Why are you Vegan?

[robert]

Why are you vegan? I get this question all the time, as I'm sure most of you do.

 

I'm interested to hear lots of different responses. I just worked on a project with two other vegans and I was the only one who became vegan for animal rights reasons. The other two were for health benefits.

 

I'm also interested in what you say when people ask you Why?

 

I usually tell them because of animal rights reasons and most say, "oh, ok". Others will say, why? Sometimes I feel a little awkward talking to certain people about animal rights. I don't want to put down their lifestyle, that is never an effective way to drive a conversation so I always speak as politely as possible.

 

I'm just curious how some of you respond to this question and how you got into veganism in the first place.

 

Please share with us

[SeaSiren]

Health..the cholestrol from animal products caused high BP and and high cholestrol for me. After going Vegan, my levels are awesome without the need for any meds.

 

So for me Vegan = a greatly reduced risk of Stroke and/or Heat Attack, which is where I was headed.

[V VII Hero]

for health and moral reasons.

[kollision]

Moral reasons only. Health takes a back seat for me. Actually, at first, I thought my health was going to go downhill. I sure wouldnt mind eating a human burger though.

[compassionategirl]

Moral reasons only. Health takes a back seat for me.

 

Same here.

[Sknydpr]

I would NEVER go to these lengths for something as trivial as my health.

[compassionategirl]

I would NEVER go to these lengths for something as trivial as my health.

 

I don't know if you are joking or not, but I somewhat agree. Although I obviously value my health, I need to be motivated by something more than just "me, myself and I" to be able to live this lifestyle as best as I could. The suffering of billions of animals is WAY more motivation for me than simply "health." To do this for only health reasons, without being at all motivated by kindness to animals and the earth, is just not what my heart is like.

[kollision]

I would NEVER go to these lengths for something as trivial as my health.

 

I don't know if you are joking or not, but I somewhat agree. Although I obviously value my health, I need to be motivated by something more than just "me, myself and I" to be able to live this lifestyle as best as I could. The suffering of billions of animals is WAY more motivation for me than simply "health." To do this for only health reasons, without being at all motivated by kindness to animals and the earth, is just not what my heart is like.

 

Exactly. I think that any moral person would do the same.

[Sknydpr]

I would NEVER go to these lengths for something as trivial as my health.

 

I don't know if you are joking or not, but I somewhat agree.

 

I am entirely serious. Eating animal flesh doesn't kill you outright, and many omnivores live to a very ripe, old age. People who are vegetarian only for their health, and tell you so with their noses high in the air, make me insane. Their little lives, spent doing nothing more than creating more humans and consuming resources, are more important than the animals' lives?! I don't think so.

 

I'm only a little misanthropic, I swear.

[compassionategirl]

People who are vegetarian only for their health, and tell you so with their noses high in the air, make me insane. Their little lives, spent doing nothing more than creating more humans and consuming resources, are more important than the animals' lives?! I don't think so.

 

 

I WHOLEHEARTEDLY AGREE, and couldn't have said it better myself . People who are vegetarian ONLY for health reasons amaze me as well, (And not in a good way), but at any rate, as long as they keep their selfish grubbs off animals for WHATEVER reason, I am happy for the animals' sake. But your right on skinnydipper!!!!

 

Even if animal flesh was good for you, I would STILL not eat it because of ethical reasons. So I am on the same page as kollision and skinnydipper. Health benefits are a secondary consideration and motivation for me. First and foremost is the annual mass murder of innocents to satisfy human gluttony - and this reason should be abundantly enough in and of itself.

[kollision]

First and foremost is the annual mass murder of innocents to satisfy human gluttony - and this reason should be abundantly enough in and of itself.

 

Their little lives, spent doing nothing more than creating more humans and consuming resources, are more important than the animals' lives?! I don't think so.

 

You both got that right! I really think that US and other countries needs to become like China and have a 1 baby policy, or better yet, no babies. This earth is littered with our offsprings who are just going to make this world end sooner than ever. We are already draining many non renewable resources through fossil fuels and such. Killing is the big issue however. If you cant sympathize and feel bad for putting animals in such horrible conditions, I dont know what to say.

[savebabe]

I respect your opinions, I just don't agree with them.......children are our future and I donate regularly to charites that support children in 3rd world Countries. SO, I won't get into this debate.

