Richmond IONS November Meeting 2019 (November 16) and Central Virginia IONS Community Group Meeting, featuring a talk by Joanne Kong, Ph.D.
Where: St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, New Parish Hall, 12291 River Road, Richmond, VA 23238
When: Saturday, November 16, 2019, 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon, followed by a potluck lunch at the conclusion of the program.
Richmond IONS November Meeting Program
“Acts of Courageous Compassion That Can Heal Our World.”
Our November 16, 2019 program will feature a talk by Joanne Kong, Ph.D. She is a UR professor, concert pianist, author and TED Speaker.
Through the eloquence of spoken words, imagery and music performance, this presentation focuses upon embracing the greatest gift we can give to other beings – compassion.
Kong calls for the courage to transform our collective identity away from an egocentric view. This will reawaken the deep kinship we have with our fellow beings. It will also create a path to restore the sustainability of the natural world and our place within it.
Why the words “Courageous Compassion?” Because this choice asks us to open our eyes, hearts and minds. It challenges us to question an aspect of our lives that is accepted and deeply ingrained in our society.
This is a bold call to the world community and global leaders to openly acknowledge and bring to the forefront of our collective awareness the single most destructive activity that humankind engages in – the industrial exploitation of non-human animals. Yet as a society we accept this as the status quo, as an unchangeable reality.
Crisis Points in Human Evolution
Joanne’s talk will outline how human domination of non-human animals is connected at a deep level to the challenges that have become crisis points in human evolution.
These include climate change, environmental degradation, species and habitat loss, water and air pollution, and decimation of oceans. Furthermore, they include global disease, world hunger, and massive inefficiency in the ways we produce food.
The result: a damaging disconnect from the cruelty and violence committed against the most innocent and vulnerable of beings.
Addressing these devastating impacts should be front and center. Yet the general public, policy leaders, mainstream media, and even environmentalists largely ignore them.
This presentation will emphasize the immense power we have as individuals to create positive change at all levels. They’ll improve our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being – and create a future of greater sustainability, health and compassion.
About Joanne Kong, Our Richmond IONS November Meeting Presenter:
Dr. Joanne Kong has been praised throughout the world as one of the most compelling advocates for plant-sourced nutrition today. Her talks, “enlightening and provocative,” are much in demand around the world.
Her highly-praised TEDx talk, The Power of Plant-Based Eating, at around 600,000 views on YouTube, appears on numerous websites internationally.
Dr. Kong has published the book, If You’ve Ever Loved an Animal, Go Vegan. She is among the profiles in the new book, Legends of Change, about vegan women who are changing the world. She will also appear in the upcoming major documentary, Eating Our Way to Extinction.
Her vegan advocacy has been recognized around the world, with international talks in Italy, Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, and a 3-week, 10-city tour of India to promote veganism.
In addition to her animal and environmental advocacy work, she is a critically-acclaimed and award-winning classical pianist and is on the music faculty at the University of Richmond.
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