Empathy and Advocacy: A Dialogue with Gene Bauer on Transforming the Food System

In this special episode sponsored by THE EDEN MAGAZINE,  I have an eye opening discussion with Gene Bauer, a titan of the animal rights and food movement, as he shares  his profound insights and a lifetime of advocacy. From Gene's academic roots at Cornell to the compassionate foundations of Farm Sanctuary, experience the power of education and empathy as Gene uncovers the shared values between activists and farmers, illustrating how our food choices can echo our innermost beliefs. His narrative weaves through the challenges of communicating with those deeply entwined in traditional farming, highlighting the transformative potential of individual responsibility in the quest for a humane food system.

We also unveil the surprising stamina of plant-powered athletes and the personal awakenings that pivot life paths towards advocacy and environmental stewardship. Gene shares the riveting stories of vegan ultramarathoners and Olympians, dismantling the myths surrounding plant-based nutrition and peak performance. The founding of Farm Sanctuary emerges as a beacon of hope, where compassion and sustainable living are not mere concepts but are lived with conviction.

Step through the gates of Farm Sanctuary and experience the soul-stirring connections that are redefining human-animal relationships. Gene opens up about the sanctuary's role in nurturing empathy, bridging the gap between the animals we love and those we've labeled as food. We discuss collaborations that are carving pathways for systemic agricultural change—where legislative efforts, sustainability, and biodiversity meet the climate crisis head-on. Gene's dedication to nurturing future generations sets an inspiring vision, and his personal reflections on gratitude and responsibility remind us that the seeds of change are sown in the heart. Join us for an episode that celebrates the intersection of empathy, activism, and the undeniable impact of living aligned with our values.

About Farm Sanctuary
https://www.farmsanctuary.org/about-us/gene-baur/

Read more about Gene from our Sponsor:  The Eden Magazine (May issue)
https:///www.theedenmagazine.com

About your Host- Alexia Melocchi

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:04

Welcome to the heart of show business. I am your host, alexia Melocchi. I believe in great storytelling and that every successful artist has a deep desire to express something from the heart to create a ripple effect in our society. Emotion and entertainment are closely tied together. Emotion and entertainment are closely tied together. My guests and I want to give you insider access to how the film, television and music industry works. We will cover. Dreams come true, the road less traveled journey beginnings and a lot of insight and inspiration in between. I am a successful film and television entrepreneur who came to America as a teenager to pursue my show business dreams. Are you ready for some unfiltered real talk with entertainment visionaries from all over the world? Then let's roll sound and action.

Speaker 1 1:00

Hello to all the listeners and viewers of the Heart of Show Business. This is a very special episode sponsored by the Eden Magazine and in collaboration with the Eden Magazine. As you know, I write for this incredible publication on anything that has to do about making the world a better place, and I am so like geeking out right now. You know me, I meet a lot of Hollywood stars and I don't geek out on stars, but I do geek out on trailblazers and game changers and people who are really creating an impact in society and in the world, and my guest today is one of those people Gene Bauer. He's an author and activist in the animal rights and food movement. He's been called the conscious of the food movement which I love that by Time magazine and opposes factory farming and advocates for what he believes will be a just, more respectful food system. He's also the president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, which is a farm animal protection organization. Farm Sanctuary, which is a farm animal protection organization. He is vegan, hello people and has been involved with animal rights since he co-founded this amazing organization, which happened in 1986, believe it or not, he's only a few years old as me, we're just babies and he's also authored two books and written various, various articles. Welcome to my show, gene.

Speaker 2 2:29

It's so great to be here with you. Thanks for having me on.

Speaker 1 2:32

It's such an honor and a pleasure and I have to say so. I mean, I'm just going to dive deep because of course I googled the hell out of you. I was going to say say all the heaven out out of you, and of course I knew who you were, but I just went into this rabbit hole which I found extremely fascinating, and one of them which stood out for me was that you studied at Cornell and you studied agriculture, which I thought is really, really fascinating. Why don't you think that getting an education specifically on what your advocacy is about is so vital and important?

