When Rip Esslestyn came aboard the plant-based team with the Engine 2 Diet, a new breed of vegans was brought into the limelight with a bigger, brighter light than ever before. With the fire-station rock excitement generated from Rip’s dietary reform at multiple firefighter stations, plummeting the body weight and cholesterol counts of one firehouse hunk after another, a new breed of macho was born. The plant-strong kind.
The door opened to the Culture of Compassion with a now-bigger sweep. If guys are caring about their health and their bodies, how far a reach is it to care for other sentient beings? Which came first, the diet or the do-good for our less-protected planetary companions? Why is Loving animals and eating animals: The disconnect one of my most popular all-time articles at Vegan Mainstream?
Real men are kind to animals
Type “real men are kind to animals” into a Google search as I did, and you will find there are over 25 million responses. Not only that, but several of them are an exact phrase match - including an entire facebook page titled Real men are kind to animals with over 131 thousand ‘likes’. The page motto is:
“The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man”- Charles Darwin | Facebook.
On the page are multiple images of men in various acts of kindness toward animals: Saving them from fires, abandonment, and abuse.
Culture of compassion heroes
My husband Greg has been known to rescue floundering trout from hydroelectric ditches that are running too dry for fish survival. He’s trekked miles after midnight on tropical beaches all over Central America to rescue and protect sea turtles. He carries house spiders outside and picks honey bees out of their stranded state in swimming pools.
And most recently, Greg rescued and raised a baby squirrel abandoned on the forest floor. Here’s the story told in video:
The new cultural standard is one of compassion. One that awakens from the hypocrisy of “loving” animals while eating them. You probably needn’t search too far before finding more than one real man in your life who embodies these qualities. Please share their stories in comments.
Lani Muelrath, M.A. is Vegan Mainstream’s Health & Fitness Expert. Watch for regular articles from Lani on how to be a strong, healthy, fit vegan. Articles, videos, and more from Lani at www.lanimuelrath.com.
Lani is also “The Plant-Based Fitness Expert” of www.lanimuelrath.com and creator of Fit Quickies™., The Body Transformation Formula, and Boot Camp Mind. She has a Master’s Degree in Physical Education and over 30 years of experience as a teacher, coach, and trainer. She has received awards for her instruction, created and starred in her own CBS TV Show, and her expertise in the area of health and fitness is called upon by examiner.com, Dr. John McDougall’s Health and Medical Center, Dr. Neal Barnard’s 21-Day Vegan Kickstart program, the CHIP Program, and Engine 2 Diet.com. She is Certified in Plant-Based Nutrition Certification through Cornell University.
