The Line in the Sand

To accompany my daily blogging and all around better eating, I am reading a book by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau called Vegan's Daily Companion. Although overall it seems to be an inspirational resource, there is something that made me laugh out loud last night.

Day 2's article was about compassionate language and the phrase, "Kill two birds with one stone". The author is of the opinion that "compassionate communicators" should not use such hostile language choices. She recommends "to cut two carrots with one knife" as an alternative.

I am not a violent person, but I do admit that I have used this phrase many times. I have even taught it to my students. I have not once thought of it as the literal meaning of the words. This might be my line in the sand.

I have been reading a lot about the vegan lifestyle for many years now and I have found a lot of people saying that it is nearly impossible to live a purely vegan life. There will be animal products in the least expected places and things will be out of our control. I read that some sugar is processed with bone char. Does that mean I will stop baking and no longer enjoy my vegan pumpkin bread? No. Every vegan or any person for that matter, needs to decide what they can live with. It is a very personal decision that only you can make. I am still learning where my lines are.

Although I understand where the author is coming from, I am of the opinion that the saying of killing two birds with one stone is used so frequently that people no longer see or hear the violence in it. I'm willing to overlook this and continue with the bigger changes I am continuing to make.

I'm off now to see what two objectives I can achieve with a single effort.