Two readers have asked me that question in the past few days.
Imagine what would happen if these two generous people “caught the vision” relative to what must be done.
First of all, why should he? Because he has publicly stated that eating meat is grossly unsustainable. He’s also invested heavily in companies like Beyond Meat and Hampton Creek, who have “taken the animal out of the equation” by producing great-tasting, plant-based meats, cheeses, mayo, etc.
That’s why it’s so infuriating that he doesn’t connect ALL the dots and put his mighty VOICE and WEALTH behind promoting an URGENT shift toward plant-based eating for ALL humans. Not only is it essential for saving our ecosystem, there is also a HUGE two-pronged fringe benefit.
- Better health and less disease for everyone
- Dramatic reduction in the cost of healthcare (“disease care”)
Reader from Germany. One of the folks who asked me about Gates this week lives in Germany and is using my book and some of my blogs in workshops for groups of twenty people. On 6-24-14, he wrote:
Dear Jim, Tomorrow I’m going to give my Workshop presentation about “Healthy Eating, Healthy World,” it will be good 😉 I’m already using every opportunity to share your ideas by speaking up and sharing knowledge when I attend presentations about climate change, etc.
You know, I believe it’s time for a worldwide movement promoting individual responsibility, starting with ourselves, the food we eat & the amount of stuff we consume—in order to challenge the status quo and change the world into “The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible‘‘ (great book by Charles Eisenstein).
I also followed your blog for a while and really thought about your idea of finding a billionaire to catch your vision. I asked myself:
Why on earth would a highly intelligent person like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet NOT understand and promote your idea?
Only one possible answer came to my mind: They already have a better plan. Do you have another explanation? Regards, Marlin
Promoting health, hope & harmony on planet Earth—with the “Save the world” diet.
Hi Marlin,
Thank you for your note and I’m delighted you’re using my book for your workshop tomorrow. Tell everyone I said hello.
As for Gates and Buffett. First of all, they do not have a better plan; they have no viable plan at all. They’re focused on relieving suffering (which is good), but are not URGENTLY addressing the systemic changes needed in the human process that determines how the entire planet is used—EATING.
Here’s my top-ten list of reasons that might explain why they (and all the other hundreds of billionaires in the world) are not promoting my idea:
World’s 3rd Richest Man has prostate cancer at 81—and he’s not a big fan of broccoli or asparagus.
- Unaware. Despite my best efforts, they probably don’t know about my idea.
- Validity? When they do hear about it, they’ll assume it can’t be valid because the large environmental groups (that they trust) are totally ignoring the topic.
- More validity? They will wonder how valid it could be if NONE of the prominent schools of nutrition or schools of medicine in the world are endorsing it.
- People won’t change. If they understood the concept, they’d be like everyone else and just say it would be impossible to get millions of people to start eating far less MDEF, (meat, dairy, eggs and fish.)
- Selfish. They don’t want to stop eating MDEF themselves. Buffett brags about not eating vegetables. He thinks it’s funny, quoted in a 2012 TIME piece, “I haven’t had a taste of broccoli or asparagus in years!” he boasts. “I formed my thoughts on eating at the age of 5, and I haven’t changed them.”
- Money. Maybe they think it could trigger a financial collapse in the short term.
- No conviction. They have no courage, conviction or resolve to do whatever it takes to save our civilization.
- Their image. They would no longer be revered as the great, wonderful and highly admired people they think they are now.
- Their popularity would suffer in a big way; telling people they must eat more plants in the short term is not going to go over very well at first. Remember the three stages of truth: ridicule, violent opposition and acceptance.
- Embarrassment. They would have a great deal of difficulty admitting that they were wrong about the most basic thing in life all these years—“Eating the wrong food.”
The Bottom Line. All of the above is why I keep saying, “All we need is one powerful leader and a few caring billionaires. A completely enlightened and committed, powerful leader like Ted Turner or Bill Clinton could quickly attract the attention of all the world’s powerful leaders AND all the world’s billionaires.
Sadly the noble, yet splintered, efforts of millions of people trying to make things right in this world is a simple case of too little, too late.
The ONLY viable path out of this mess—is a privately funded, coordinated and executed, HUGE global awareness campaign that explains, with total CLARITY, what we all should be eating—regardless of our blood type.
One more thing, will we still be friends if Team USA beats Germany later today in the World Cup?
