I used to think that you
become a better person when you embrace vegetarianism. Of course I
was wrong. No ism will ever make you a
better person – in fact, nothing will make you a better person, or
a worse one for that matter. There are only actions, good ones and
bad ones, done by different people. At any given moment, a saint can
commit murder and a murderer can save a life.
Vegetarianism... I tried
it, several times. Not a big deal really, after all there's plenty of
other delicious and nutritious food around which isn't meat or fish.
But I always ended up making occasional exceptions, usually in social
gatherings with some dead animal as the main course. “Okay, I'll
have a piece of lamb, why not?” Let's be flexible, right? There's even a word for it: Flexitarian.
My bad conscience remained
though. Every time that I ate meat or fish I felt bad. Well, not
totally bad because when meat tastes good it's obviously a very
pleasurable experience. But there was this guilt hovering over my
shoulder, nagging at me...'you're the reason why this animal was
killed – unnecessarily!'
Luckily all this changed
when one day, a year ago or so, a friend told me the following:
“Eating a steak is, ethically speaking, better than drinking a
glass of milk. Because the cow who provided the steak is at least
dead, while the milk cow keeps suffering.” In other words, I
can eat dead animals and be less of an arsehole than the preaching
veggie from next door who lives on cheese and yoghurt. Great!
I looked into veganism (=
no animal products whatsoever) and have started to eat more and more vegan
food. And I must say, I've never eaten healthier in my life and I
keep discovering amazing stuff that I didn't even know existed
(popped amaranth, hazelnut milk or, the latest, marinated tempeh!).
The ethical reasons for a vegan diet are plentiful: no animal
torture, greatly reduced CO² emissions, less rainforest destruction,
etc. To sum it up: If most of the world
switched to a predominantly vegan diet, many environmental problems
would be greatly reduced. And all those lovely videos about the
violent animal industry would disappear as well. Like this one. Or this one. Or here, my
recent favourite: DAIRY IS F**KING SCARY (highly recommended!)
So yes, I think
vegetarianism is dead. If you care for animals and the planet and you
really want to make a difference, the only logical step is to start
with a vegan diet. Period.
Now, you're probably
feeling already the urge to defend your beloved eating habits and to
turn away from these weird vegan people who might be trying to
brainwash you into some kind of cult. Here are a couple of things to consider:
1) I feel the wording is quite important: It's '...to start with a vegan diet', and not
'...to become a vegan'. That's right, you can eat vegan food without
being a vegan! It's like...you don't have to become a Buddhist if you
want to meditate. Or if you see the benefits of cleaning the kitchen
regularly, well, you don't have to become an official 'cleaner'. You
just do it while continuing being you. No identifying needed, no
worshipping, just pure common sense. Like, you don't have to be a
socialist to vote Bernie Sanders – you vote him because this man is
perhaps the only hope this world has left. Same with veganism.
2) It would be amazing if
everybody was able to change completely from one day to the next but
this ain't gonna happen. I can't do it myself and it looks like most
others can't do it either. Fine, that's just the way it is for now.
However, it is possible to make small changes and then sooner or
later, as long as you keep going, these small changes will lead to a
big change. Creating a better world one moment at a time! So, eat as
much vegan food as possible. Try it! Two days per week, three, four or five – any day is better than no day.
I believe that the future
will be at least 90% vegan – or else there won't be a future (for us humans). This
is not fiction, we're heading for a huge environmental disaster on
many levels and animal farming is one of the biggest causes of this
problem. Find out for yourself and enjoy the facts!
Furthermore, I believe
that evolution has not only brought us sensational advances such as
smartphones and plastic surgery, but also a certain amount of
responsibility. And for me, a big part of this responsibility is to respect all life – not
because we ought to, but because we are able to. And you know, it
really can be done. It has actually never been easier for a human
being to live a healthy and happy life without harming other living
beings. So if we can do it without torture and killing, why don't we?
I'm not a vegan. But when
I eat mainly plant-based food, as local and organic as possible, it
always makes me feel really good. Like more connected with
everything, in a positive way. There's less abuse and more respect in
my life, less selfishness and more kindness. There's a feeling of
hope because I can see how my actions are contributing to less death
and suffering and to more peace in the world. And that's something
to strive for, isn't it?
