Animal cruelty, climate change, monoculture...the list goes on.

[ChrissyStar]

I feel hopeless and have decided not to have children because of the state of the world (why would I wish to bring a child into this when I myself, do not like to live here?). Does anyone else feel the same?

[Birdy77]

Hi Chrissystar, Pepper and all,

Oops I think I need to clarify, when I was talking about mother's day, I was talking about the actual people that my partner and I had to spend the day with ... I wasn't making any statements about anybody else ... just to clarify!!

Pepper, you are so right about some corporate moves to seem green ... another hidden issue is where our superannuation is invested. Many super funds don't even have an ethical/sustainable option, as we recently found out: my partner had to join a certain fund because she had a new employer who "forces" their employees to join a particular fund. This fund had no "green" option for investment! In this day and age I find that ridiculous. Thankfully her employment agreement was altered this month to allow employees to choose their own super fund.

Pepper I am so happy you've been vegetarian for years, good for you. Maybe I can challenge you to a vegan recipe a week until I convert you!! Kidding, but you know where to come if you want some inspo! I never thought it would be easy to give up cheese, but I have two words for you : Nutritional Yeast (AKA savoury yeast flakes). It rocks every cheezey vegan recipe

i think you will enjoy the Self Awareness read, I think he estimates it at a 23 minute read, and I can pretty much guarantee some lolling 😊

🌻birdy

[Birdy77]

Me again!! 🤩🤩🤩

The Mark Manson article is actually called "The 3 levels of self awareness" if you are interested. The other title I mentioned is what he called it originally I think, or the audio-version of the same article if you feel like listening to it instead I'm not sure. I'm pretty confused.

[Peppermintbach]

Hi Chrissystar, Birdy and all,

Lol! I read the Mark Manson article and got a few guffaws. It was interesting how he commented on how he felt (some) people stagnated at “level 2” of self awareness and that there can be a fine line between self awareness and naval gazing that turns a non-problem into a “problem.” Ah, he made me laugh...

It’s okay, I get what you meant. Don’t worry, I know you were only talking about your own family and personal situation 🙂

That’s a great point. Yes, I suppose maybe organisations do it because it’s easier for them to put all their employees’ super into the same super fund rather than giving their employees options. I’m happy to hear they changed their super policy so your partner can now opt for a green super fund.

Lol. I’m about as skeptical as they come when it comes to “greenwashing” especially when it involves established businesses who have a long history of the complete opposite of being “green.” That being said, I know this is gradually changing and a lot of it is driven by growing consumer demand.

Sometimes I do feel there is so much potential for a large business to use being “green” to their own profit making advantage (which is the angle I would use if I were trying to convince an organisation to become more “green”). If they are smart and know how to cleverly market their sustainable practices (provided they are legitimately sustainable), they could put themselves in a unique position (and to their own benefit too)...also maybe then other large businesses will follow suit. Maybe one day more sustainable practices will become the “norm.” I mean, cars seatbelts weren’t always the norm...and look at where we are today (thank goodness too!)

Anyway, I feel climate change, monoculture, etc can definitely affect people’s mental health. Look at this whole thread! Lol.

possibly as time passes, who knows, maybe climate change and depression will start popping up as it’s very own whole online forum (or whatever exists) in about 20 years time. Granted, that’s also a very disturbing thought...

Always good to talk, lovely 🌻 birdy

Pepper xoxo

[Birdy77]

Dear Chrissystar, Pepper and everyone 😊

Pepper, I knew you would enjoy that read! I think he's pretty right about a lot of people getting stuck on the navel-gazey spiral of doom (it's just turtles from here down), and don't manage to move on to the self-acceptance stage. I think i vaccilate. i think that when I'm deep in my depression, I am stuck in the spiral of doom sometimes. Makes sense I guess.

What I found interesting also was his suggestion about sometimes just asking "what" we're feeling, rather than "why" so one can cut to the chase about our feelings without peeling that onion layer by layer. Not saying this would necessarily work all the time, but it sounds like a way to short-circuit unhelpful thinking.

It's cool to read deep and meaningful stuff whilst simuktaneously having a good guffaw dontcha think?

You are so right about the corporate smartness (smartness?? 🤔 ..) ... now I've lost my choochoo train of thought ... um: it is a shrewd move at this point for corporations to hop on (what they would see as the) green bandwagon, because that is deffo where the growth will be from now on because honestly the planet will not survive long if things don't change. I don't think I am making sense. I think the brain is on low battery this morning. But here is an illustration, so going back to the super fund example, within my super fund, I have chosen to invest in the ethical options, so my super is invested in green energy infrastructure, no fossil-fuels, carefully vetted companies that do not test on animals etc etc etc and this option outperformed every other option within my industry super fund last financial year. Things are changing my friend.

How are you feeling? (Or not feeling?) I hope you are treating yourself gently Pepper xo

Wishing everyone here a day of kindness and calm.

🌻birdy

[Peppermintbach]

Hi Chrissystar, Birdy and all,

Chrissystar and all: please feel free to chime in any time 🙂 I would be happy to hear from you and anyone else too.

🌻 birdy: “...it’s all turtles from down here.” I remember that. Lol!

Yes, I completely agree with you that sometimes when we are feeling depressed, understandably we embark on the doom spiral. I can be like that too so I definitely relate...

I feel peeling the onion layers has its place but I’m with you that past a certain point, it can start becoming unhelpful. I feel Mark Manson wasn’t necessarily talking about mental illness in his article; I think maybe he was referring more to “general” overindulgent naval gazing being unproductive. What do you think?

Yes, he was rather witty with it all! Makes you think but it’s accessible reading too.

