Lately I haven’t been as inspired to write blog posts, perhaps that’s down to being busy, but also because quite frankly there are far too many things happening in the world, it’s hard to talk about a nice makeup look or a new conditioner I enjoy. It’s been on my mind a lot more, just how fucked up our world is a lot of the time. Of course we have amazing things happening too, but as of late, I can’t seem to think of much else besides the terrible goings on in this world.
If you know me, or have been reading my blog for a while, you know that I am very passionate about preventing and ending animal cruelty. This subject is on my mind a lot as a whole, but especially lately. Whether it’s the Kardashians in Bali riding elephants (believing they were at an animal sanctuary), or reading horrific news stories about the animal abuse that takes place everyday around the world, every one of these stories honestly hurts my heart. Anything involving animals I have always connected with from a young age and it is something that continues today. Perhaps because these animals don’t have a voice they can use, I know how important it is for me to use my own. I have previously written posts about what steps we can take to help, but I really believe too many people choose to remain uneducated and stay ignorant about the cruelty that happens every day.
We can’t afford to bury our heads any more because pretty soon it will be too late. Not only is the planet suffering but animals are as well. Just today, I read an awful story about a baby elephant that died after breaking both its back legs, because it was so exhausted from performing in the circus. A baby elephant died as a result of cruelty and to entertain humans! This can’t be something we just accept. Here in the UK we have taken better steps against anything like this happening, but we also need to stand up for animals around the world. Of course there are many injustices in the world, that greatly upset and anger me. Whether it is animal cruelty, gender inequality, racism, child cruelty, plastic pollution and so many more! It can get pretty overwhelming if you think too much only about the bad side of life, but thats why we need more people to care and more people to take action. We can tackle all of these issues, but in order to do that we need to care. We seem to have gotten into a habit of retweeting something or sharing a facebook post and thinking we’ve done our bit! We haven’t, we aren’t even close. We need to remember we can do more than share something on social media. Everyone, including myself has become so accustomed to just sharing a story or commenting support for something and then continue on with our lives. This isn’t enough. That is why we have such awful things happening, because we not only need people to care more, we need to do more! So what can we do?
There are a few things we can all look at doing in order to make change happen:
Educate– Educate yourself on these injustices and the cruelty taking place. They say knowledge is power and that is true in so many different ways. The more you learn about what is happening, the better you can help with ideas to combat these matters and also allow you to educate others to. I don’t mean spam everyone you know with endless messages, but rather share these causes that anger you and upset you and educate the people in your life on these subjects. By you sharing this message with them, the chances are you will enable them to educate others to.
Donate– Donations to causes is always a great way to help! Currently I donate to the World protection for animals, but I am always looking to see where else I could spare cash and help others. Though it’s not a large donation, I love knowing I am helping animals around the world escape cruelty and help further investigations. Donations do not have to be in monthly format, you can sponsor animals, buy a donation as a gift for someone else or often purchase items from the charity shop to help support them.
Petition/ Campaign – If you see something that angers or upsets you, then why not help campaign to change this, start a petition, sign one already in place, share it with others and spread the word. I think too often we are afraid to speak up, even for things we believe in. Perhaps because we would get some negative opinions back? Or simply because we don’t know how to get started. I know there is more I could be doing to support the causes important to me. Each day I want to make sure I am learning more and doing more to help.
Make a change – A small change in your life can really make a big difference over time and it is a great way to ease into other changes. When I was around 15 years old, I decided i didn’t want to eat meat anymore. In the beginning I still ate some fish like tuna or salmon, but after a while I also gave that up to. A few years in I started to use alternative milk such as soy or almond milk. Whilst I’m not perfect about always drinking non-dairy milk, it’s something I am actively trying to do in my life. I still have a long way to go, but even just gradual changes over months or years helps. The same can be done in your life. Whether it’s starting to donate £1 a month to cause, or helping to volunteer now and again, pretty soon you will find yourself adjusting to this change and potentially want to take it further.
Here are just a few sites you can find more information and help out:
Love
