Why I am not a vegan

[Monica]

I can agree that veganism can be likened to a religion/philosophical identity if we also agree that carnism can be likened to a religion/philosophical identity. However, what you express is much more likely to happen - guilt and self-loathing that makes one sick - with those who eat meat and feel guilty about it. Really, most vegans are pretty guilt-free about what they eat which is why so many people project self-righteousness upon them. I think the number of people who are sick because of inherent guilt due to the diet they cling to far outweigh those who would ever feel guilty for changing their diet. (I say that with loose definition to 'changing ones diet' meaning in the way that Ra says it's the most simple analogue to changing the way one treats the self)

So if we're talking about possible dangers due to one's thought patterns in relation to their choice of their diet, there is one path that is far more dangerous - maintaining the status quo. Being flexible to change is always the more ideal end-state.

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In response to the Keanu quote, it has nothing to do with veganism vs. omnivorism. The parable offers two characters, one who is always waiting for the shoe to drop and the other who seems to not have a care in the world. Of course the person who constantly worries about their health will display more indicators of poor health than the person who has no worries about their health. The idea that one should be a hedonist without any regard to others ("bacon upon bacon") is indeed quite a selfish attitude to promote, however. I eat what I want, in copious amounts. I eat lots of "unhealthy" junk food. I just draw a line for my own personal ethical boundaries that says I won't eat something that was tortured before it got to my plate. The idea that I am punishing myself or being ascetic by being vegan is just plain wrong. That's not the point. The point is that I want to see all the cows, pigs, chickens, goats, and turkeys living in an environment where they can thrive, not be exploited. I want that for all of us. So I don't participate in systems that promulgate the opposite.

Well said! All of it.

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