The Official Website of Michael Corthell

''Having been asked many times, 'What is a vegan?' I wanted to come up with a very minimal, straightforward answer. Here it is: 'A vegan is a defender of lives'. -- Michael Corthell, The Book of Vegan The Village Vegan's mission and purpose for being is to publicize, promote and vigorously defend Veganism as an ideology and lifestyle. The vegan lifestyle prevents a tremendous amount of animal slaughter and suffering. It offers a potent way to shrink our environmental footprint, especially in regard to climate change. The positive 'side effects' of a 100% whole foods, plant based diet can be the very real possibility of achieving the highest levels of fitness, while reducing your risk of various chronic diseases. Our organization's mission is to promote Veganism by engaging with, and informing our viewers by highlighting the positive effects of the Vegan lifestyle.

The hardest times of your life can and often do lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep pushing through, there's a reward for doing that. “Say something positive, and you’ll see something positive.”  — Jim Thompson

“Do not do to others what angers you if done to you by others.” ― Socrates Were what you do to others to came back on you instantly, would you still act in the same way? Doing to others what you’d rather not have done to you reveals a defect not unlike a narcissistic personality disorder.

A great fire burns within me, but no one stops to warm themselves at it,  and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke” ― Vincent Van Gogh When you have a dream, don’t just sit there. Nothing happens until something moves!

by Michael Corthell We don't have to worry about what the world needs from us. We only have to ask ourselves what makes us come alive and do it as our life's work. We only need to do this because what the world needs is not only love but also, people who love what they do—people who have come alive! ''My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.'' — Maya Angelou Maybe you know you're not doing what you love. Maybe your life lacks deeper meaning, and you have no idea what you're really passionate about. Maybe you need to find out what you are doing with your life? Maybe? No, you will definitely find out, because people were born to find true happiness and given the ability to do so. There is a key that will unlock it. And that key is within your own mind and lies within your own self-honesty. If you haven't found your true call

Background Panentheism is the belief that God intersects every part of the universe and also extends beyond space and time. The term was coined by the German philosopher Karl Krause in 1828 to distinguish the ideas of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770–1831) and Friedrich Wilhelm Joseph Schelling (1775–1854) about the relation of God and the universe from the supposed pantheism of Baruch Spinoza . Unlike pantheism, which holds that the divine and the universe are identical , panentheism maintains an ontological distinction between the divine and the non-divine and the significance of both. In panentheism, the universal spirit is present everywhere, which at the same time " transcends " all things created. While pantheism asserts that "all is God", panentheism claims that God is greater than the universe. Some versions of panentheism suggest that the universe is nothing more than the manifestation of God. In addition, some forms indicate that the universe

The number one operating rule for the Universe is 'stay in balance'. Be like the Universe . There is little success in life if you don't have a balance of health, purpose, hope, and optimism.

“You give but little when you give of your possessions.  It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” ― Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet Do what you can, give what you can.  Be that person.

by Michael Corthell 'Givers get', what does that mean and is it true? I have found that after closely watching how salespeople operate, the most productive ones are actually those who put their customers’ interests first. Most of us, through experience come to realize that it is the givers who get the most goodness out of life. Givers have a reputation for freely sharing what they know, transferring their skills to others, and helping people find jobs without worrying about ''what’s in it for them''. ''I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.'' ― Maya Angelou Many studies have shown that when one person in a community becomes a giver, it causes others in the community to give, and will then create a chain of giving that is contagious. Giving is the divine side human nature. We all benefit when we give.  It is a proven fact that the good guys do finish first, not last.    Giv

  The Universe can be likened to  a Karma Café ; there are no menus, you are served what you deserve — no more and no less. The Universe presents you with the experiences that are most helpful for the evolution of your spirit...period. You choose how to respond to them. “Karma comes after everyone eventually. You can't get away with screwing people over your whole life, I don't care who you are. What goes around comes around. That's how it works. Sooner or later the universe will serve you the revenge that you deserve.” ― Jessica Brody, The Karma Club

  Absolute Zero is the state of zero point energy -- a state of no molecular movement -- no change. Change looks pretty good from that perspective. “The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” ― Albert Einstein

by Michael Corthell If someone says to you, ''Tell me what to do!''  What is the best answer? There are millions of answers, and it is okay to honor their request, especially to help them out of a 'spot', but a better request for them to make is this, ''Please help me train my mind to adapt to any circumstance.'' This is very much like teaching someone to fish, rather than just giving them a fish. Helping other people to find within themselves the tools not only for survival, but to also grow and THRIVE is good. ''Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.'' —Stephen Hawking While answered questions and planning are necessary, people who accept life on life's terms, the stoics, don't need an answer for every question or a plan for every single contingency. They simple do not worry. Why is that? Because they have confidence in themselves. They believe that they'll be able to adapt to any situation an

The power that formed the body heals the body. Whether or not you believe in a divine source, there's no denying that something exists in a living thing that doesn't exist in something no longer living. From a dead body to a dead branch on the ground, the life force just isn’t there any longer. That force permeates and connects us all; plant, animal and human. That is equality. Holding onto the past we delay all healing, mental and physical. The sooner we heal the abuse(through forgiveness), the sooner we free ourselves from the people who harmed us. By hating them, we only hold onto the hurt. We cannot heal unless we unchain ourselves from the hate.