Being vegan is very interesting. It’s one of those things that seemingly brings you attention when mentioned. Oh, you’re vegan? How’s that like? How long have you been vegan? Why are you vegan? The default questions that I typically receive are harmless. People are generally curious when they meet a vegan because it’s not common to do so. Less than 1% of the world is vegan. Quite frankly though, that’s still a lot of vegans when you think about it.
You can find vegans in every corner of the world. As veganism becomes more popular and accessible, it becomes a normal part of our everyday lives. In the UK for instance, you can find a vegan restaurant or shop almost everywhere you go. This excites me, because I can see the movement growing year after year, and I’m all for it!
Moreover, I find the vegan perspective very interesting. Living a life where you abstain from animal consumption goes against most cultures. Humans have long inhabited the Earth with the need to eat and wear animals. As time went on, this need reduced to the point where some people will live a life without cruelty. Nevertheless, there are different ideas and misconceptions about veganism due to its infamy in the mainstream. In this article, I’m going to answer 5 “challenging” questions regarding veganism.
What’s the point of veganism?
The answer to a question like this is simple : what is the point of anything? Being vegan means to stop consuming all animal products. From an “ism” perspective, I think of it as a movement that aims to eradicate all animal suffering. By eradicating animal suffering, veganism hopes to achieve an utopian world that is cruelty-free. Very ambitious, but not unrealistic if you have high hopes. I think that a more moderate approach would be to decrease animal suffering. Although I don’t believe animal exploitation will end entirely, I do think that humans are good at creating solutions. For instance, lab grown meat might become scalable and affordable. This will decrease the overall exploitation and resource plundering, even though animal consumption will continue. From an ethical perspective, this becomes a net positive.
As a whole, the expansion of veganism across the world lets people live a life that aligns with their morals. As a human collective, we can push for policies and legislations that abate animal suffering across the board. This is a slow and tedious process, but each year, people around the world chip away at this iceberg. As time goes on, we can possibly see more apparent changes that help create a better world for all Earthlings.
Why did you go vegan? / Should I go vegan?
This is a more personal question, which is somewhat related to the previous one. However, the answer falls to the individual. What made me go vegan was a mix of different things. I would say that the health aspect of a plant-based diet was the driving factor at the start. Nonetheless, I was fully aware of the exploitation in animal-based industries, which also impacted my decision. After a while, my “why” changed, as I grew more passionate about the ethical side of veganism.
I met many people who told me they’re trying to become vegan or are on the fence about it. I’m not someone that is going to push others to become vegan. My sole motivation is to provide another perspective on things. Ultimately, the decision falls on you. People will go vegan because of their partner for example, only to start eating meat again. Veganism doesn’t work like that. In my opinion, it doesn’t make sense to be a “part-time” vegan. Being vegan means to adhere to a lifestyle that is very straightforward. Doing this “part-time” will still involve supporting animal exploitation. As such, if you truly want to go vegan, then go for it. If you think this isn’t for you yet, then that’s fair too.
Why are vegans so annoying?
I more often come across this as a comment rather than a question, but I had to include it. I’ll be honest, there is some truth to this. Like any movement that relies on activism, you’ll find people that take it a bit too far. For example, it’s not uncommon to see vegans disrupt fashion shows and megaphone their opinions outside of a clothing store. Or for celebrities to receive hate messages from vegans if they stop being vegan. Some forms of activism are rambunctious, which I can understand. Some forms of activism are extreme (excluding hate forms) because they highlight the extreme nature of animal-based industries. Intensive animal agriculture for instance is extremely horrific, yet it acts as a backbone to society. For some, fighting such a system requires action, not words.
On the other hand, there are many vegans who are more subtle about these things. I recommend EarthlingEd to anyone who wants to learn more about veganism. His content is super informative, and the debates he has with people are enjoyable to watch. This is one example of many. I’ve outreached with vegan organisations and their attitude has always been non-confrontational. Anonymous for the Voiceless and We Stand for the Animals are examples of this. The organisations aim to educate people through dialogue. Some of the activists show videos and images of animal suffering in the “cube”, which prompt these conversations. From my experience however, I’ve never seen any form of peace disruption or ill-intentions. Usually afterwards the activists go out for food.