Speaker 2 3:10

You know, I think it's very important to try to understand the perspectives of other folks, especially people who have a different perspective than I might have.

Speaker 2 3:19

And so I'm a vegan activist, have been a vegan since 1985. And I enrolled at Cornell University in the agriculture department and I took animal science classes and I was in classes with students who were learning things and really being indoctrinated to believe certain things that I found to be abhorrent, but I was able to understand how people come to accept bad things as normal and then begin to justify and rationalize cruel behavior. So it was, for me, very eye-opening and one of our most important values at Farm Sanctuary is to speak to people where they are on their own journeys, and we need to be able to speak to many folks from many different backgrounds, including farmers, and to have empathy and to understand why they may do what they do or believe what they believe. And so going to Cornell taking animal science classes, taking agricultural economics classes, really helped me to understand the culture and the belief system and Understand, hopefully, how we can reach these folks and find common ground Towards building a food system that is good for humans as well as other animals in the planet.

Speaker 1 4:38

I Love what you just said, because, of course, a farmer Is not going to listen to what you have to say, because I'm sure the first thing that they're going to think about is like, well, I have to survive and this is the only way that I survive. What do you offer to them as far as solutions? Because I'm fascinated by this whole theory of creating a farm world where animals are not being led to slaughterhouses and where they have a more humane condition. I mean, obviously we can't make everyone vegan, sadly, at least for now. So how do we handle that and how do we explain to them how it's important that these animals are given the care and respect and dignity that they so deserve, while living for us and feeding us? I hate to say that.

Speaker 2 5:34

Well, I think it's important to understand, first of all, that we human beings usually can have choices. Now, in some cases, people don't have the ability or the privilege or the access to healthy food, so not everybody is able to make certain choices, but many people can. And I think that ultimately, we need to take responsibility for our own choices and the way we live. And most of us grow up eating animals without thinking about it, including myself. I grew up eating animals without thinking about it, including myself. I grew up eating animals without thinking about it, but as time went, I recognized that I could live well without eating any animal products and I thought if I can live well without causing unnecessary harm, why wouldn't I? And I cannot tell other people how they must live or what choice they must make. Each of us has to make our own choices, but it's important for us to make choices, I think, that are informed and so we know what we're contributing to with those choices. And, ultimately, I encourage people to make choices that they feel good about and that are aligned with their own values and their own interests. You know, too often when I bring up the issue of factory farming, people say don't tell me, I don't want to know, but I think that if we're actually supporting this industry, it's important for us to be aware of that and then ultimately to act in a way that we can hopefully feel good about Now with farmers.

Speaker 2 6:58

They have come up in a system where they believe that we need to use animals for food production, and what we're trying to do now at Farm Sanctuary is to demonstrate that we can produce food without exploiting animals and in our sanctuaries the animals are our friends, not our food.

Speaker 2 7:18

And it's beautiful to watch these animals recover from the abuse they experienced in the factory farming system and to watch them begin to enjoy life abuse they experienced in the factory farming system and to watch them begin to enjoy life and to play and to frolic and to experience joy.

Speaker 2 7:32

And when we watch these other animals experience joy, it brings joy to us. You know, and if you contrast that feeling and that experience and that interaction with what it's like to be in a slaughterhouse, where the animals don't want to be there and they're stressed and they're ultimately killed, and the people who work there are also ultimately stressed and doing things that are violent and bloody, and I think slaughterhouses are not only bad for cows and pigs and chickens and turkeys and other animals. I think they're actually bad for people, and so, at the end of the day, each of us has to make our own choices. But we should recognize that we have the option in many cases to choose a more compassionate way of living. And but again, each of us has to make our own choices, so I can't tell others how they must or must not live.

Speaker 1 8:26

Yeah, that's such a great answer and you know, you remind me I had on my show the founder of the Catskill Animal Sanctuary, who also works with farm animals, and one of the great things that she said and I'm sure you agree with that is that she says you know, our domestic animals, our cats, our dogs, we don't think of eating them.

