Live With Compassion.

 Before The Storm is very passionate about what we believe. One Belief that is super important to us is that people have the power to accomplish anything. Whether it’s through music or coming together and standing up for a good cause, we feel it’s important that we take responsibility for the world we inhabit.

Everything about our world is changing by the minute and if we want to have any say in those changes, we have to speak up. Just because something has “always been” doesn’t mean that’s how it should always be.

One organization we fully support in this is Peta2. In case you don’t know what that is, we’ll fill you in. PETA is the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Peta2 is the youth division of PETA that deals strongly with teenagers and young adults changing the world we live in for the better by promoting a life of compassion, love and respect for all the earth’s creatures.

What does this have to do with music? Glad you asked ;) There are so many bands that have caught on to the importance of loving everyone and exploiting and torturing no one (including animals). Peta2 is very involved in the music scene, being present on numerous tours including Warped tour, and has sat down with many artists to discuss various animal rights issues that we should all be aware of. By visiting their website (Peta2.com) you can watch/read interviews from some of your favorite bands or artists and see where they stand on important issues and why they chose to live with compassion.

 Some of you might be thinking…”OK, why do I care what they think about animals? Everyone likes animals…so what?” Its okay I have been there to. I didn’t understand why it was such a big deal when a band I liked did an ad or interview with Peta2 until after I watched the interviews. There are so many issues that greatly affect they we live and we don’t even know about most of them. Because so many bands/artists are taking a stand against animal cruelty, knowledge about what is really going on is spreading.

Do you know what kind of pain was suffered for your Big Mac? If you’re going to eat it then you should know about the life it had before you consumed it. Cows on factory farms live miserable lives only until they get hung upside down by their legs, and  have their throat slit so all their blood can drain out (sometimes while their still conscious) so they can be chopped and sold in the meat industry.

Do you go to the circus? Elephants are whipped with bull hooks that tear out chunks of their skin, all so they can be humiliated when they are sent out to entertain a crowd. They aren’t aggressive creatures and they don’t even fight back. If they were left in their homes where they are supposed to be we could easily find something else to entertain ourselves with.

There are so many cruel things happening to animals it would take forever to talk about. Fortunately Peta2 has it all covered.  If you want to know about any animal related issues please visit the peta2 website and educate yourself and your friends. This generation has so much power and influence. What we do with that is our choice. I believe that if everyone educated themselves and understood all the terrible things that are happening, we could make a huge difference and change the way we live, for the better.

Below is a list of some of the bands associated with Peta2. See any bands you like? Find out what issues they are standing up for and find out how you can help animals at Peta2.com.

                                                                                         Hope you’re inspired,

                                                                                               —BTSP

Bring Me The Horizon, NeverShoutNever, Anti-Flag, Kid Sister, Sean Kingston, Set Your Goals, The All-American Rejects, We The Kings, Sum 41,  Alkaline Trio, Carrie Underwood, The Bouncing Souls, Four Year Strong, The Dillinger Escape Plan, The Summer Set, Escape The Fate, Chiodos, Silverstein, Saosin, Aiden, The Academy is…, A Day To Remember, All Time Low, A Rocket To The Moon, Attack Attack!, Bayside, hellogoodbye, Hit The Lights, Justin Beiber, Stick to Your Guns, The Maine, Tom Delonge (Angels & Airwaves and Blink 182) , Underoath, NOFX, Valencia, Big D and the Kids Table, The AKAs Cobra Starship, AFI,  As I Lay Dying, Good Charlotte,  Rise Against, My Chemical Romance, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Dead To Me, The Used, Madina Lake, Good Riddance, Between the Buried and Me, Propaghandi, Cute is What We Aim For, Story of the Year, The Loved Ones, Fear Before the March of Flames, Sick of it All, Most Precious Blood, and so, SO many more.