June
1994
Letter
from the Editor
By Martin Rowe
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Welcome to the first edition of Satya: a magazine
devoted to the subjects of animal advocacy, vegetarianism, and environmentalism.
The first question you probably want to ask is why we chose this particular
title.
Satya is the Sanskrit word for ‘truth’ and in the
form of satyagraha or ‘truth-action’ was the word coined
by Mahatma Gandhi for the nature of his efforts to rid India of the
British.
Gandhi’s is an apt name to evoke here: not only because he stood
for non-violence and compassion (keynotes I believe of this magazine),
but because vegetarianism was an active part of Gandhi’s social
protest. When, in the late 1880s, the young student lived in London,
he found the ubiquitousness of meat very difficult to cope with. His
vegetarianism at the time centred on his identity as a Hindu and from
the admonitions of his mother; it was only when he stumbled across a
vegetarian restaurant and read the Plea for Vegetarianism by
pioneering vegetarian Henry Salt that his beliefs were hardened by a
solid ethical concern.
Gandhi understood that his vegetarianism was more than a statement of
his belief in the inherent value of animals. It was his mission. He
saw it as underpinning his action to relieve the suffering of human
animals. His life was and remains a powerful example of how animal advocacy,
vegetarianism, and environmentalism are not exclusively concerned with
non-human life, but are - directly and urgently - human social justice
movements. It is just such an integration of ideas we hope Satya can
present and strive for.
Animal advocacy, vegetarianism, and environmentalism are ideas whose
time has come. The issues they raise are surfacing more and more in
the public’s mind as both individuals and groups of people realize
that the quality of their lives and the lives of those they love is
being diminished by rampant greed, exploitation, toxicity, and thoughtlessness.
Satya aims to provide a voice for the people of New York City and the
surrounding area who wish to explore and affirm the connections between
their different groups to unite around a common theme of ending exploitation,
suffering, random cruelty, and waste.
Satya will be a forum to reflect on these ideas. There will
be interviews, book reviews, stories, and features which reflect vegetarian,
animal, and environmental issues by people who live in the immediate
New York City area. Most importantly, there will be a bulletin-broad
of events, allowing the three communities campaigning for a cleaner,
less violent, and healthier world to come together and share resources.
This is where you come in. We want you to tell us when an event or protest
you’re organizing or participating in is going to happen in the
month ahead, and we’ll list it, absolutely free of charge. That
way you’ll reach out to more people than you possibly would otherwise.
And we want you to write for us, and tell us what you’re thinking
about the issues important for you.
Thank you and enjoy!
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