Why I went full vegan

Am I that weird? Am I extreme? What set me on the path to this choice?

A while back I posted on why I no longer eat meat. I guess that was the start of my journey towards a more sustainable and a cruelty free diet (and consumerism). I could go on in detail about a number of reasons why I did so, but the one main reason boils down to this...

"I'd rather not kill or torment another living sentient being, simply for my own pleasure."

It sounds simple, almost flippant, but I have considered these words carefully a number of times. So I'd like to break it down:

1) Living sentient beings:

The definition of consciousness has been a particularly difficult notion to nail down for experts across the board. But the one simplified version I like, and what I think most attempts at a definition will boil down to, is the ability to suffer. Something I think almost all animals have to one degree or another. An ant maybe less so than a pig, but I should think it would be very difficult to argue that the animals we exploit as part of the agricultural industries across the globe don't suffer in very much the same way we do. 

They may not be able to express it in ways we are familiar with, such as with facial expressions or vocally, but they have been shown to have wants, empathy, compassion, distinct personalities and preferences. They demonstrate sadness, choice, depression, joy, companionship and family bonds. If someone with a pet parrot can see the reason for it plucking out its own feathers is due to stress, loneliness or depression, is it such a far fetched notion to think that a chicken would not feel the same? 

2) For pleasure:

Most people would (and rightly so) be horrified if I were to beat up a dog for fun. They'd probably be equally horrified if I were to stick a knife in a pig's eye, slit a cow's throat in front of them or go around snapping the legs of chickens, all because it gave me a thrill. A fleeting sense of pleasure in the destruction I had wrought. But how is this form of pleasure so different from the sensory pleasure we get from that momentary taste of a lamb chop? How much suffering and death lies behind each bite of a burger? All for a few minutes of pleasure.

One might argue the difference is that in one there is evil intent. Some form of maliciousness. But then I realise the other is a form of apathy or callousness. How is that so much better. "It's ok if it's for food, right?" I used to tell myself this but once I was on the path it didn't take me long to realise, there is no real difference, no matter how I tried to rationalise or justify. 

And that's all it is for really. It's all for pleasure. I used to tell myself that we needed meat or other animal products, but it didn't take much more than a cursory look at the facts to soon realise how I deluded I was. I could try and convince myself otherwise, but when I did, I was lying to myself.

3) Death or torture:

I said, "I'd rather not kill or torment." I. Yes, I knew it wasn't really me. But what would one think of me if I was dealing in slaves, but never actually handled them or considered their care. Just because I was removed from the mortifying conditions and eventual killing of these terrified beings didn't mean I wasn't part of the supply chain. I might not have "pulled the trigger" but I paid the assassin. The end result is the same and I fooled myself into thinking my hands were clean. Which is of little comfort to the mother having her children ripped away from her, never to be seen again.

In my previous post I talked about why I no longer ate meat. I didn't want such cruelty and injustice on my conscience. But it wasn't enough. With male chicks being essentially thrown into a "blender" alive for the egg industry or the treatment of calves and their mothers, I realised it. Just. Wasn't. Enough. I won't go into further details of what happens in the poultry and dairy industry. That's not what this blog post is about, but I would implore anyone to look into it as I did. Ignorance is not bliss. Certainly not to those that suffer gravely at the hands of the mighty.

I remember, during my transition, hunting around for cruelty free eggs. I'd find more expensive eggs from companies that would purport to having ethical practices and happy chickens roaming around a farm. I really liked eggs and that conjures up a nice image, doesn't it? But no matter how hard I looked I came to realise that there is no such thing as cruelty free in the world of animal exploitation. I would no longer be fooled by the marketing.

My hypocrisy

This is also a big reason why I went vegan. The moment I realised that I was a hypocrite. I would tell myself that I cared for other animals. I could see a cow up close and look into it eyes and see something there, but then when I stepped back and gained some distance, apathy would kick in. The cow was no longer an intelligent and conscious individual. It was once again part of a large number of "things", ready to be exploited without a second thought. Well... not even a first thought. I'd just pick up something from the supermarket without even once considering the story behind it. When I thought about it for real though, I realised how I was not being logically consistent. 

In George Orwell's book 1984, he coined the term "Doublethink". Where one would simultaneously hold two conflicting ideas. An example from the book is The Party's slogan of:

"War is peace.
Freedom is slavery.
Ignorance is strength."

If there is one thing I cannot abide being, it's being a hypocrite. So when I realised I was one, I simply stopped being one.

It's not compassion

My wife has often told me that she envies my compassion. When she last told me, I realised that it wasn't compassion. One is not considered to be compassionate simply because they didn't stomp on a hedgehog by the road. It's just normal. It's the baseline. When did we consider not wanting the wholesale and unnecessary subjugation and slaughter of sentient beings to be either compassionate or extreme?

I don't consider myself to be an animal lover. Nor do I consider myself a people lover. But I believe in a world where justice, fairness and a right to live for everyone is rife. I can never again make that mistake. It's now clear to me that each of our fellow animals are not a some "thing". They are a some "one".

My ask

To anyone reading this, all I ask is to look into it with an open mind. Weigh the arguments. Look into the facts. I would recommend the video, "Land of Hope and Glory". Though brace yourself. Be brave. It can take courage to look at the truth of a thing, when we would rather retain our bliss..

One of my favourite quotes from the inspirational Carl Sagan (a quote gifted to me in a print by my brother) from his brilliant book "The Demon Haunted World" is, 

"It is far better to grasp the universe as it really is, than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring."

My other ask would be to engage with me. I wrote this blog because it often seems like nobody wants to talk about the topic. Nobody seems interested in what is a rather important aspect of my life and a choice not taken lightly. So if anyone would ever like to ask a question, or even challenge me, please do so? I take pride in the fact that I can easily change my mind given evidence and a convincing argument. If I have taken the wrong path, I would like to know. But please know that I always expect such discussions to be a two way street.