We are all one.
We are all interconnected.
Not a single creature is separated.
The Interconnectedness of Life is a book and full feature documentary film produced by We are Interconnected Films which is currently in writing and production. Inspired by the #1 best-selling book The World Peace Diet by Dr. Will Tuttle, the film explores the life of activist Michael Lanfield, based on a deeper understanding of existence. The ideas come from decades of experience, bring forth a powerful and enlightening film and book that will change the way we view the world.
With The Interconnectedness of Life, we are trying to understand why humans started using non-human animals and how using and owning them is ultimately leading to the demise of the planet. If we are willing, we can change the world for the better, but we must start by changing our attitude towards other animals and the natural world which we share the planet with.
‒ Michael Lanfield, writer, producer and director
Excerpt from book
Looking back, we can see how disastrous humans were forcing violence and cruelty upon each others and upon the world. As we look into the future with our intelligence and technology we can only hope for a better world at peace and harmony. In this hard to believe world we live in, I can’t believe we have come this far.
Earth is about 4.5 billion years old. We’ve been living here for just a short fraction of this time. Every one of us is a link to the future; every seed planted is a hope for years to come for human progress. It’s time we look squarely at the issues and look down at our plates. What we do from herein, how we mentally and spiritually connect with the world is up to each and every one of us.
In the Garden there were fruits where Adam and Eve ate the apple. The apple symbolizes unconditional love for all of nature and the creatures. The lion sits beside the lamb in peaceful coexistence; everything was in harmony until after the apple was eaten.
After the Garden of Eden we started looking upon other plants and eventually animals, as our food source. This lead to the demise of the natural world around us, seeing everything potentially as a threat or food. We started seeing women as property only to be served by man, blacks as slaves and animals as food items. This is why we don’t live in true peace. There can not be peace without their ever being harmony between us all. In the Garden of Eden there can not be any fishing rods or fishing boats, animal farms or destructive monoculture of grains. In the Garden of Eden no petro-chemicals exist, no violence of any sort, or theft, fear or hatred towards anyone. The Garden of Eden is that of love and compassion for all.
Endless hours preparing and cooking foods, energy waste from the cooking process, the never-ending list continues. Fruit is fast food, freeing up time to pursue healthy pursuits. All one may need is a knife and a spoon. Some fruits such as apples, pears, bananas and oranges can be eaten very easily without any utensils at all. As gathering Homo sapiens, foraging for fruit, we came upon a fruit tree and devoured it until we were satiated. Supermarkets carry all sorts of processed and refined foods in packages, bottles and cans that also require huge amounts of petro-chemicals to produce. It takes huge machines, energy and heat to process the foods and packaging, making packaged foods one of the ultimate destruction to the Earth. And where does the packaging materials go? Some of it is recycled or reused, but most of the packaging ends up in the landfills or oceans. This is because a lot of materials can not be recycled.
As a teenager and young adult, I questioned everything. I wondered if this was the way we were supposed to live. I didn’t understand why there was so much violence all around us; why humans were destroying the environment and how we were disrespectful to animals. I started meditating as a young adult trying to understand all of this. I saw documentary films and did research on the internet, but I just couldn’t understand. I always tell people, question everything. A lot of subjects in school are not relevant in today’s world. When we start questioning everything we were once taught, we start opening our hearts to all the suffering around us. When we witness all the suffering around us we’ll want to make the world a better place. And when we make (or at least try) making the world around us better, we’ll start witnessing everything that was once negative as positive. If we want to live in the Garden of Eden, we must bring The Garden of Eden to Earth. How can we create a world of peace when our minds our so clouded with childhood teachings?
FEATURING
Jonathan Balcombe, PhD
Jonathan Balcombe, PhD is the Department Chair for Animal Studies with Humane Society University. He is the author of Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good, Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals, and The Exultant Ark: A Pictorial Tour of Animal Pleasure.
Quinny Chiang
Quinny Chiang is a holistic nutritionist, a raw vegan and lifestyle coach, a writer and blogger. She has 3 years of raw vegan education and 2 years of coaching experience. She teaches a fruit based diet – the 80/10/10 diet, and the natural hygiene lifestyle. On her website www.ournaturaldiet.com, she posts bi-weekly articles on her blog to share her nutritional knowledge, provides health tips and answers health questions.
