VEGAN (pronounced VEE-gn): a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as possible and practical, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose. In dietary terms, it refers to the practice of dispensing with all animal products-- including meat, fish, poultry, eggs, milk, honey and their derivatives. (from The Vegan Society, U.K., formed in 1944)
"The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than black people were made for whites, or women created for men." --Alice Walker
I was not raised in a family that had a natural affinity toward animals. Even though there was a cat in the house and a rabbit in the yard, I was not taught to care about them. It wasn't until I got my own cat as an adult that my heart started to open. I could see that Jazz had feelings and needs just like humans do, that he enjoyed sleep and comfort and affection.
Going vegetarian wasn't enough in the long run. I was still choosing the disconnect when it came to the production of dairy and eggs. Eventually, another blockage was opened in my heart. I knew that to continue to pay for any animal foods was to keep my connection to this horrific factory farming scene. The cheese and chocolate milk and eggs I enjoyed still came from the suffering of these same innocent animals that are treated like machines. Even though I was eating mostly organic, to do so was to still pay someone to slaughter them. I knew that I could no longer eat animals or their byproducts because it simply is not necessary for my survival.
I became vegan. Now I can look into the soulful eyes of a gentle steer that was once confined to a dark veal crate with a chain about his neck, and a tiny calf that was once destined to become veal. I can rub the belly of a once-caged pig fast asleep in the sun, I can stroke a chicken who was once painfully debeaked and confined to a tiny cage, and I can say to these beautiful creatures with peace in my heart that I no longer support the industrialized torture and killing of their brothers.
Please click on this image to see the wonderful place where I volunteer and to learn more about factory farming
Another reason I went vegan is to boycott world hunger. I know that a little child in a third world country drops dead every three seconds because there is nothing to eat, yet the amount of land used in his or her country to grow cash crops for cattle feed is staggering. If everyone cut his or her meat consumption by half, farmers could use their land to feed their own people. World hunger would come to an end. There is more than enough food to go around, and I could no longer support the feeding of cows over humans because I liked butter on my toast.
"A man of spiritual intensity does not eat corpses" -- George Bernard Shaw
Another reason for me to go vegan is for my health. I know that a diet based on animal flesh and fluids is directly linked to the major illnesses causing death-- cancer, diabetes, stroke, heart attack. "Harming None" includes myself. As more and more nutritionists are realizing, that food chart we all remember from elementary school is nothing but an advertisement put out by the meat and dairy industry to raise profits. There is absolutely no nutrient in a meat-based diet that I cannot receive from plants, including B-12, calcium, iron and protein. It just takes a little more attention to what I'm eating. Since eliminating all animal foods from my diet, I feel cleaner, lighter and have more energy.
I also know that because of the epidemic of mastitis in dairy cows, there's an infinite amount of pus in the milk supply, and, uh... that's just disgusting.
�The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated." --Mohandas Gandhi
Cows, chickens, pigs, turkeys and fish, just like our cats and dogs, are flesh and blood, have social and psychological lives, and feel pain, terror and suffering just like humans. They just want to live their lives in comfort, freedom and happiness. They deserve that right, just as we do. Yet more than 25 billion animals are raised and killed each year in ways that would horrify any compassionate person. The sad fact is that most of these compassionate people simply don't know the truth. And sadder still is that many don't want to know.
Most compassionate people feel sadness when they see a "roadkill" deer or squirrel. This is because they see needless accidental death before them, yet they do not think about the fortunate freedom in nature that this animal once enjoyed. Many people are also appalled by hunting practices, yet the venizon steak is generally a much more humane food item than a bowl of ice cream or a Hershey bar. What is not seen is the terrifying life of the factory farm food animal. Out of sight, out of mind. We burn the flesh, put ketchup on it, rename it, and eat it. We still choose the disconnect.
There isn't one single reason for me to eat animal flesh or fluids, but 25 billion reasons for me not to. Each time I sit down to a meal, it is a life-affirming act. And vegans don't live on salads! We enjoy pizza, pasta, ice cream, sushi, chocolate and all the other yummy vegan cuisine out there. And best of all, it's 100% cruelty-free.
"I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being."--Abraham Lincoln
I truly believe the path of the vegan is the path of the compassionate human being. Above all other reasons, the main reason I'm vegan is LOVE. It has brought me a peace and openness of heart that I can't begin to describe. Words will never be enough. The only way to know that peace is to try it for yourself. If you'd like to go vegetarian or vegan but don't know where to begin, I'd be more than thrilled to show you how.
If you enjoyed this essay,
click here for another enjoyable read from a vegan convert.