 

I am a vegan for health reasons first, but also on grounds that will aid future generations by using less resources (which is why I choose organic produce and try whole heartedly to grow my own). Its important to understand that one persons opinion is as important as the rest (obviously my age is showing as I am not as argumenative as I used to be, and as I'm a Leo I AM always right and won't listen to you anyway)

 

I also support others with health issues (serious not trivial) by guiding them towards veganism although some (no matter how dire their situation) state that they could never give up their meat!!! What we say we become. One of my fave sayings to these people is "he with a will to live can bear just about any how."

[kollision]

Im sure a lot of people donate to causes but just dont say it. However, do you see any problem with factory farming and the torture that goes on their since you said that you only are vegan for health reasons?

[Sknydpr]

children are our future

 

I must respectfully disagree.

 

Overpopulation will be our destruction, and I'm not pointing the finger at third world countries.

[compassionategirl]

Man, I should really stay away from posts like this because it brings out the adversarial, confrontational side of me (cannot help it, hazards of the job). Anyway, here are my opinions. Please nobody take this as a personal attack - you know that I think of you all as my friends by now and really enjoy our cyberspace friendships. Havng said that, here goes:

 

 

While I love kids, and especially vegan or vegatarian (in other words, compassionate kids) like the ones I described under the thread "5 year old wisdom", in my opinion, the only "species" of animal that there is too much of on this earth are humans. I am sick and tired of the general human population's lame cosnciousness of the planet, and stupidity to not even realize that if we continue to watch the wonders of the planet disappear unprotected and forgotten, we will have only ourselves to blame for our inevitable extinction. Meat eaters are too selfish, ignorrant and greedy to lthink beyond their own miserable lives and leave an environment that is in tact for future generations, including their own kids. And it enrages me when I think that because of human greed and selfishness, millions of animals suffer and die brutal and shocking deaths every year.

 

I think it is imperative for children to be raised withn compassion, and respect for the planet and those with whom we share it. In that case, they will not be adults that are a "burden" on the environment and on animals, but rather, an asset - a friend of animals and the earth, which need as many friends and defenders as they can get. That is perfectly fine. But having said that, obviously children, while they are just children, are innocent and vulnerable (just like animals). It is the adults that they might grow up to be that is the threat, imo.

 

As far as reasons, like I said, it is first and foremost animal suffering. Next, it is environmental, and thirdly, it health. That is the order of importance for me. What would all you "I am vegan for health only" people do, I wonder, if meat was good for you? Would you not be vegan anymore, despite the mammoth extent of animal suffering and environmental damage caused by raising animals for food? Here are the quick stats as to what one would be supporting if they consumed animals, in case there are meat eaters reading this:

 

1. 10,000 animals are killed each MINUTE for meat production. That is 10,000 innocent and sentient lives lost for a selfish and greedy reason.

 

2. Raising animals for food requires pollutes more water than all other industrial uses COMBINED, is responsible for 85% of all top soil erosion in the US alone, and causes 130 times the excrement of the ENTIRE human population. That's a whole lot of crap! and we gotta put it somewhere and do something with it.

 

So should we all be concerned about our health? Of course! But to suggest that one's health is more important than the colossal magnitude of the death and destruction as outlined above has that familiar scent of human arrogance and selfishness.

 

As the supposedly "superior and smartest" species, generally we, as humans, are pretty stupid and neanderthal like. We are too stupid to see or realize what the earth will be like 100 years from now if we maintain the status quo.

 

WHo the h#@ll do we think we are? Animals are not ours to eat, and the environment is not ours to rape and pillage. And I would never suggest or even think that my health is more important than the thousands of innocent animals that I would be condemning to a miserable life and scary death every year by eating a meat diet. Nor would I suggest that my health is more important than the planet, the health of which is essential for the survival of ALL life on it, human and non. The importance of little old me, ONE human, should surely pale in comparison to all of that.

 

But that is just my opinion.

Edited July 7, 2005 by compassionategirl

[kollision]

Wow Nat, you said it in words that I would like to express without pointing the finger. You stated facts and those are all true. Of course, you left out a lot that goes on, but those who dont care in the first place probably wont care about what goes on in those factories, such as ripping out their throats while they are alive, have birds die scalding to death, etc. You make a whole lot of sense of how we are neanderthals.

[compassionategirl]

I really don't want to point any fingers. Unless one is perfect, it is hard to do that, and I think I can safely say that none of us are perfect. I sure as heck am far from it.

