Yama LLama

A couple of weeks ago I asked one of my friends if she was interested in coming to a film screening that was part of the events for Global Days for Darfur. She friend emailed back, "Sounds interesting! Unfortunately I have kickball every Monday," without any apparent sense of irony, as though I'd asked her to join a knitting club rather than go to a fundraiser to help stop genocide. A few weeks before that, I asked one of my coworkers if he'd be interested in taking a shift at the soup kitchen where our office volunteers once a month. He said something to the effect of, "No thanks, I donate blood," as if there's only so much he's willing to contribute to the community. And then I saw this nauseating post by John Mayer on the Grist site.

In a recent speech Paul Watson mentioned a line by Leonard Cohen, "You are locked into your suffering and your pleasures are the seal." Except that I think maybe that by pursuing our pleasures, we're locking other people into suffering. Of course it's more fun to play kickball than to watch documentaries about the genocide of people halfway around the world. Is she any worse off for her choice? Probably not, provided she can justify her decision and quiet her conscience. But she's certainly not going out of her way to help the people of Sudan. Is John Mayer doing anything to prevent global warming by switching to reusable grocery bags while continuining to drive an SUV and flying a private charter? Nope. He's just figured out a way to stroke his ego enough that he can not only continue to pollute and to feel good about it, but also to encourage others to do the same.

I am afraid of falling into that trap of complacency, and so I've decided to actively work to change my lifestyle so that the decisions I make help, or at least harm as little as possible, other people, animals, and the environment. I've also gone back to being vegetarian after a couple years of being a bit lax, and I'm moving towards a vegan diet. I'm trying to research companies before I buy from them, buy used when possible, and just to consume less overall. Of course, I'm not perfect. I check celebrity blogs first when I get to work, not news sites. I still have a Diet Coke a few afternoons each week, even though I know Coca-Cola is involved in questionable practices. I sometimes drive when I could probably walk. But I am trying to change.

Nor am I against having fun. It's great my friend enjoys kickball and it's nice that John Mayer wants to make environmentalism lighthearted. But I think there's got to be a better balance between fun and making responsible choices.

So I'm also working to become more involved in the issues I think are important by learning more about them, taking part in local events, contributing when I can to non-profits, and volunteering at the local soup kitchen, animal shelter, and the Center for the New American Dream. And I've decided to be more vocal about social, environmental, and animal rights issues I think are important. I'm speaking up at work, in class, and with friends where before I was worried about seeming too radical. This blog is part of that effort to share what I believe in.

When I figuring out what to call this blog, I knew I wanted a name that would sum up, in a word or two, the philosophy that ties together my views on seemingly unrelated topics. And the definition of yama on the Yoga Journal website does just that. And I just like the word llama. Plus, they're pretty darn cute.

Yama

The first limb, yama, deals with one's ethical standards and sense of integrity, focusing on our behavior and how we conduct ourselves in life. Yamas are universal practices that relate best to what we know as the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The five yamas are:

Ahimsa: nonviolence

Satya: truthfulness

Asteya: nonstealing

Brahmacharya: continence [also defined as self-restraint]

Aparigraha: noncovetousness