Speaker 1 8:46

It's not, it appalls. The thought of like doing that is so appalling to us. So what makes a domestic animal different, like you said, than a farm animal? And I thought that was such a good way of putting it for someone who's on the fence about how we can stop the madness. Because, of course, as long as people keep eating meat, there's going to be farming and there's going to be farm animals out there that are being unfortunately led to their you know, to their death. So I don't even know how do we begin to solve this problem. I mean, do we tell people not to eat meat or do we try to manage the situation with, like you said, bringing some more humane conditions to those animals until people stop doing what they do?

Speaker 2 9:38

I think there are many parts to this right. It's a very complicated issue to address, and I think, first of all, we need to acknowledge that we have a choice and we can actually decide if we want to or don't want to buy animal products and consume animal products. So many consumers have the ability to make those kinds of choices. But to challenge this myth that we have to eat meat for strength, that we have to drink cow's milk for calcium those are absolute myths. So just recognizing that it is a choice that many of us can make, and then I think we need to start investing in a food system that makes healthy plant foods much more accessible. Right now, the US government and other governments spend billions of dollars to promote animal agriculture, to promote the excess production of cow's milk, for example, and so when we have all this extra milk, what then happens is that it goes into the school lunch program and the government buys it and then uses that program ultimately to market cow's milk to the next generation in this country. So I think we need to look at the systems in place and start investing in different kinds of systems that ultimately serve our interests as consumers, because eating too many animal products. The way we do today is contributing to heart disease, to diabetes, to some forms of cancer. Contributing to heart disease, to diabetes, to some forms of cancer. It's been estimated that we could save 70% on healthcare costs by shifting to a whole food plant-based diet. So the way we're eating is actually hurting us and making us sick. And then the government, unfortunately, is subsidizing a food system that is harmful not only to ourselves and other animals, but to the earth.

Speaker 2 11:24

In this country, 10 times more land is used for animal agriculture as opposed to plant-based agriculture. The fact is, we can feed more people with less land and fewer resources by shifting to plant-based agriculture, which means we can create more wildlife, habitat and ecosystems and biodiversity. There was a survey done looking at mammals living on Earth a few years ago, and what they found was that, of all of the mammals living on Earth today, only 4% live in the wild. 96% are domesticated humans and mainly farm animals. And it's because animal agriculture is such a massive presence and has such a large footprint, and the more animal products that consumers eat, the more wildlife and the more natural spaces are being taken up to grow corn and soybeans for animal feed or to use for grazing for farm animals.

Speaker 2 12:25

So this is a system that's immensely destructive. It's also a major contributor to the climate crisis. So this again, this is an industry that is harmful and most people unwittingly support it. I think critical is just for people to be aware, first of all, of the consequences and the impacts of our food choices and then ideally, you know, like I mentioned to make food choices that are aligned with our values and interests, and if people did that, we would basically see a revolution. But you know, it takes a while for that to happen.

Speaker 1 12:59

Well, you've certainly been one of the leaders of this revolution, which I absolutely love, and I love what you just said also about the health element, about you know, being vegan, because, I mean, you obviously ran triathlons and you demonstrated to yourself and to others that you can be in peak physical health and do the things that people who eat meat and lift weights and do all that stuff, and you can still do it. Is this something that you did as a way to demonstrate that being vegan is the path, or was it just a personal challenge that you did to yourself, just as an experiment to see what you were advocating and preaching truly worked?

Elite Athletes Thrive on Plant-Based Diet

Speaker 2 13:44

as they say yes, well, I went vegan when I was in my 20s in 1985, and I've been a vegan activist for many years, and one of the arguments we often hear is that vegans don't get enough protein or other nutrients, and I just wanted to demonstrate that, as a longtime vegan, I was getting everything I needed to be able to run marathons and I did an Ironman triathlon, I did an ultra marathon. But there are also elite athletes performing at the highest levels on a plant-based diet. You know people like Scott Jurek, a legendary ultra marathoner. People like Scott Jurek, a legendary ultramarathoner, did that as a vegan, winning many races. Harvey Lewis is another elite runner, winning Badwater 135 and other significant ultra races as a vegan.