 

But I do feel strongly about raising kids that have an evolved sense of consciousness of the planet, and striving to live our lives with MINIMAL impact on INNOCENT others who have no choice in the matter and who are utterly at our mercy.

 

This is not a "choice". It is a moral imperative.

 

I'd take an ethical vegetarian over a "health only" vegan any day!!!

[Sknydpr]

I'd take an ethical vegetarian over a "health only" vegan any day!!!

 

Take them for what, exactly?

[compassionategirl]

I'd take an ethical vegetarian over a "health only" vegan any day!!!

 

Take them for what, exactly?

 

 

[Sknydpr]

[savebabe]

Compassion creates compassion I think Rob should have asked what the catalyst was that made each of us turn vegan, not our political views. It shouldn't matter how, or why I am a vegan just that I am. Why do you have such a problem with people being vegans for health reason? (note that I am an active animal activist also-so put that in your pipe an smoke it )

[CollegeB]

I think that nat has a problem with the health only vegans, because if that is their only reason to be vegan then they don't really understand why people become vegans. Honestly if you are only vegan for healthy why not wear leather? It's not unhealthy to wear leather. Just say you are a strict vegetarian. I really dont believe anyone can be a vegan and not care about animal welfare, maybe health was a catalyist to use skyndiprs term. Vegans are vegans no matter what the reason, maybe they just have a different focus. I am sure we all agree that animals deserve respect and that being vegan is healthy.

 

Though i was reading that vegetarianism is more in vogue now a days, and that does bother me since many people ascribe meaning to a vegetarian lifestyle and those just doing it because it is popular end up like drew berrymore saying they cannot live without meat and that is not a good representation for a meat free life. Anyone think veganism could ever get so superficial? I guess it would not be bad to have like 10 times more vegans than there are now even if they are shallow.

[compassionategirl]

Compassion creates compassion I think Rob should have asked what the catalyst was that made each of us turn vegan, not our political views. It shouldn't matter how, or why I am a vegan just that I am. Why do you have such a problem with people being vegans for health reason? (note that I am an active animal activist also-so put that in your pipe an smoke it )

 

Not sure what you mean by "compassion creates compassion".

 

Note that I don't have "a problem with people being vegan for health reasons." That is not what I said. I am unimpressed with people that are vegan for ONLY health reasons and don't give a flying f$#k about animals or the earth. People that could, in good conscience, return to meat eating so long as it was not detrimental to their own health, all else being the same. That is what I said, or at least that is what I meant. I never put you in that category, since in your post you clearly indicated that the environment was a factor for you as well, and I already knew you loved and cared for animals as is evident in your other posts. Chill!!!!!

 

In the end, though, even people that are vegan for themselves and that don't give a damn about the animals or the planet are STILL helping animals with their lifetsyle, whether they intend/want to or not. And that is obvioulsy a good thing. So from the animals' perspective, they are generally to be preferred to idiots who claim to "love animals" while at the same time stuffing their faces with hamburgers or chicken wings (last time I checked, a cow and a chicken was an animal too, not a vegetable). Edited to add: These people who "love animals" but eat animals, patronize circuses, zoos, etc. don't care about the animals as much as they care about the way animals make them feel. There is a subtle but important difference. The latter case is consistent with the "it's all about me and what animals can do for me attitude" that animal exploiters have.

 

As far as the comment about "political views", this is exactly the problem. There is NOTHING political about compassion for animals. This is a 100% moral issue, or should be anyway. It is a moral imperative, not a political view or political choice. It is basic human decency.

 

Keep up the great activist and animal rescuing work Charmaine. And don't be so defensive.

Edited July 7, 2005 by compassionategirl

[kollision]

As far as the comment about "political views", this is exactly the problem. There is NOTHING political about compassion for animals. This is a 100% moral issue, or should be anyway. It is a moral imperative, not a political view or political choice. It is basic human decency.

 

THat is so true. Its like saying killing babies is a political view or that Hitlers reign was a political one.

[compassionategirl]

Children are our future.."

 

But the critical question is what kind of future? A future of more rape and pillage of the earth, with tens of more billions of innocent lives lost?

 

Compassionate children, with an evolved sense of consciousness and "oneness" with the earth, are our brightest future, in my opinion. Kids like Seamus, who is an inspiration to people that are 6 times his age!!!

 

 

Edited to add the Seamus example.

Edited July 7, 2005 by compassionategirl