Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
All of the above fit for me, but the top reason is probably Ethics/philosophical reasons: Compassion for animals (including humans), reverence for life.
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
If any of you wonder why 22% did not select the "Ethics/philosophical reasons: Compassion for animals, reverence for life" option in the poll, remember that this thread (and poll) started back in 2004. Back then, people who lived on a vegan diet but weren't vegans had access to voting in polls in this subforum.
I will not eat anything that walks, swims, flies, runs, skips, hops or crawls.
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
My initial reasoning was for animals/compassion, and for Buddhist reasons (which is because of compassion as well). But then I learned about all of the other great benefits for myself, mankind and the environment, which made me more passionate about the cause.
See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable is each other.
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
Shorter list is why I can't be a meat eater.
1. I don't want to be ignorant.
2. I don't want to be selfish.
You have to be one or the other to eat meat. If you don't want to be either you have to be vegan.
End of.
Anything else is just making lists of specific things you are no longer ignorant of and have the 'sphericals' not to be selfish about?
- - - Updated - - -
EpicLibrarian
My initial reasoning was for animals/compassion, and for Buddhist reasons (which is because of compassion as well). But then I learned about all of the other great benefits for myself, mankind and the environment, which made me more passionate about the cause.
Fellow buddhist? Cool!
I revisited DharmaWheel (buddhist forum) and discovered that it is perfectly buddhist, compassion for other living beings wise, to simply "not give a sh*t".
No citation was given to where the buddha taught that particular line of reasoning, mind.
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
Cupid Stunt
Fellow buddhist? Cool!
I revisited DharmaWheel (buddhist forum) and discovered that it is perfectly buddhist, compassion for other living beings wise, to simply "not give a sh*t".
No citation was given to where the buddha taught that particular line of reasoning, mind.
Yay! Great to meet you!
I think many Buddhists get caught up in the esoteric idea and forget that it is about this world and understanding causation. And if you take the refuge vows, I don't think it says "refrain from harming other beings, except if you want to slaughter and eat them."
See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable is each other.
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
EpicLibrarian
Yay! Great to meet you!
I think many Buddhists get caught up in the esoteric idea and forget that it is about this world and understanding causation. And if you take the refuge vows, I don't think it says "refrain from harming other beings, except if you want to slaughter and eat them."
Great to meet you too Epic
This may, or may not, surprise you BUT! On the forum I mentioned I once went on a little bit of a 'rampage'.
Nothing too heavy, just a series of posts and topics exploring the causal links between eating meat and the suffering to both the animals and the people involved in meat production.
Sole result was that I received an official warning not to make any more posts suggesting that meat eating was any less a compassionate diet than vegetarianism.
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
Cupid Stunt
Sole result was that I received an official warning not to make any more posts suggesting that meat eating was any less a compassionate diet than vegetarianism.
That is crazy! Aren't we supposed to be challenging our traditions and beliefs? I think they are missing the point. Meat eating is comfortable because it is what many people have always done, but:
Do not simply believe whatever you are told, or whatever has been handed down from past generations, or what is common opinion, or whatever scriptures say. But when you directly know "These principles are wholesome, blameless...and lead to welfare and happiness" then you should accept and practice them.
~The Buddha
Anyway, I hope that all people will try and step out of their comfortable traditions(habits) and move towards more compassion. Good for you for taking a stand!
See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable is each other.
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
I went Vegan back in January mainly for health and ethical reasons but as the time went on and I was Vegan for longer and longer periods of time, I realized how corrupt this society is that I live in. The Canada's food guide I can't even look at now with question marks over my head, and it saddens me because I know this is the image that we use to help brainwash our children into what they will eat in the future. It saddens me also that most kids don't even know what fruit or vegetable is now a days. It worries me that people go to fast food joints like Subway to loose weight and be healthy when they could go grab an apple, carrot, or a nice fruit salad. I find it odd that people drink milk but if I was to go up to the actual cow and start suckling people would think I'm on PCP or something.The number one killer in my nation doesn't even have to exist! Heart Disease was created by ignorant people who feel their own bodies can handle anything they throw at it. They want to eat everything in site and not pay the price later on. They feel if society sells it, it must be okay because why would society be allowed to sell something that harms us right? Wrong! Becoming Vegan has done way more for me then extend my compassion for animals, it has opening my eyes to a society I thought I knew and trusted, and it let me see that everything that I was brought up to believe, was a big lie, not even in my own interest, but the interest of a quick buck. Every day I see more and more things messed up in this society and ignorant people that do not want to change themselves. People want the obesity epidemic to go away yet the resort to fast food in order to eat "healthy." People want animal abuse to go away so they fund their nearest Humane Society while chomping down on some prime rib. I see in the mall mothers feeding children not even a year old french fries from Mcdonalds and shoving 21oz cups full of sugary soft drinks in their faces. I have seen this and more, and I never saw this before when I wasn't Vegan, I guess because I was part of it. Veganism has opened my eyes for the better and when you see the truth and reality of the world around you, you can never go back.
