No wants wants to be considered selfish - that's a painful word. But the reality is that we spent the majority of our lives being selfish - it's simply in our nature. I guess the definition and use of the word is what really matters. To me, being selfish means doing something pleasurable at the expense of others, and unfortunately so much of what we do in American society falls into that definition.

Sorry - didn't mean to call you stupid. Just needed to get your attention.

In my opinion, simplicity is the key to healing our bodies, minds, and planet. Yet, for some reason, simplicity is often associated with lack of excitement, especially when in reference to lifestyle (Americans especially often feel the need to have more-more-more, not less-less-less). Surprisingly, among the many definitions of the word simple is, "not limited or restricted" (merriam-webster). In fact, since I've simplified my life (quit my full-time job, changed my diet, started making my own meals/beauty products, reduced the amount of products I buy, etc.), I feel bigger and unrestricted. I discovered that taking unnecessary things out allowed space for more important things to come in.

During a recent conversation with a friend we talked about the messages in Disney movies featuring animal characters. Some examples:

• Bambi's mother is shot by a hunter (and is later shot himself during a man-made fire) 
• Dumbo's mother is put into chains in the circus
• Cruella De Vil wants to kill the puppies from One Hundred and One Dalmatians and turn them into fur coats
• Fox hunting in The Fox and The Hound

This really got me thinking - do Disney writers intentionally try to make us question how humans treat animals? Or, were these simply common script formulas written to pull at our heart strings, just like when humans kill/harm other humans in live action movies?