better World and Meaningful Life, won the 2010 Nautilus silver medal in sustainability and green values. She is the author of several other books including Above All, Be Kind: Raising a Humane Child in Challenging Times for parents; The Power and Promise of Humane Education for educators; and Claude and Medea: The Hellburn Dogs, winner of the Moonbeam gold medal in juvenile fiction, which follows the exploits of two seventh graders who become clandestine activists in New York City, righting wrongs where they find them. Zoe received a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School and a Master of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. Her portrait was painted for the Americans Who Tell the Truth series, and she was honored with the Women in Environmental Leadership Award from Unity College.
Order her brilliant books, she’s a national treasure: