A some more extended
rewording of the Vivism definition
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As for its first part
"Not conciously killing, mutilating, wounding etc. any kind of living beings either directly or indirectly"
(All kinds of living beings are mainly humans, animals, plants and microbes).
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This as far as concerns human beings
A) Not killing
Allready there are rules in laws of most if not all countries prohibiting to kill or wound other persons. Nevertheless there are many ways in which persons can kill other persons more or less indirectly, without acting against one of these legal rules. For instance producing or dealing consumptive products that are known to be bad for health and in many a case eventually lead to the user's death (e.g. tobacco-products). Practising Vivism implies leaving also this kind of behaviour behind.
B) Not harming
Not harming other persons in health in principle includes among other things leaving behind activities that result in others having to inhale polluted air, to drink or to swim in polluted water, to eat food which contains toxins, or to miss natural silence and serenity.
C) Not hurting
Not hurting others is only marginally relevant in the law of most countries, namely when it is done that seriously, that it must be called mistreatment. Certain religions however explicitely or implicitely teach that hurting humans physically or mentally should be left behind completely; (a.o. Christianism, Hinduism and Buddhism, which all emphasize one should treat the others the way one usually wants to be treaten one self). In that respect Vivism joins them.
D) Not disobliging
Disobliging persons can be seen as a lighter form of hurting mentally. In laws this kind of behaviour as well is mentioned as good as nowhere explicitely. But for instance cheating, hindering or plagueing others occur very often and as a result spoil the well-being of many to a considerable extent. Vivism excludes it explicitely.
(This item is elaborated more extensively on special page "humanivism")
As far as concerns animals
Respecting life and well being of animals in general implies:
- Avoiding all kinds of behaviour that directly or indirectly imply their killing or cruelty to them; mainly by not using any kind of animal foodstuff (like meat, milk and eggs), nor certain kinds of animal materials (such as silk, down, fur, leather, ivory, etc.), but also in many other ways.
- Avoiding all kinds of behaviour that don't exactly imply cruelty to animals, but certainly or most likely have a noteworthy negative effect on their well-being; for instance polluting surface water within legal limits of which the effect for fishes can be compared with a situation in which persons constantly or repeatedly suffer from stench, caused by a nearby enterprise)
(This item is elaborated more extensively on special page "Animalivism")
As far as concerns plants
Respecting life and well-being of plants implies avoiding in priciple all that directly or indirectly kills, mutilates, or damages plants physically otherwise, as well as all that must be concidered to have negative consequences for their well-being.
Avoiding all this can be realised by among others :
- Not eating any vital parts of plants; (roots, stem, leafs or flowerbuts).
- Not mowing plants, nor cutting, tearing or breaking them in two otherwise;
- Not cutting or picking off plant leafs (such as sugar caine);
- Not sawing, cutting or breaking off branches of trees and shrubs;
- Not wounding plants otherwise; (e.g. cutting in trees to tap rubber);
- Taking care not to burn living plants; (e.g. when making a campfire);
- Leaving behind weeds control;
- Using as little wood and paper as possible;
- Taking care not to be involved in pollution of the water that plants suck up;
- Taking care to as little as possible trample plants or flatten them otherwise;
- Infringing their natural procreation (by cultivation) as little as possible.
(This item is elaborated more extensively on special page "Plantivism")
As far as concerns microbes
Respecting life and well-being of microbes especcially implies that fire is made as little as possible. For where fire is made as good as always big numbers of microbes that naturally find themselves in the (basic) fuel are killed.
(This item is elaborated more extensively on special page "Microbivism")
As far as concerns other kinds of living beings
Biologically there are quite a few more kinds of living beings than the four mentioned above. Vivism also includes respecting life and well-being of all these other kinds (as far as possible).
One of those other kinds are molds. They occur in several shapes of which the two most well-known are mushrooms and mold on food.
So in Vivism no mushrooms are eaten, whereas moldy food is not thrown away immediately, but only after the molds evidently have died away.
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To continue with the second section of the definition
"...whereas one more that that prevents as far as possible to commit these facts (killing etc.) unintentionally, that they are committed by somebody else and that one profits of them, in case they are committed anyway".
There are many ways, in which one can (try to) prevent that one kills,wounds, mutilates, hurts, etc. one or more living beings unintentionally.
To mention a few examples:
- By driving car as slowly as possible, especcially on summersdays in country area's, as there use to be many insects flying around then, whereas the slower one drives, the smaller the number of them is, that will be crushed against the car front.
Of course it's even a lot better not to drive car then and there at all and instead go biking if possible; but then as well one rides as slowly as possible, so that the chance that littles flies get into one of the biker's eyes is proportionally smaller. Of course the chance this happens can be as good as eliminated by wearing (sun-) glasses.
Generally a Vivist allways counts with the fact, that naturally man can only replace himself by walking or swimming, that is at a speed of some three miles/five kilometers an hour; the faster than this he shifts by use of an artificial means, the more he acts against the system of nature and the more he is responsable (and punished) for the life-unfriendly consequences this mostly has.
- By driving, biking or walking as carefully as possible (especcially in the dark), on tracks, where one knows often slugs or migrating toads are crossing the road.
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There are also many ways, in which one can (try to) prevent, that somebody else kills, wounds, mutilates, hurts, etc. one or more living beings.
To mention a few:
- By joining or supporting an organisation, that is doing this institutionally one way or another. For instance a political party, a human rights-, a humanitarian, an animal protecting, an environmental, a vegetarian, a vegan, or a fruitarian organisation.
- By not producing or sellingindustrial productscts, that aren't essential in life and of which one knows, their use in many a case leads or contributes to the death of humans or other living beings. For instance weapons, alcoholics, mineral oil, benzine, motorised vehicals, etc..
- By educating others to be nature (= life) friendly.
- By individual actions, like putting out a virge fire; (and thus saving life of many plants and insects that otherwise would have been killed as a result of for instance somebody else having thrown away a stub there).
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Finally a few examples of ways in which one can prevent to profit from the mentioned facts, in case they are committed anyway.
- Not holding shares in companies of which the main activity has that effect; for instance in sectors like fishery, cattle-breeding, dairy products, car production, chemical industry.
- Not accepting as a gift something of which one knows it has been produced or obtained in an unvivistic way. (Gold for instance is produced in an unvivistic way, because in its production proces fire is unmissable. Money, that has been earned illegaly also is obtained in an unvivistic way, because acting illegal as good as always at least implies "disobliging" others).
- And yes, (there really is nothing that can be done), in case a public grassplot has been mowed off by municipal or other mowing machines, one profits of this very plant unfriendly action, in case one goes playing soccer or some other kind of ball game there, which wouldn't have been possible in case these plants would'n't have been mutilated by mowing machines. Even watching (live or on television) a kind of sports that is played on a (mowed) grassfield can't be regarded otherwise than as profiting of this mass mutilation of grassplants for one's entertainment.
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Links to relevant special pages:
"Emergence of Vivism"
"Further developements"
"Vivism in ones own interest"
"Vivism eliminates all environmental damage"
Other relevant special pages
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