Speaker 2 14:46

The only US male weightlifter to qualify for the Olympics in Rio a few years back is a vegan. So it's not only endurance athletes, but it's also strength athletes that are getting everything they need, eating plants instead of animals. Now I, you know, again, did some things, but it's not quite what some of these other athletes are doing. But it shows that you can get everything you need. You can perform at the highest level, eating plants instead of animals.

Speaker 1 15:07

I love that. That is so inspiring. And you know, speaking of mission, of course, and life mission and life purpose. I know you were a guest on Tony Robbins' blog as well. I'm a huge Tony Robbins person, so let's not even go there. And all of those about you know development and growth. So was there an inciting moment in your life where you just decided that this is the path that you want to take as a human? What is it that made you have this type of calling for life? Because you could have done anything. You were an actor, right. So where was the pivot? What brought this about? So where was the pivot? What brought this about?

Speaker 2 15:43

Yeah, well, I grew up in Hollywood, california, and as a kid I did extra work. I was actually in the background in McDonald's commercials, believe it or not. So I really didn't recognize what I was contributing to by my dietary habits, but also by some of the work I was doing when I was younger. But I grew up in the 1960s and the 1970s and I saw many things around me that were disturbing. There is the nuclear threat of nuclear war, there was environmental destruction. I saw wild animals being hit by cars and being harmed by human development and activities, and I felt that I didn't want to be part of a system that was causing so much harm.

Speaker 2 16:30

So from high school on, I started exploring what could I do to live in a way that was more compassionate and less harmful, and so I first learned about how veal calves are raised. When I was in high school, my grandmother told me how these baby calves are taken from their mothers and chained by the neck in crates for their whole lives, and I said I'm never eating veal. So that was in high school. And then in college I learned more about the environmental consequences of animal agriculture and how inefficient it is and how harmful it is, and also, again, how cruel it is to animals but also to workers, and how our health was suffering. And then, when I finally learned that it was possible to live well without being part of the system, without eating animal products, I went vegan in 1985. So for me it was really an incremental process.

Speaker 2 17:23

And then, in 1986, I co-founded Farm Sanctuary and started investigating factory farms and seeing firsthand just how bad the conditions were, and that just sort of cemented my commitment to this lifestyle and my belief that this is a system that is harming everybody and it's one that each of us can play a role in changing. There are many things in this world that are very hard for us to know. What can I do? But when it comes to what we eat every day, we can all make some choices that are going to make the world a little bit kinder, and so for me it's a huge issue, but it's an issue that's also very present and in front of us every day, where each of us can do something to make a difference.

Speaker 1 18:11

I love your reply and going deeper into the farm sanctuary. I know you have a few locations and I can't wait to come and visit. Miriam told me it's so magical, so I'm counting on coming to see your location in California. What are the plans for Farm Sanctuary? Obviously, one of them is advocacy, and I know you've gone to Congress to speak about you know creating this awareness. But are you planning to have lots of farm sanctuaries all over the United States and what are people going to learn when they visit there?

