A DELICATE BALANCE - THE TRUTH
By Claudette Vaughan

Thought-provoking and life changing is a common description about Australian director Aaron Scheibner's latest film with its strong pro-vegan message – A Delicate Balance – the Truth, is changing how people formerly thought about animals, the food they eat and the planet that's their home.

Does A Delicate Balance signal the beginning of a strong vegan plant based message going out into the world to save ourselves, the animals and all of creation including the Earth?

I sincerely hope so. I do hope that the film does make a difference to the lives of animals and people and relieves some of the suffering in the world.

The message is an unadulterated look at the ill-effects of maintaining a meat and dairy centred diet. Talk about how this affects our health Aaron.

Study after study has shown that a diet rich in fruits and vegetables contributes to a healthy body. This is not the case with meat and dairy products, including eggs. These 'foods' are very rich. Our bodies cannot take these rich foods for long periods of time without the body telling us enough is enough.

Human have already altered the world negatively. In theory the technological capacity and advancement that rich countries have at their fingertips should have exponentially amplified their ability to create change yet this hasn't happened.  Why do you think this has not occurred in relation to changing over from a meat and dairy diet to a plant-based diet?

I believe it all comes down to change. Generally, humans don't like change. We like things to be certain and remain the same. However, it is said that change is the only constant. It probably comes down to our stubbornness and our taste buds; For some reason people think that rotting flesh is tasty. At this stage in human history we, as a race, are getting sicker and sicker. With this said, people will change, but some may choose not to. For the most part, once the majority of people become aware of something that they were not aware of before, they do make the changes they thought they never would, or could have made.

Agribusiness today is the largest polluter of any industry. What are some figures from A Delicate Balance to support this statement?

The figures on this are incredible! Here are some of the facts that have been included in the film: Nitrous oxide is even more powerful at capturing heat energy than carbon dioxide. About 300 times more powerful. And some 70% comes from animal agriculture.

There are huge consequences of animal agriculture on the environment. The first step in animal agriculture is that native forest have to be destroyed: 50% of the total US land area is used to produce food and 70% of this food is fed directly to animals which are grown for our food. If we did not eat animals, vast areas of land, currently used for agriculture, could be allowed to regrow natural forests to take up the carbon dioxide and help cool the planet.

Destroying forest changes climate. If as little an area as 20 by 20 kms of natural forest is destroyed, the climate of the whole region will change. This research has been conducted by Professor Tom Lyons of Murdoch University in Western Australia; the result is drought, which is exactly what we are experiencing in large parts of Australia.

What did you find, while researching A Delicate Balance, are the keys to a successful long life?

The 'the secret' behind 'the secret' is that many of the influential people through the ages have been vegetarian.  That is one of the steps of a successful life. Others include a positive outlook: seeing the bright side of any situation and making the best of it. Being creative and thinking 'outside the square' are also attributes that contribute to success. Success also comes from failing at something: if a venture doesn't work, you will find another way to go about your task if you are determined to see it through. Above all, whatever we do we should do it with love and be as non-violent as we possibly can be.

Is a vegan diet a direct threat to big business where everyone including JFK, Hilary Clinton right at the beginning with Bill Clinton and Bob LeBow who died mysteriously have tried to change the American health care system to a more equitable system to help the poor with Universal Health Care (meaning single user = all Americans get health care) haven't been able to change the system.  The current User Pays system is still the status quo meaning if you can't pay then you die off.  These things aren't occurring haphazardly. Tell us your views.

Quite to the contrary. The vegan industry as such is growing and there is plenty of room for growth. People have to eat no matter who they are, where they live, or what their backgrounds are etc. For the starving masses, this would mean more food to eat and a better quality of life.

 It is estimated that the ethical industry is worth £29.3 billion. There is so much room for growth it is almost ridiculous. The third party distributors, such as manufactures and the super markets, make more money than the farmers combined. And yet the farmers and labours who work hard 7 days a week, don't get reimbursed fairly. This does not make sense. If farmers were to combine their efforts as do Dairy Farmers, for example, and create a grain co-operative and manufacture their own products, such as biscuits, crackers and similar healthy vegan products, they would make a fortune.

I do not know a lot about the American health care system other than it is responsible for unnecessary deaths. The way we treat the diseases of affluence is the third most common cause of death. However, if meat and dairy products were eliminated from the diet of Americans, Australians, and other developed countries around the world, the incidence of the diseases of affluence would be greatly diminished. At this point in time, the inefficient and ineffective health care system of today would be more effective as we came to understand some of the real cause of disease instead of attempting to relieve the end results of destroying the body with wrong foods with drugs that have other undesirable effects on the whole body. This would eliminate the majority of preventable diseases entering and overwhelming the hospital system unnecessarily.

Governments, private corporations and individuals across the world could have a surplus of cash reserves, that would no longer go into the treatment of illness and diseases; most of which, are preventable with the almost too simple way of eating the right foods: a vegan based diet with plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, with minimal sugar and other refined foods. At the 'end of the day', big business would make a lot more money, which is lost through ill health. This is making health insurance almost not affordable for a lot of businesses. There are many hidden costs such as loss of productivity that are not taken into account.