I’m very happy to hear how well your green super fund performed. That is fantastic news and it does give us hope that change is in the air. I feel, with time, more and more people (and therefore corporations) will care increasingly about climate change because it affects everyone.

Even minus the psychological impact of being worried and fearful about the state of our world, as Pammy mentioned before (it was either here or on another thread), as the physical environment changes, it impacts upon our physical wellbeing, which in turn, affects our mental health. It’s all interconnected...

I’m okay. Zoning in and out of numbness. Lol. It’s a funny state to be in. Thanks so much for being such a caring friend ❤️

How are you doing? You sounded pretty tired in your post.

Waves to all readers...

Pepper xoxo

[Birdy77]

Dear C hrissystar, Pepper and everyone here 😊

Pepper ❤ i am glad you are okay, zoning in and out can be alright ... I say just go with it, sometimes we just need a bit of a break from our emotions and the turmoil they can drag with them. I just hope you're riding it and being gentle with yourself.

I agree with you, I think Mark Manson was not talking about mental illness, but more a general perspective. I do find articles like that helpful though in applying it to my own crap, my own dysfunctional thinking... it can occasionally give me a fresh perspective and snap out if it a lil bit.

I am ok, I am tired, but I just generally seem tired at the moment. I think it's from not taking enough care of myself, e.g. too many wineys, not enough zzz's that kind of thing. We have a friend coming to stay for the weekend, so I've been cooking and cleaning which feels nice to be in a clean house with the smell of awesomeness around, I am currently making a vegan kahlua/baileys on the stove and it smells divine - very homely. Wish I could pour you one! xo

Eeveryone who wants one here is a homemade vegan Baileys ☕

Good news everybody: you may have heard, that the Vic government has now banned the set-and-forget yabby nets on private land (they're already illegal in public waterways) ... many platypuses (platypi?) have been drowned by becoming caught in these nets, and they are now on the endangered list. So what the Vic gov has done is a small but good step forward.

Please everyone feel free to join in the convo whenever 😊

🌞love and light to all of you🌞

🌻birdy

[Peppermintbach]

Hi Chrissystar, 🌻 birdy and all,

No, I hadn’t heard so thank you for sharing the fantastic news 🙂

That is wonderful for the platypuses. Apparently, and I had to check this just now, the plural is usually either platypuses or platypus or even platipodes. I certainly didn’t know that before! Lol.

Hopefully you get more sleep and rest then, and that your visiting friend didn’t exhaust you too much. Your homemade vegan baileys sounds divine. Granted, almost anything with alcohol in it has my “name” on it. Lol

Thank you, yes, just going with it might indeed be for the best for now 🙂

Love and warmth to you, lovely birdy, and all...

Pepper xoxo

[Ggrand]

Hello Everyone,

I just saw the words animal cruelty, and wanted to share something with you all that is very important to me..

I live in Central Western NSW, we've not had rain for nearly 12 months now..I live in a tiny rural village surrounded by hundreds of acres of grazing land.. If I take 14 steps from my front door I'm standing in a grazing paddock for cows... Unfortunately there are no cows there now..It homed over 100 cows, they were my go to when in BP downer..I miss them a lot...The cows have been moved somewhere, I don't know where, I only hope the owner loved them enough to move them to an area where they have food to eat and water to drink...A lot of farmers have had to sell them cheaply, or they will starve..The cost to buy food weekly for the cows, sheep etc runs into thousands of dollars a week...

Another sad part about this drought..The beautiful kangaroos are coming down from the hills in search of food..Kangaroos are a truely magestic creature....It's so sad when you drive from my home to the next town, or anywhere around here..Too many are not making it a cross the road...I get heartbroken when I see this...Plus the farmers are culling (for a better word)..the kangaroos , I can be sitting on my lounge then my doggies run to me jump on my lap shaking, then I hear the bang..

My dogs can hear, what is happening, they know, they are terrified..Animals I believe do know what's going on, they are smart, animals have feelings like we do....

Im probably not on topic atm, but I really needed to get this out there..

Warm and caring hugs xx🤗

Grandy....

[Birdy77]

Dear Chrissystar, Pepper, Grandy and all ❤

Grandy, i am so glad you came here to vent your empathy and sadness about what is happening to the precious animals near you. It would be heart breaking to have seen the pastures dry up and leave the gentle cows with nothing to graze on, and then to have them moved (hopefully) to greener pastures, you must miss there beautiful and gentle presence. I'm not surprised that they brought you comfort during your bipolar downs ... there is not an aggressive bone in their body, they are the very essence of Calm and Gentle.

Your little furbuddies definitely would be terrified when they hear those shots, and come to you in fear and for comfort. I agree with you that all animals have thoughts and feelings, they feel fear and terror just like we do. And they are at our mercy. The darlings.

You were not off topic at all Grandy. It's lovely to have you join in the conversation 🐄🐶

Pepper ❤ your vegan baileys awaits you. It was the best one I've made so far. It takes five mins on the stove and involves coconut milk, brown sugar, espresso and whiskey if you're interested. It was nice with our friend visiting. We lit a fire on the back deck and ate and drank and looked up at the milky way ... I made vegan spinach/cheeze gozlemes ... heaven! Did you have a nice time i think you were catching up with friends and going to an art thing? Hope you had a lovely time. Are you still feeling a bit numb? Hope you are going gently with yourself.

Wishing everyone here a day of kindness and peace 🌞

🌻birdy

[Birdy77]

Hello everybody,

I have just received an extremely disappointing email saying that the leaders of our country have decided it's ok to continue with the live export trade, even going into the summer months in the middle east (where most of the live export goes).

If you would like to speak up about this horrific situation, Animals Australia has a petition on their website.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

🌻birdy