"THE QUESTION IS NOT, 'CAN THEY REASON?' NOR 'CAN THEY TALK?' BUT 'CAN THEY SUFFER?' " said Jeremy Bentham in 1789 as part of the first push for legal protection for animals. This famous quote from his Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation was the foundation in determining whether or not animals were worthy of legal protection.
Yes, I am Vegan. Yes, many of my reasons for becoming Vegan are surrounding animal welfare. I am not here to push others to do the same. All I want is for people to understand the consequences of their actions. While I choose not to eat anything that walks, flies, or swims, I do not “hate on” people who do, nor do I preach to them to change their carnivorous ways. However, I do like to pick their brain a little bit.
Vegans and vegetarians are constantly being asked, “Why? How?” and my favorite, “Well, what do you eat?” The answers vary from person to person. For me, the answers are simple. Why? Because I do not condone the maltreatment and exploitation of living beings. How? Easily! At this point, I know way too much for my own good. I have seen how the animals live, how they are treated, and how they are killed.
One person I know once said to me, “I don’t care how my food gets onto my plate.” I responded with, “If you knew how the animals live and die, I bet you would change your mind.” His answer shocked me: “I know how they do it. They beat ‘em over the head.” For once in my life I was speechless. Now, this is a person who adopts pets from shelters. This is a person who very much loves his pets. Once I found my words, I asked, “Would you treat your dog this way?” To my horror, he replied, “No, it’s my dog. Cows are raised to be eaten. That’s they’re job. I don’t care how it gets to me.” This takes me back to my original question: do they suffer?
The question of suffering goes beyond “food animals.” There are animals skinned alive for their fur and left to die with no sedation or pain management. There are animal shelters that literally throw “unwanted” animals into gas chambers causing them to gasp for air for 20 minutes until they die. What about the shelter animals that are adopted to labs because they are considered useless? Again, do they suffer?
I would like to reinforce that I am in no way trying to talk people into removing animals from their diet. I would like to talk people into reconsidering how they get their animal products.
So now, for everyone who believes that people are Vegans and vegetarians for whatever the stereoypes say, this is why many of us are Veg, and this is for you:
PLEASE NOTE: The following is not my writing. The words are copied from a YouTube video, to which there is a link at the bottom. The video also led me to the source of these words, a website, which, too, will be posted at the bottom.
The term “Vegan” is often used to mean a set of basic values and attitudes towards life, nature and society. Veganism is a “Philosophy of Life” guided by an essential core of values and principles: Vegans see life as a phenomenon to be treasured, revered, and respected. We do not see animals as either “the enemy” to be subdued, or the materials for food, fabric, or fun who were put on Earth for human use. Vegans see themselves as a part of the natural world rather than its owners or masters. Veganism recognizes no expendable or superfluous species that humans are free to hurt or destroy species of life forms, need not justify their existence, nor plead for protection form extinction on the grounds of their potential usefulness as food or medicine for humans. We continue to be burdened and misguided by adages such as “A weed is a plant we have not yet found a use for.” Veganism acknowledges the intrinsic legitimacy of all life. It rejects any hierarchy of acceptable suffering among sentient beings. It is no more acceptable to torment or kill beings with “primitive nervous systems” than those with “highly developed nervous systems.” The value of life to its possessor is the same, whether it be the life of a clam, a crayfish, a carp, a cow, a chicken, or a child. Veganism understands that gentleness cannot be a product of violence, and peace cannot be a product of contention and conflict. Vegan ideals encompass much more than advocacy of a diet free of animal products, or a fervent defense of animal rights. Veganism excludes no sentient being – human or non-human – from its commitment to compassionate, gentle benevolence. To show tender regard for the suffering of non-humans, yet treat humans with callous contempt, is a disheartening contradiction of Vegan principles. Every time we bend down to pick something up, it is connected to something else. There is an equivalent “ecology” to our behavior. Everything we do connects to something else; every action touches on the world around us, either close at hand and noticeable, or far away and unperceived, immediate in its effect or distant in time. If Veganism has a prime value, it is simply that life-respecting compassion overrides individual issues of custom, convenience, comfort, or cuisine. The commitment to Vegan values will bring us closer to a world in which the fate and fortune of a planet and all its life forms do not hang on the judgment or the generosity of one species. If there is on single concept that both generates and sustains the meaning and the power of the Vegan world-view, it is found in the word mindfulness. As Vegans, we strive to be thoughtful, aware, and concerned about the impact of our choices, our actions and our decisions. The fruit of this awareness is inner peace, the quiet strength of ethical confidence, and an uplifting sense of fulfillment. Veganism, the practice of non-violence.
“The Four Immeasurables”
May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes.
May all sentient beings be free of suffering and its causes.
May all sentient beings never be separated from bliss that is without suffering.
May all sentient beings live in equanimity, free of bias, attachment, and anger.
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/user/LiveVegan#p/u/84/EC9OgM5N3uA
WEBSITE: http://veganvalues.org/
