Let me start by saying I am writing this post after stumbling across my philosophy professor's blog and reading it for over an hour.
I do not feel like I have a mind for Philosophy. I believe myself to be a shallow thinker. I have never been the type to sit and think deeply. I would rather make people laugh or fight to change things that I can see and feel.
I do, however, admire those who can think deeply, but it is hard for me to see the application.
This new decision to change my lifestyle has created a world of new dilemmas.
People often ask me what I plan to accomplish by being vegan. They then add that nothing will change just because I don't eat meat or dairy products.
My thoughts:
I became vegan because I read about the intense suffering of the animals we eat and could not bring myself to eat another animal knowing that I am contributing to their suffering. Am I trying to accomplish something? I'm not sure yet, but watching good people decided to willingly ignore the fact that their eating habits cause unnecessary suffering really frustrates me.
I have always had a distaste for vegans and vegetarians because they always tried to ruin my meal by telling me how horrible the conditions were, but now as I interact with my meat eating friends all I want to do is show them what I have seen. But, alas, that would be... rude? My closest friends and relatives say "I don't want to know. I like meat too much." I say I understand, but inside I feel hurt that such a person would wish to inflict suffering for taste.
Just as I am hurt and "taking the moral high road" I secretly fantasize about steak. I literally sit and daydream about cutting into a medium rare steak. But as soon as I take that bite (in my daydream) I see the calf's face from one of the many videos I have now seen and I know that I couldn't actually take that bite.
I know that many of my friends (almost all omnivores) read this. Please realize this is not an attack. I am simply trying to think through this decision, and since I am physically in pain due to my decision to become vegan (apparently because my body is detoxing) I must figure out why this means so much to me that I should sacrifice (temporary?) comfort, convenience, and taste.
Thanks for reading my rambling.
-Jeffrey
2 comments:
I think for some people its hard to take in the abstract idea of your indirect actions causing suffering.
I get a lot of the "You know you won't effect anything by not eating meat" thing. My response is generally "So you don't vote then? No one should bother voting? One vote won't change anything."
But being a vegetarian or vegan does make a difference, because it frequently opens a dialogue. I've converted my fair share of people also. Its just a slow process.
The pain this is so weird. I've never heard of anything like that before.
Somehow I missed this comment when you first posted it.
That is a great point.
It does open a dialogue and just in the weeks that I have had this blog I have had 3 friends show interest in changing their lifestyles.
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