Speaker 2 18:46

Yes, well, you know, as you mentioned, farm Sanctuary currently operates sanctuaries in New York and in California, just outside of Los Angeles. But in addition to us there are hundreds, if not thousands, of farm sanctuaries across the country and around the world and we are collaborators. We work together with our colleagues to try to create experiences where people can get to know a cow or a pig or a chicken or a turkey or another animal who, prior to coming to a sanctuary, was seen as a piece of meat. And you know, earlier you were talking about how many of us live with cats and dogs and they're part of our family. But at the same time and oftentimes people say they're animal lovers, but at the same time they're eating other animals and I think it can be somewhat sobering to recognize that in some countries they actually eat cats and they eat dogs, and in the United States oftentimes people are appalled to learn that. But in some countries they don't eat cows or they don't eat pigs. So which animals do we eat and which ones we see as companions are really quite arbitrary distinctions and the bottom line is we can live without killing or eating any of them, but at our sanctuaries people are able to interact with a cow, sort of like they might interact with a dog. They can go up and pet them. Pigs love belly rubs. So oftentimes you'll walk up to like a 500-pound pig and you touch their belly and because they've been at a sanctuary for a while, they recognize they're getting a belly rub and they'll flop over on their side for a belly rub.

Speaker 2 20:29

And animals who've been at the sanctuary for a while become familiar with people. They come to trust people, they come to recognize that human beings are going to be kind to them and they seek out our company, which is an evolution we observe, because when the animals first come to us they're often very fearful because whenever they've interacted with a human being in the past it has been painful. You know animals routinely experience mutilations where they have parts of their bodies cut off, without painkillers, for example, and so when a human would approach it would usually be a painful experience. So they recover at the sanctuaries and I think part of their recovery is not only interacting with human beings in a more compassionate way, but also seeing the other animals at the sanctuary who are not afraid, just like human beings, are social animals.

Speaker 2 21:22

Farm animals are social animals, animals and they pick up social cues. So if they see other sheep, for example, running up to a human being for pets, they recognize that, oh, that human being is not going to hurt them and they pick that up. So farm animals are social animals and they live in different social ecosystems, and sanctuaries are places of peace and places of healing. And they're places of peace and healing not only for farm animals, but also for human beings and also, ideally, for the planet. If we can manage our land well and that's something we're starting to really lean into is the fact that we are on land that also could be home for some wild animals. So recognizing the importance of biodiversity and creating a healthy ecosystem is something Farm Sanctuary is increasingly committed to.

Speaker 1 22:17

That's amazing. So, speaking of what you're doing, do you have any collaborations or partnerships that have been significant into spearheading the type of work that you're doing?

Speaker 2 22:29

Yes, we work with various members of Congress to advance legislation that will limit the harms of animal agriculture and promote a healthier plant-based food system. We work with environmental groups, we work with farmer groups, we work with frontline food worker organizations, so we are seeking to build a broad tent coalition of animal people, human rights organizations, social justice organizations, environmental organizations who share the same interest in creating a healthier food system, and so there are a diverse number of individuals and organizations we are collaborating with within the animal rights movement but far beyond it, and our goal is to create solutions. Historically, the work we have done has focused on the problems with factory farming, and we've worked to pass laws to end some of the worst cruelties, such as putting animals in cages and crates where they can't turn around or move at all. We've been able to ban some of that cruelty in a number of states, but we also need to build solutions. But we also need to build solutions, and one of the things we're really focused on now is taking a resource-based approach to system change healthy, community-oriented agriculture.

Speaker 2 24:10

That is a much better investment. So that's one of our system oriented approaches we're taking. Another resource is land and, as I mentioned earlier, the vast majority of land in the US is used for animal agriculture. It's been incentivized by government programs to grow corn and soy and other feed crops. We need to incentivize farmers to grow fruits, vegetables, legumes, healthy crops that will be sold directly to consumers instead of sold for animal feed, and that's another really important effort we're in the midst of and then creating agricultural programs that also help sequester carbon in the soil and help combat the climate crisis, because right now, our system is creating enormous greenhouse gas emissions. Shifting to plant-based agriculture, engaging in more sustainable farming practices, can also create opportunities for farmers to receive conservation dollars from the US Department of Agriculture for doing the right thing and for protecting the environment and for producing food without harming animals. So we have a number of things we're doing, but it's all rooted in this resource-based approach to system change.

