Why are you a vegetarian or vegan?

Hi Chakragal,

I used to go to a couple of 'cause' forums and whenever the issue of some sort of animal cruelty came up (as it related to a news issue, i.e. 'farmer found to have neglected 900 pigs til they died, etc') someone would bring up veganism and invariably, the concensus from the meat eaters there was that 'all vegans try to force their views down the throats of others'. It was never seen as sharing even if all you were doing was telling why you believe what you believe in response to others questions. Doesn't matter to them that they are the 'askers' as you put it.

Like you, I never 'blast' everyone I talk to with my beliefs, unless they ask. And then I don't blast them, just briefly say that I choose not to be involved in the violence that is inherent in meat eating. In fact I generally feel very uncomfortable even when someone asks, and even hate it when my husband makes a point of telling others that I hold to that belief. He means well, but I still feel weirded out when he does it. I do, as you know, happily discuss it on forums, because I don't have any close personal relationships that will be negatively affected by the discussion. I can take a break as needed and have the time to look for information to back up my statements, etc.

I am a vegetarian because I cannot stand the idea that a sentient being must die to appease my taste buds. In my modern upbringing I don't not have to hunt and non-animal food is widely available making the only excuse left (and people use it more often than not) is that "it tastes good". Or the argument from tradition "we have been doing so for thousands of years" which is equally as flimsy. We have also been practicing other activities like rape, murder, infanticide, etc for thousands of years but this is not an adequate justification for these actions. I don't care what other people eat, that is there business and their privilege.

DebbyM
AMEN! Agreed that it's easily discussed on forums. I like feeling free to discuss it for a change, and absolutely-there is time to back up statements. We do get "put on the spot". And yeah, askers they may be, but you're right-like my one colleague who had to turn it into something when he was the one who started it. I have to wonder, perhaps it was a reflection of HIS OWN discomfort, almost like he was defending his right to eat meat when it wasn't even remotely discussed and he was the one prodding me to try to make me react. He at least stopped when he saw it went nowhere.

Originally Posted by chakragal

DebbyM
AMEN! Agreed that it's easily discussed on forums. I like feeling free to discuss it for a change, and absolutely-there is time to back up statements. We do get "put on the spot". And yeah, askers they may be, but you're right-like my one colleague who had to turn it into something when he was the one who started it. I have to wonder, perhaps it was a reflection of HIS OWN discomfort, almost like he was defending his right to eat meat when it wasn't even remotely discussed and he was the one prodding me to try to make me react. He at least stopped when he saw it went nowhere.

When you say 'it went nowhere and he stopped', was that because you wouldn't let him draw you out on it because you realized the impact it might have on a personal relationship (sort of like discussing religion, politics and abortion, to name a few? Because that is why I don't want to actually discuss any of this with my friends and family. They know that I am a vegan, that it's because I 'love animals' (their understanding) and that I won't cook it my home. But I've never gone into the full breadth of my feelings on any of this despite the fact that I've uncles who by turn and in their 'careers' have been pig farmers, dairy farmers and beef farmers. To show you that they really don't understand, the last time that I was at the home of the beef farmer uncle, my aunt encouraged me several times to try the beef because it was their own, meaning one they had killed for themselves. That was this last May. So they 'know', but they don't understand. And I love them because they are kind and good people and they are my family, so I leave the topic at the door, because I don't want to hurt their feelings and I don't want my feelings hurt any more than they are at the situation. It's frustrating, irritating and saddening (can I use that word like that? Hmmm.) Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Because i'm all about the love dude ;>)

[Lightspirit]

The standard diet of a meat-eater is blood, flesh, veins, muscles, tendons, cow secretions, pigs genitalia ground up and put into bowels, chicken feet, hen ovulations and once a year during a certain holiday in December, meat-eaters use the hollowed out rectum of a dead bird as a pressure cooker for stuffing. And people think vegans and vegetarians are weird because we eat tofu?

lol someone posted that on facebook so i copied it over here, and added couple of things. Its true though when you think of it that way, I had never thought of looking at it that way before. I think I'll stick with the tofu :)

[Spiritlite]

Teehee Lightworker that's kind of funny but true.
Spiritlite.

I decided to become vegetarian when my mother -- a farm girl who believed that you needed to eat meat to be healthy -- became sick with cancer and died. I watched my beautiful mum -- who didn't smoke or drink -- but ate a lot of meat suffer and die at a very young age. Since then, I researched a lot on how diet is linked with disease and cancer, and how consuming animal products is linked to these deadly diseases.

That was 20 years ago. I've evolved over the years and have learned even more of the health dangers of eating refined foods, flours, sugars and dairy products and have been practicing "raw" veganism for the past 5 years. I feel so much healthier this way than when I was a carb-loving, dairy eating vegetarian. BONUS OF EATING THIS WAY: I never get sick, not even a cold and maintain a healthy weight without any effort.

Originally Posted by earthy

I decided to become vegetarian when my mother -- a farm girl who believed that you needed to eat meat to be healthy -- became sick with cancer and died. I watched my beautiful mum -- who didn't smoke or drink -- but ate a lot of meat suffer and die at a very young age. Since then, I researched a lot on how diet is linked with disease and cancer, and how consuming animal products is linked to these deadly diseases.

That was 20 years ago. I've evolved over the years and have learned even more of the health dangers of eating refined foods, flours, sugars and dairy products and have been practicing "raw" veganism for the past 5 years. I feel so much healthier this way than when I was a carb-loving, dairy eating vegetarian. BONUS OF EATING THIS WAY: I never get sick, not even a cold and maintain a healthy weight without any effort.

You have my admiration for having the focus to eat the way you do. And I understand how you are feeling about what has happened to the food supply and the providers of all our food. Between GM foods, pesticides, the corruption and the ignorance of those who are supposed to protect the nation(s) food supplies, it just keeps getting more and more important to take care of yourself by 'purifying' ones diet as much as possible. Heaven only knows, our governments aren't doing it for us, not really.

With my vegan diet, I can say that the results mirror yours, great health and when I fell down the stairs the day before we were going to move house by ourselves, healing was incredibly fast. So yeah, I'm happy with the way that I eat too.

[Spiritlite]

Earthy great post