There is an often-overlooked distinction between “humanists” and what could be called the path followed by Mahayana Buddhists. Humanists have the narrow focus of working exclusively for the welfare of humans — all humans.
Albert Einstein, who didn’t eat animals, said: “We must enlarge the circle of our compassion to include all beings.” In Buddhist lingo, this means helping deliver all kinds of people and animals.
It has come to the attention of both humanists and vegans that without a healthy, nourishing and regenerating environment, neither of the two ambitions will achieve its goal. Whether you want a planet for humans only or one that considers the interests of animals, without oxygen and other raw materials produced by viable ecosystems, future generations will be doomed
Sentient beings by definition have nervous systems; they appreciate pleasure and recoil when exposed to harm. Plants, too, release electromagnetic signals, but this is due to their proximity to whoever is affecting them. What they “appear” to feel is in reality the emotional and or mental generation by the scientist.
Despite this apparent limitation of plants, it could be said that chlorophyll (green) is the counterpart of hemoglobin (red). Both are indispensable for breathing
David Ivan Piccioni, Eugene