Speaker 1 25:21

I think it's fantastic because you need I think you need both the advocacy from the government bodies and, of course, you know, the organizations that can help the funding efforts, and also I see you also very active in communicating your message. You just authored another book. What are you trying? Not what are you trying, because there's no trying, there's only succeeding but what are aiming? Uh, to communicate through the storytelling aspects. I know you've also been involved in in a couple of documentaries and you know you participated as a speaker in those documentaries that hollywood has produced. So now you're going into you as an author. So what type of messaging are you wanting to utilize through the written world to create more awareness, especially for the future generations?

Speaker 2 26:13

I think a key part of our message is to say that farm animals, like other animals, matter. They have lives, they want to enjoy their lives. They each have one life to live and it's tragic the type of violence and abuse they experience at a massive scale. And you know it's hard sometimes to really wrap our head around just how massive this problem is. In the US we have nearly 10 billion farm animals raised and slaughtered every year in the US alone. That is more individuals than there are human beings who live on Earth and we're killing that many every year in the US. Now if you go globally, it's even more, and if you include fish, the numbers are in the trillions. So this is a massive, harmful industry hurting individual animals, hurting the environment, hurting our health, hurting communities, hurting farming communities. So I want folks to be aware of the negative impacts of this system, but also want people to feel empowered and to have hope that they can make a difference. And part of that is helping Farm Sanctuary take care of the animals who live at our sanctuary. That's one way, but we can also play a role with our fork every day and choose not to buy products from this factory farming system, and each time we make a conscious choice that is more compassionate. I think that that actually empowers us to make more choices and take more steps to live more compassionately.

Speaker 2 27:51

I believe that change usually happens incrementally, and so I support things like Meatless Mondays, where, for instance, one day a week people go meatless, and that's wonderful right, and then sometimes that leads to Meatless Tuesdays and then Meatless Wednesday, and that's wonderful right, and then sometimes that leads to meatless Tuesdays and then meatless Wednesdays.

Speaker 2 28:07

But you have to start somewhere, and I support every step in the direction of living more kindly and removing our support from an industry that is causing so much harm.

Speaker 2 28:19

And so different people will come to this in different ways. For some, it will be getting to know individual animals, whether they're cows or pigs or chickens or whoever they may be. For some people, it will be concern about the climate, and they don't want to support an industry that's causing so much harm to our entire planet in the climate. For some, it will be the loss of biodiversity that is a concern the loss of biodiversity that is a concern. For some, it will be their own health or concerns about the way workers are abused or children are abused working in slaughterhouses. There's so many reasons that we should care about this issue, and so each person is going to come to it in their own way, and a big part of what I try to do is to lay out the impacts of our food choices and then, ultimately, to empower people to make food choices that are better for themselves, but also better for other animals and better for the planet.

Speaker 1 29:16

This is eye-opening, gene, and you just touched upon the fact that the issue is massive. It's huge, and you're in the trenches, obviously, and you've seen a lot. I'm sure you've seen horrific moments that I can't even imagine. Has there been a moment where you've reached a really, really dark place in your life where you said I can't do this anymore. I feel hopeless. What's the point? Have you ever gone there? And if so, you did? What pushed you to keep on plowing through this massive issue that takes more than a village, takes a few billion people, to overcome?

Speaker 2 30:00

right, yes, well, for me, I have seen a lot of horrible things, and the way I'm able to continue doing this work is, instead of focusing on what I can't do and dwelling in the pain and the despair of that, I look at what I can do and I get hope from that, and this is where celebrating small victories helps one cope with the massive problems that we're addressing. And you got to take it step by step and do what you can and then dwell in the success, dwell in the hope, dwell in what you can do and feel empowered in the success, dwell in the hope, dwell in what you can do and feel empowered by it. So that's, for me, the way I have done this work for so long and how I'll continue doing it. I just honestly don't feel like I have a choice. This is an industry, this is a system that's causing such tragedy and it needs to be addressed, and I will continue addressing it to the best, to the best of my ability.