Why has animal agriculture and the research on the cancerous effects of meat eating been shoved into the background in the global warming debate Aaron, when meat eating and its abolition is a critical part of the climate change equation?

I wish I knew the answer to that one! I believe it comes down to human nature. Humans shy away from change; especially drastic and quick change which this understanding calls for. Most people would rather look the other way and have things remain the same instead of changing, even if it means a better way to live, a healthier way to live.

We seek out what is easiest. However, some of us mix up short term pleasure for long term pain. To give you an example. Someone goes out with their mates for dinner; they have steak and mash. It tastes good, they have a laugh or two and then make their merry way home. However, in years to come (depending on the person's constitution) they will gain weight, get sick in some shape or form, or even develop cancer.

Unfortunately, most people don't think about the long term effects of a meat based diet. They are also unaware of the animals who suffer to make it onto their plate; people continue to indulge in eating meat at their own and others expense. There are many conscious and intelligent people out there who still eat a meat based diet. Some in the vegan world may disagree with me on this one; however, it comes down to education and knowledge about these subjects. For the most part, it is challenging and not so easy for the general public to find out this information about the ill effects of a meat based diet, let alone animal suffering and environmental degradation.

Provide us in your own words from A Delicate Balance with the ethical debate against meat and dairy consumption, the environmental debate, the natural resources debate, the cancer debate and solving world hunger debate.

Originally, I intended to depict the cruelty and torture endured by animals at the alter of the almighty T-bone taste buds. Surely that would put the world off meat forever? I soon realised, however, that it would also put the world off the movie forever! So I decided to create a film that clearly illustrates how diet and non violence are critical to the health and well-being of all Life on earth and that it's possible to live a life that's conducive to peace, love and prosperity.

The main theme of A Delicate Balance is human health: how we become sick through the consumption of animal based foods and how our environment suffers as a consequence. It does briefly touch upon the ethical and hunger debates. It's a starting point; it helps to uncover the myths of what happens to the food animals of the world and why there are so many starving people across the planet.

A Delicate Balance is part of a documentary series; this was unintended, the film took on a life of its own. Part Two will focus on a number of issues, including the many ways we interact with animals in both positive and a negative way. Its about ethics, human responsibilities and many other things; at this stage I am looking at all the possibilities of where the film will lead and draw me to subjects that need to be explored and brought to light.

In England today it is not uncommon to see mainstream vegan families all over the countryside.   This shows how veganism is not a pipedream. How are we going to achieve the same results in Australia without devastating the land and animals, as happened in England with Mad Cows Disease from the mid-80's onwards?  What does being an ethical vegan mean to you?

I believe that the film will play a big role in helping to educate and eduvolve the Australian public: not only can we reduce the suffering of animals and people alike, but also relieve environmental pressures like water restrictions and drought conditions which affect all of us. I believe it comes down to grass roots: the seeds have been planted over time, and now we are starting to see the 'fruit' of all those who, over the years, have made their impact in a big or small way. Every single individual makes an impact much larger than they realise and no act in the right direction is too small to make a difference.

Being vegan is a step closer to living a non-violent life, in fact it is a crucial step towards that end. In researching for the film, I started to read up about MK Gandhi who lived a life of non-violence or ahimsa. Being a vegan is a very important aspect of this: eating foods that are plant based, wearing clothes that didn't harm another creature, caring for animals that cannot care for themselves and so much more. It also means being kind and compassionate to those who are not vegan or vegetarian themselves. I was once one of them and had no idea. Being vegan is also about sharing your life and giving back more than you take.

A Delicate Balance recently played in movie houses around Australia. What message do you want people to go away with and will the Australian Greens and meat-eating environmentalists ever take it on board?

A Delicate Balance was screened in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart and Byron Bay earlier this year.  The film has just been released online where people can watch on a pay per view basis ($4.95 USD) or buy the DVD from http://adelicatebalance.tv/

From the comments I have received, I would say 9 out of 10 people have changed their eating patterns and gone either dairy free, dropped the red meat, or gone straight to eating vegan after watching the film. I have been contacted by numerous vegetarians who didn't know what went into milk/dairy production and these people have gone vegan. This is a very informative film and seems most effective in initiating a change in food habits. My aim is to help educate people about how meat and dairy affect human health, animal's lives and the health of the planet itself.

From the feedback I have received, I am optimistic that once people (environmentalists and people alike) become aware of the facts and what goes into meat production, animal agriculture and over use of resources, they appear to be more willing to open their minds to change and begin their own journey of greater understanding.

We are organising a free university tour across Australia next year. There has also been a fair bit of interest from the United States, so I am extending the tour there.

We are looking for volunteers who can help with the tour. Please generate interest and support from your university, whether in sponsorship, promotion, or general assistance. If you can volunteer your time in some way please get in contact with us via the film's web site.

We do not yet have a team to organise this tour, it is just myself and some friends, so any help you can offer will be much appreciated. The more help we have the more we can spread the word and share this information.

Aaron can be contacted:
Email: oneworld@adelicatebalance.tv
Web Address:  www.adelicatebalance.com.au