A guest blog by Gary Smith

It’s important to live your life in alignment with your values, as best as you can. I would hope that we all value justice, equality, fairness, nonviolence towards others and compassion. Most cultures don’t put much value on these values. We need to disconnect from the culture of violence, competition, exploitation, racism, homophobia, sexism, oppression, speciesism…and begin to embrace our deepest values. One step in the process is to go vegan. When we participate in violence against the most vulnerable for food, clothing, entertainment and household items and cosmetics, we negate who we are as people. We live in a constant state of contradiction, denial and pain, because we are out of alignment with our deepest values. Now is the perfect time to move in the direction of veganism and to honor your values.”

Gary Smith is co-founder of Evolotus, a PR agency working for a better world. Evolotus specializes in health and wellness, spirituality, animal protection, natural foods, documentary films, non-profits and socially beneficial companies. Gary is the animal rights blogger for Elephant Journal and has also written as a guest blogger for Mother Nature Network (MNN.com). Gary and his wife adhere to a vegan lifestyle and live with their cat Chloe and their two rescued laboratory beagles, Frederick and Douglass, in Sherman Oaks, CA.