Speaker 1 31:06

God bless you for that, and that is amazing. I completely agree with you. I mean, you cannot. You have to go back to the positive memories, not to the negative ones, and I'm sure there's been a lot of inspirational stories and moments, both with animals and humans, that you said. Well, that's why I'm doing what I'm doing, you know. But let's talk about all the future generations as well, because I don't have kids, but you know a lot of people do. And how can parents help the children understand, because they're going to be the ones carrying the torch after you and I are gone. So is there actionable things, obviously beyond what we eat, that parents can do for the kids to help them become more active in this issue and create a lasting change?

Promoting Empathy Through Animal Advocacy

Speaker 2 31:57

Yes, you know we live in a democracy and voting matters and being involved in the process matters. So showing up is important, whether it's a demonstrations and protests, or whether it's reaching out to your elected officials, whether it's getting involved even at your school to encourage the school to have more plant-based foods in the cafeteria. So speaking out about what is important and I think the younger generation is rightfully concerned about the state of our planet, about the climate crisis, about the loss of biodiversity, about the threats that we're all facing and so just speaking up for our common good and for what is good for animals, people and the planet. And so people can get involved with Farm Sanctuary. Go to our website, farmsanctuaryorg. We have internship programs, we have volunteer programs and we love for people to get involved and to play a role in trying to create a more compassionate love for people to get involved and to play a role in trying to create a more compassionate, healthier and a more just world.

Speaker 1 33:07

I absolutely believe in what you said, gene. Especially, I think the in-person visits to me personally would inspire a kid. Once a kid gets to rub the pig's belly or see a cow and get next to a cow, a goat, a chicken, I think they might not be if they know the history of what ends up in their table with the same animals that they just loved on. That might possibly and hopefully make them think twice. And I think maybe the you know we are so disconnected from the animals right now and because they're not accessible, right? I mean, yes, cats and dogs, they're everywhere, but farm animals not so much. So I think this is my two cents having more farm sanctuary locations for people to actually bond with those animals would be great. So do you also do fundraising regularly for people that can contribute Is no amount too big or too small for anyone to chip in and help this amazing cause carry on its legacy.

Speaker 2 34:17

Yes, absolutely. People can go to our website, farmsanctuaryorg to donate and any contribution is much appreciated. And, as you were saying, interacting with individual animals at the sanctuary can really be a magical experience and it can be transformative. So that's absolutely a really important way for people to connect and to recognize that we share this world with other animals, and too often in factory farms they're hidden from public view and in fact there are ag laws being enacted to prevent consumers from seeing how farm animals are being mistreated.

Speaker 2 34:57

So, coming to the sanctuary, learning the animal stories, looking into their eyes and seeing that they're not that different than our cats or dogs or even humans A pig's eyes look a lot like a human's eyes. So these animals are individuals and when we get to know them that way, I think our empathy grows, and our empathy is a very important part of our humanity. And the more disconnected we are from others and the more we mistreat others, the more likely we are to rationalize our mistreatment of others and oftentimes to denigrate the victims of our cruelty. And there are subtle ways that this happens every day and we don't even think about it. You know, calling somebody a pig, for example, is a put down and it's also a way to put down the pig inherently, or calling somebody a turkey is also a put down.

Speaker 2 35:52

So these are subtle ways, or a cow A cow, that's right. So these are subtle ways we denigrate the victims of our cruelty and it enables us to continue to lose our empathy, and I think when we lose our empathy, we're in trouble. We need empathy. We need empathy more than anything today, I think.

Speaker 1 36:12

Yeah, empathy is such a big issue and I feel technology I mean God bless technology. There's been a lot of great advancement in that world, but it also has unfortunately contributed to our sense of disconnection as humans, because when you're looking at children and they spend so many hours playing video games and killing people and killing things and they completely get desensitized. So it's very easy for them to be desensitized to seeing what is happening to this creature. How can Hollywood of course I got to come with a producer hat right now given that it's also the heart of show business podcast how can Hollywood contribute with its storytelling to advocate for everything that Eugene stands for but also Farm Sanctuary stands for?