Matt Bear
Matt Bear is a popular speaker and teacher drawing from his first-hand experience with farmed animals, his dedication to social justice issues, and his broad understanding of the impact our consumer choices have on those with whom we share the world. Matt founded nonviolenceUnited.org, created the popular VEGAN shirt, and produced the widely acclaimed video A Life Connected. Matt currently serves as Director of Vegan Projects at Farm Animal Rights Movement (FARM) and continues to direct Nonviolence United.
David Sztybel, PhD
David Sztybel, PhD is an animal rights philosopher. His PhD from University of Toronto is in animal ethics, and he also did a post-doctoral fellowship at Queen’s University. He has taught many animal rights courses at Brock University, has had several peer-reviewed journal and encyclopaedia articles, and maintains his website at www.davidsztybel.info, which also links to his blog.
Diane Gandee Sorbi
Diane Gandee Sorbi is an animal rights activist living in Redwood City, California, USA, with her vegan husband. She works with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) and also leaflets with Vegan Outreach. She enjoys reading, gardening, cooking awesome vegan food, and simple living. She doesn’t watch television. She’d rather watch the world go vegan.
Michael Lanfield
Michael Lanfield is the writer, producer and director of the project The Interconnectedness of Life. He self released his first book, The Journey to Compassionate Living in 2011. He is a vegan educator, author and filmmaker from Toronto, Canada. He founded We are Interconnected Films to produce educational and enlightening books, films and other media.
Brenda Bronfman
Brenda Bronfman, founder and owner of Wishing Well Sanctuary, is a mother of six: three magnificent adult children and three wonderful dogs. A lifelong passion for animals and their well-being, Brenda understood at an early age that all beings have feelings and that we are indeed all connected. From knowing and playing with all the dogs in her neighbourhood as a child to becoming President of the Board of the Toronto Humane Society, Brenda’s dedication has been unwavering.
John Sakars
John Sakars from Niagara Falls, Canada is a visual and performance artist, writer, and public speaker. He’s been a vegan and animal rights activist since 1998. He leaflets for Vegan Outreach.
Judy Carman, MA
Judy Carman is a long-time vegan, animal rights, environmental, and peace and justice activist. She is the author of Peace to All Beings: Veggie Soup for the Chicken’s Soul and co-author with Tina Volpe, The Missing Peace: The Hidden Power of our Kinship with Animals. Judy is co-founder of numerous activist groups, including the animal rights group Animal Outreach of Kansas. She is also co-founder, with Will and Madeleine Tuttle, the Worldwide Prayer Circle for Animals.
Karen Davis, PhD
Karen Davis, PhD is the president and founder of United Poultry Concerns, a nonprofit organization that promotes the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl including a sanctuary for chickens on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. She has written numerous essays and books including, Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look at the Modern Poultry Industry; More Than a Meal: The Turkey in History, Myth, Ritual, and Reality; Instead of Chicken, Instead of Turkey: A Poultryless “Poultry” Potpourri; A Home for Henny; and The Holocaust and the Henmaid’s Tale: A Case for Comparing Atrocities.
Will Tuttle, PhD
Dr. Will Tuttle is an award-winning speaker, educator, musician and author of the #1 Amazon bestseller, The World Peace Diet. It has been called one of the most important books of the 21st century: the foundation of a new society based on the truth of the interconnectedness of all life.
Laura Lee
Laura Lee is an animal rights activist who lives from Burlington, Canada who has organized many events through her group Compassion for Animals. She’s been vegan since 2007. She likes collecting vegan recipes and creating her own dishes. She started a gluten-free blog when she was diagnose with Celiac disease She takes her fitness very seriously and says “I’m not going to be an 80 year old women in a fragile body.”
Coleen Tew
Coleen Tew is a retired postal worker who became vegan in 2008. She is a co-founder of Golden Horseshoe Farmed Animal Save and attends weekly vigils outside the local slaughterhouse.
Matthew Mellor
Coming Soon!
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