A few references documenting “my idea.” Beginning with my 3-21-14 letter to Bill and Melinda that, despite my best efforts, has probably not made it into their hands. Five of my blog-posts from the past five weeks:
- Posted 5-27-14. Just ONE powerful leader and a few caring billionaires
- Posted 6-05-14. Infestation, civilization, problems, predicaments & leadership
- Posted 6-14-14. Leaders. Billionaires. The future of our civilization.
- Posted 6-19-14. If I could pick just one leader, it would be Ted Turner.
- Posted 6-25-14. Reduce Livestock. Reforest the Land. Sequester GHG.
The following five books and one DVD can be purchased on Amazon for a grand total of less than $60—and will enable you to understand the overwhelming challenges we face—along with the single most-powerful solution of all.
Six-Pack from Hicks—for health, hope & harmony on planet Earth
- Healthy Eating, Healthy World, The “big picture” about food (our book)
- A life changer for millions, including James Cameron. Forks Over Knives DVD
- An essential scientific resource: The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell; the primary book that influenced Bill Clinton to adopt a whole food, plant-based diet.
- What have we done to our planet? Full Planet, Empty Plates by Lester Brown
- A horrifying wake-up call for leaders. TEN BILLION by Dr. Stephen Emmott
- Food choices are the primary cause of our environmental problems, yet our world leaders, scientists & experts are Comfortably Unaware, by Richard Oppenlander.
Why should we be eating mostly plants? The “big picture” in 4 minutes.
Want to find out how healthy your family is eating? Take our free 4Leaf Survey. It takes 2 or 3 minutes and you can score it yourself. After taking the survey, please give me your feedback as it will be helpful in the development of our future 4Leaf app for smartphones. Send feedback to jmorrishicks@me.com
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J. Morris Hicks, working daily to promote health, hope and harmony on planet Earth.
To order more of my favorite books—visit our online BookStore now For help in your own quest to take charge of your health, visit our 4Leaf page and also enjoy some great recipes from Lisa’s 4Leaf Kitchen. Got a question? Let me hear from you at jmorrishicks@me.com. Or give me a call on my cell at 917-399-9700.
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J. Morris Hicks, engineer. writer. big picture guy. 
In attempting to find like-minded people on LinkedIn concerned about all the issues you so eloquently address, I joined a Health and Wellness Group asking for others to share how we can respond to the shift in culinary and ecological preferences away from the industrial food complex and its unhealthy effects. Thank Heavens, I found you from a responder! I authored, ‘Living Perfect Health, The Art of Healthy Eating and Cleansing, a Three-Week Protocol to contribute a daily guide to every meal so the hoards of people who want to change, can! Thank you for your work, I look forward to a deep study.
Jim, have you seen the Cowspiracy Project? http://www.animalsunitedmovement.org/ and http://www.cowspiracy.com/
Yes I have. I know the lead researcher personally and saw the complete film back in January. They tell the story of an American nun who was assassinated in South America for her activism in resisting the destruction of rainforest by the cattle industry. As for the three stages of truth: Ridicule–Violent Opposition–Acceptance, we’re barely into the first stage. If this film, my blog and other initiatives are successful—and we get into the “Violent Opposition” stage, there will be more people who will get killed or will be thrown in jail like Nelson Mandela. There are trillions of dollars riding on maintaining the status quo. The planet be damned, people don’t like giving up their money. Be well, Jim
Jim,
How bleak is this, following your ten reasons why finding the Messiah is so difficult. And yet in spite of all the negatives, you remain optimistic.
You are a remarkable man and I hope your vision for the future of humanity bears fruit.
Good luck, JIm, but you are going to need more than luck.
Sal Liggieri
Hi Sal, As I keep saying, all we need is ONE POWERFUL LEADER to “catch the vision.” Like in my executive recruiting business, we’re only need ONE candidate—if he or she is the right candidate. Yes, we will need more than LUCK, we’ll also need a boatload of money. Hence, the “few caring billionaires.” Be well, Jim
Please don’t sneer or laugh at what I am going to suggest, but another person who I think is intelligent and caring and will address tough and/or controversial issues is Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central. He is mostly noted for his humor and satire, but at the end of the show he talks to authors, actors, politicians, activists, etc. and is a very good interviewer.
The other night he had an author who has celiac/gluten issues and Jon disclosed that his own son suffers from this, as well. Through his use of humor, he influences a lot of people and gets them to think about topics they may not have considered before. I believe you said you are updating your book. It would be great if Jon would talk to you about your book and sustainability on his show.