Speaker 2 37:01

Well, hollywood plays a big role in influencing how people see the world. So I think just incorporating more messages of kindness, messages of responsibility and acting in a way that is humane and kind, and I think modeling that through different characters or telling stories about transformation and about how human beings can live kindly and well are you know would be very helpful, because human beings are social animals. We see something and we tend to do it Well people see people do like monkeys see monkey do. So I think creating these positive examples for people is something that Hollywood can play a very important role in doing. Also, I think exposing the violence and the cruelty of animal agriculture although that's going to appeal to a different audience in a different way, but it's important but modeling positive behavior and healthy behavior is something I think Hollywood can play a significant role in creating.

Speaker 1 38:04

That's. That's so true. I'm just thinking about more movies that I can produce about this. You know, we all need that, we all, we all storyteller. You're a storyteller because obviously when you're going in front of politicians, you have to tell a compelling story, right, and here goes your acting skills as well. I'm sure. What's next, what's coming up next for Gene, you know, is there a moment where you're going to say I'm going to retire, I've done what I could, or do you just want to keep going? Is there going to be a threshold where you say this is enough for me? I'm like I'm just going to go enjoy life, or not?

Speaker 2 38:45

I think I will do this until I'm no longer breathing. You know, I think I will do it in different capacities because as time goes, you know, I can't move as fast as I used to, for example, as fast as I used to, for example. So I want to transfer and share what I've learned with others and support others and support the next generation, but I plan to do this for decades still to come. But I also want to support and empower a new generation.

Speaker 1 39:15

Oh, yes, yes, and of course, I would probably think that you do have a meditation practice or a spiritual practice that gets you connected to the sense of empathy Do you want to share with our listeners and our readers. What do you do to keep yourself centered and together through all of the ups and downs in life?

Speaker 2 39:37

I just try to remember what's important, try to breathe, recognize that I'm pretty lucky in many ways and really practice gratitude and live in gratitude. As difficult as things may be from time to time, I'm really quite fortunate, and so just holding on to that. And then I also believe that with you know, certain abilities and capacities, there are also responsibilities. So I want to do everything I can within my power and within my means to create a kinder world and and that's sort of my purpose, my drive, you know, and when you have a purpose, you know you can put up with a lot and and so I just hold on to that and do the best I can, and some days are harder than others, but I believe what I'm doing is the right thing and I'll just keep doing it.

Speaker 1 40:35

Gene, you're such a magnificent human being I mean, god bless you for coming on my show and, you know, god bless you also for gracing the Eden magazine with your presence and your words and I, in closing of this, because we could talk about this all day long. I have so many more questions, but I'm going to try to keep the listeners who are commuting engaged all the way to the end. So, how would you define yourself in three words, and is there any life mantra? You can choose either or window number one or window number two, or both windows or doors. Do you have a life mantra that you go to as a philosophy of life and how do you define yourself in three words?

Speaker 2 41:21

Yeah, well, I would say doing my best, or trying my best. You know, constantly learning, constantly trying to grow and evolve. And in terms of a mantra, you know, there's the serenity prayer, which you've maybe heard of right, it's give me the strength to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I can't change, and the wisdom to know the difference. So you do the best you can and recognize that there's a lot that's outside of your control. And I think, also for human beings, it's important for us to remain open-minded and humble, because none of us has all the answers. We need to constantly grow and learn and listen, and oftentimes listen to those who have very different ideas than we do Beautiful.

Speaker 1 42:08

Thank you so much for this incredible interview and for anyone who has enjoyed this incredible conversation. You can read all about Farm Sanctuary on the show notes. Follow, follow everything. Follow the Instagram, follow the Facebook, follow all the means. Just educate yourself and if you need to see some horrible videos, see them, because maybe Thank you for listening to this week's episode of the heart of show business. If you enjoyed it, please share it with a friend. You can also subscribe, rate and review the show on your favorite podcast player. If you have any questions or comments or feedback for us, you can reach me directly at theheartofshowbusinesscom.