So you see that ahimsa has two sides to it, one negative and one positive, to be understood and practiced together, in balance. This can help us determine what we should not do and what we should.
H. Jay Dinshah
Dynamic Harmlessness Day is a holiday dedicated to the life of Jay Dinshah, the founder of the American Vegan society. Dynamic harmlessness is a term used by people who practice non-violence and is coined by Jay himself. If you have ever wondered why vegans choose the diet they chose, then this is the concept that brought them to veganism. So, let’s learn more about what dynamic harmlessness is about and see how you can start practicing it in your daily life.
History of Dynamic Harmlessness Day
Dynamic harmlessness is based off of the term “Ahimsa”, which means non-harming. While the term originally had negative connotations such as a “Thou Shalt Not” aspect to it, it wasn’t until Mahatma Gandhi changed the meaning of the term, stressing a more positive light on the idea of constructive action. This is where the idea of doing the least amount of harm comes in, removing as much hurting, killing, and harm while replacing it with helping, assistance, and kindness. This is a philosophy that many vegans follow, such as Jay Dinshah.
Dynamic Harmlessness Day brings awareness to the concept Jay promoted in the vegan community. Jay and his wife founded the American Vegan Society upon these ideals, and Jay continually supported a more positive action in relation to the world instead of a negative one, promoting non-harm when it comes to what people consume. Because Jay promoted this idea throughout his life, the day was dedicated by the American Vegan Society on his birthday as a way to promote his ideas to others to the world. Hence, dynamic harmlessness has become a popular ideology amongst communities that believe in the act of nonviolence.
How to Celebrate Dynamic Harmlessness Day
If you want to know how you can prevent harm throughout your life, start by listing you think of as harmful and write them down. Start a plan to remove the harm little by little by changing small acts throughout your life, such as starting to recycle, only eating chicken, and buying from stores that don’t require child labor to produce. You can also spread the definition of dynamic harmlessness during this holiday through your social media by hashtagging #dynamicharmlessnessday and educating your friends about what they can do if they’re interested.
