Aurora Starchild
Beatles legend Sir Paul McCartney has been a vegetarian since 1975. While he’d observed vegetarian lifestyles while studying transcendental meditation in 1968 in India, it wasn’t until a random encounter with his first wife, Linda, that he decided to change his ways. That moment, as well as a couple Disney movies, turned Paul McCartney into the outspoken animal rights advocate that he is today.
Videos by Rare
This Is the Scene from Bambi Gave Made Paul McCartney a Distaste for Hunting
Before changing to a meatless diet, McCartney had an overwhelming distaste for hunting in general. He once admitted that it was because of early Disney movies, specifically, Bambi and Dumbo. Both came out around the time McCartney was born, in 1942 and 1941, respectively.
I think [Bambi] made me grow up thinking hunting isn’t cool,” McCartney said. He was speaking to a school newspaper (shared via BBC). For those who don’t know, Bambi’s mother is tragically killed by a hunter. It’s a tearjerking scene that certainly can make an impact on a young child’s psyche.
“You look through a lot of these great stories — Dumbo, his mum is quite badly treated,” McCartney explained. “A lot of these classic stories, through their efforts, kids — as I once was — have grown up feeling it’s a bad idea to be cruel to animals.”
Paul Finally Decided to Become a Vegetarian When He Looked as His Lambs — As He Was About to Eat Lamb Roast
In 2010, Paul McCartney shared what ultimately put him over the edge while speaking with The Guardian. He and Linda (whom he married in 1969 until she later passed away in 1998) were sitting down for dinner. They were about to share a meal of roast leg of lamb. Then they looked out the window of their farmhouse.
Outside, Paul and Linda saw their flock of newborn lambs. Born just a month earlier, they were jumping and running around playfully. The couple was overwhelmed with a sense of compassion.
“It was like, the penny dropped. The light bulb lit up. We thought, we might just give this up,” said McCartney.
The Guardian described Linda as “the key” to Paul McCartney’s vegetarianism. Prior to her passing, she wrote several cookbooks for meat-free meals. Paul himself later wrote a children’s book about vegetarianism, called High in the Clouds.
Asked if he still considered Linda to be his primary motivator, even after her death, Paul said, “Yeah, I’d say so.”
“She was the original inspiration, and she had a way about her. There was just this… non-aggressive forcefulness, and many of our friends over the years became vegetarian because of that,” he said.
Becoming a vegetarian in the 70s was no easy task. This was long before the social media-inspired healthy living craze. If you were traveling, good luck finding a veggie burger somewhere — especially in the UK, which is known for its sausage-filled breakfasts and such.
Paul and His Late Wife Co-Founded Linda McCartney Foods to Offer Meat Alternatives
In 1991, Paul and his wife founded Linda McCartney Foods, a UK-based food brand that distributed frozen meat alternatives around the world. It was one of the first of its kind.
“Back then, we dreamed that one day you would pull off a motorway and there would be vegetarian options. We’re there now and that’s great,” McCartney told The Guardian. “With the range, we used to call it ‘the hole in the middle of the plate’. Where you’d have meat chops and vegetables, steak and chips, we only had the ‘and’, we didn’t have the centerpiece of the meal. So, we had to think about how to do it.”
Paul McCartney Founded the “Meat Free Monday” Campaign With His Daughters in 2009
After Linda’s death, Paul McCartney heard of a concept called “Meat Free Monday,” which was growing in popularity in the United States. He started advocating for the idea and launched a call to action among his fans and the public. The campaign was launched in 2009 by Paul and his daughters, Stella and Mary.
Speaking with National Geographic, McCartney explained that his original reasoning for becoming a vegetarian was “compassion.” Asked why he was only asking people to consider going meat-free for one day a week, he said that asking for more seemed too demanding.
“I think if you say to people, ‘I’m a vegetarian, I think it’s great, I’ve been this way for 40 years, now you should be a vegetarian,’ it’s too much for them to take in,” McCartney said. “It means they’re going to change their whole lifestyle. So, what we find is, if you say to people, ‘Well, try one day,’ they can do that. And they’re kind of willing to do that. And then some people go, ‘Oh, this is good. Maybe I’ll do two days.’”
“I don’t think you can approach with a sledgehammer. You’ve got to just keep it gentle,” he added.
McCartney Is Also Concerned About Climate Change
McCartney recalled the moment when he and Linda saw the lambs but then segued to a more impressive matter: climate change.
“More recently, people who’ve started to draw this comparison between greenhouse gasses and just basically too much livestock on Earth,” McCartney said. “It wasn’t as bad when it was just one or two on a farm. But when it’s billions the way we now do it, it has a big effect on the atmosphere. And in 2006, there was a report that came out from the United Nations called ‘Livestock’s Long Shadow,’ that I read. It explained that livestock were responsible for more greenhouse gases than transport.”
“I thought [the primary culprit of climate change] was airplanes, trucks cars; I thought that was the big culprit,” McCartney admitted. He added that the problem is compounded by a widespread craving for fast-food, much of which is based in meat. Of course, that meat comes from livestock.
“For me, the bottom line is, we are on this incredible planet,” McCartney said. “And there doesn’t appear to be another one within sight. Somehow, it seems that we are this miraculous little planet. And we are on it as the human race, and alongside us, these little dudes, these animals. And we’ve all got this chance in life to sort of survive… I like the idea of giving them their best shot… It’s a life and I don’t see why I shouldn’t allow that animal to have that life when I don’t need to take it.”
Fantastic work, Mike. Since I currently make more than $36,000 each month from just one simple web business, I commend your efforts. Despite the fact that these are the most basic internet br-10 operations occupations, you may start making a reliable online income with as little as $29,000.
.
.
Modify Your Connection————————————————————>>> GOOGLE HOME JOBS