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
If animals products are not necessary, I just don't see the point in having them. So, if meat eating (and everything else about animal products industries) it is not necessary but implies lots of disadvantages and affects the life of animals, spoils the planet, prevents the nutrition of million of people who could be fed, creates a more cruel world... is selfish, foolish and doesn't lead to anything right.
it started out because of my health..now it is that and for animals who suffer so cruely and spiritually going back to the time of when Adam and Eve were created and want to live as pure as they did before the fall!!!
it started out because of my health..now it is that and for animals who suffer so cruely and spiritually going back to the time of when Adam and Eve were created and want to live as pure as they did before the fall!!!
Will you be staying well clear of Serpents bearing apples?
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
I started to be vegan because of the health benefits; I have become completely distrustful of the meal/dairy/poultry food-chain in the US. I think it's gross, unhealthful, and filthy.
However, the more I read, the stronger I feel about the environmental and spiritual issues as well. I used to stick my head in the sand and say that my meat came in packages in market - and tried not to think that it came from animals. But now I realize how wrong that was. I cannot hide from it. Spiritually, I do not want to consume the pain and torture of other beings. Anaj
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
Eating animals is not necessary.
It's not the healthiest option or the most humane choice. You don't have to eat animals or animal products to get the best nutrition or the most tasty food. Look it up for yourself on the Internet. There is a huge amount of research that supports a plant based diet and tons of delicious recipes that will satisfy your gastronomic cravings. Vegan products and restaurants are easier to find now more than ever. Additionally, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and various forms of cancer could be averted by eating a plant based diet.
Eating animals and animal products is not the most environmentally friendly way to go either. It takes a lot more water and land resources to produce meat, eggs and milk. Animal waste runoff and the emissions from the waste is incredibly damaging to the environment, and animal factory farm related diseases are toxically damaging to everyone.
Eating and hunting animals is also not the best option for your psyche, and it doesn't make you more manly. Killing animals and eating meat may be necessary if you're starving to death and there is no other choice, but under ordinary circumstances you've got to ask yourself if you're truly conscious of your moral compass. What are you really trying to prove by killing an innocent being who hasn't done anything to you personally? Doesn't sound compassionate or considerate does it? Reasonable land resource management doesn't require hunting wildlife to control the numbers.
And finally, how many human lives, let alone animals lives, could be saved by not eating or using animals or animal products. Billions of people and animals could be spared from unnecessary suffering and death by considering the most sustainable options for our planet. It is the conscious decision making of rational and reasonable thinking people that can make the difference.
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
1. Compassion, not just for animals, but for people and the planet. As a Christian, I don't believe any animal or human being should be exploited for my own greedy consumption. Factory farming isn't just cruel to the animals - it's a cruel industry for the people who work in it as well. The exploitation is found at every level. It's the same reason why I strive to not buy fruits and veggies from big-agriculture. The cruelty and exploitation also exists in the making of items from animal products, not just for food. That's why I don't wear leather, fur or wool (save for the handful of wool items I knitted before I was vegan. I figure I should respect the animals who gave their fleece enough to not waste what I made) and I try very hard to buy cruelty-free products.
2. Health. I find the less processed my diet is, in general, the better I feel. Eliminating animal products was a start, but I also eliminated caffeine, refined sugars, and refined grains. Now I stick to a mostly raw diet with the occasional treat of a baked sweet potato or some rice.
Last edited by KnittinMama; Mar 3rd, 2013 at 09:28 PM.
Reason: Punctuation fail
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
I think the reasons for a vegan diet as a total argument. If you care about people, animals, the environment or your health than you should be vegan. When I feel alone and unsure of my convictions in one aspect of veganism, I lean on another piece of it to give me strength.
The biggest reason for me is animal welfare. The undeniable fact that I didn't have to eat animals but chose to eat them anyways always bugged me. I never flirted with vegetarianism, I went vegan right away. I told myself at the time that I was doing it for the environment and for human welfare. I have since accepted that the principle reason I did is because I don't believe its ok to needlessly kill animals. The exact moment I became vegan happened while I was watching the documentary "Vegucated" on netflix. I turned it on because I am interested in learning about new ideas and new things, not believing at all that it would change my life. When they showed the shot of the hundreds of baby chicks wrapped up in plastic garbage bag, discarded in the dumpster like trash, I had to choke back tears. When they brought the chicken they had rescued from an factory farm to the animal sanctuary, I wept openly. That animal looked as if it had died inside a long time ago, but when the put it in the grass and sun it was like it under went a resurrection. At that exact moment, I knew I could never eat an animal again... and I haven't.
Last edited by Mothergoose; Mar 19th, 2013 at 08:46 AM.
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
Risker
I like to cause a fuss when eating out.
Haha, it is great fun isn't it? Especially when they cover something in cheese and get pissed off when you say that you asked for it with no cheese. Or when you ask what the ingredients in things are and they admit that they just don't know. Entertainment abound!
Re: Please list all of the reasons why you are a vegan
Risker
I like to cause a fuss when eating out.
Love this. I like it when the restaurant states 'freshly cooked for you' but when you ask them not to add cheese or cream, they say something like 'we cannot as it will affect the flavour' thus you know it's not freshly cooked, but already made up.
This is why I eat at home rather than go out.
Re: More why vegan TM
Reply With Quote
EpicLibrarian
Happy New Year!
Bookmarks