In short, there are annoying vegans and not annoying vegans. If someone thinks that vegans are annoying because of their “morals” then respectfully, that’s their problem.
What’s wrong with eating meat?
The answer to this question can be different depending on who you ask. But, I do think that this question comes from an ethical perspective. I think that ethics is a hard concept to explain because everyone has their own version of it. Some people think abortion is right, others think it’s wrong. The world isn’t perfect, and not everyone will always agree with you. As such, I’ll answer this question in my own way.
First, I have to differentiate between what I’m against, and what I’m not. I’m not against people hunting to sustain themselves. There are groups of people that still hunt to this very day as a means of survival. Some of these people still live a sort of Palaeolithic life that involves hunting and gathering, and less so farming. Others are people who don’t purchase their meat and go after it instead. Hunting has existed for eons, and humans around the world relied on hunting at one point in time. If done correctly and inline with the balance of nature, then I don’t see any issues with it. Nevertheless, I oppose trophy hunting or other forms of hunting that don’t involve direct consumption of said animals.
On the other hand, I’m against animal agriculture, which is how most people get their meat. In many parts of the world (especially the Western world), meat is very accessible. Due to intensive animal agriculture, humans kill billions of land animals (and trillions of marine life) each year. As populations get richer, meat becomes more of a commodity than a luxury. Additionally, the global population has more than doubled since the 1960s, and with that comes more demand for food. People nowadays expect meat on their plate, which requires a lot of land, water and resources to produce.
From an ethical perspective, buying meat equates to paying for a life. The unfortunate truth about meat is that it requires the slaughter (murder) of animals. This means that an animal is born, raised, and then killed because of our taste buds. When I realised what I was contributing towards every time I ate meat, I decided that it wasn’t for me. I don’t understand what grants me the superiority over another being that has the same will to life as myself? Sure, I’m born human, but does that mean I’m above cows, chickens and pigs? I think not. Humans have a fascination with being superior over other animals, including other humans. Personally though, I’d rather be friends with cows than eat them.
Are you vegan for life?
The short answer is yes, however, I’ve thought a lot about this. Long ago, I asked myself if I was doing the right thing, or if veganism was just a phase. Ultimately, I came to the conclusion that this is my true calling. Being vegan was one of the best decisions I’ve made for myself. I wake up every day knowing that I’m not directly paying for someone else’s suffering and death. To me, this is a burden that I can’t blindly carry along with me.
From a dietary perspective, plant-based diets show tremendous benefits. When done correctly (like any other diet), humans can live long and healthy lives. From an individualistic perspective, my health is the most important thing to me. I’m grateful for when I’m healthy, and I’m yearning for better days when I’m not. Being in my mid 20s, I try to put a lot of effort into my health. I know that as time goes on, things won’t work as they used to. So, if I maintain and take care of the machine that is my body, then things will be fine.
At the end of the day, being vegan is not difficult. Truly, it’s very easy. Nowadays anyone can be vegan. Research is half the equation. I urge anyone that wants to be vegan to do a lot of research before making a decision. There are many people that rush things and end up hating veganism. If you want to live and breathe veganism, then learn how to do so. The other important aspect of veganism is establishing the connection. It’s important to understand why you’re vegan, and the possible “sacrifice” that’ll come with it. Like I said earlier, you can’t be “part-time” vegan, so once you decide to go vegan, that’s it.
Conclusion
In this article, I tried answering 5 questions about veganism that I think people might have. These aren’t typical questions, but are nonetheless interesting ones. As a vegan, I welcome any and all questions about the lifestyle and movement. I think that the more we respectfully discuss things, the more we can bridge our differences.
Also, I enjoyed writing this article because it allowed me to think deeply about my answers. I want to use this blog as a platform to educate others about veganism in an honest way. I hope my answers were sufficient enough to do so.
Anis