Why I am a Vegan

[MangusKhan]

Thank you Jade and Diana for sharing your perspectives on the matter. It's admirable that you two have the ability to wish well for a creature like a tick, who brings suffering to so many creatures. I sleep in a tent in a small forest now, and have pulled a few ticks from my body and destroyed them, as well as destroyed many ticks which I simply found on my tent or the surrounding vegetation. I have judged this particular creature to be of little value to creation.

I totally agree about peacefully removing common house pests though. If I ever stay in any residence with other people, I inevitably become the spider-remover. Spiders are beautiful creatures (but ticks are not). I'll let a giant huntsmen spider crawl all over me just to show fearful worldlings that they are harmless. Fear and fear reactions usually only cause harm. I once turned a badly fractured collar-bone into a clean break by impulsively reacting with fear to the sudden appearance of a giant beach cricket on the arm connected to the fractured bone. If I had only calmly observed that insect and removed it with my other hand, I could have saved myself a week of agony.

I wouldn't justify consuming anything from the ocean, regardless of where it lies on the food chain, because our oceans are extremely sick and dying and that's a big deciding factor in my continuing veganism.

In the case of mussels, I'd like you justify why NOT to consume them. They are farmed in an unimposing fashion from floating platforms, are extremely low on the spectrum of conscious awareness (comparable to plants), and they are delicious and nutritious. There are other similar aquatic creatures like this as well. As for anchovies, these are one of the most abundant and sustainable kinds of sea life on the planet, and can be fished effectively with almost zero by-catch of other creatures. The only practical reason I can see not to enjoy these creatures as food is a valid fear of consuming toxins due to the pollution of the ocean.

The mental image of your hubby pelting a bear in the face with a piece of jasper to protect your birds is simply epic. I'm certain the bear was alright. Thank you for sharing that, Jade.

My point is to look for ways of dealing with, living amicably with, and sharing the planet with all living things. Humans simply are not more important than other life forms. And I see no point in drawing a line between those beings worthy of having their lives spared, and those not. There is definitely a different emotional response to killing a puppy and killing a mosquito, for a variety of reasons. But how reliable is that? Put your hand on your heart, center your mind, and ask the question: Should I kill this living thing?

Diana, I am contemplating these words now, but I can't guarantee that there will ever be a soft spot in my heart for harmful parasitic beings, or say with honesty that I believe no distinction should be drawn in regards to 2D beings worth preserving, and those which are not. We must all decide the limits of our acceptance, and I reserve the right to deem any creature worthy or unworthy of my tolerance.