Making that all important Connection
Turning a blind eye may not be something many people consciously do, from children we have been surrounded by propaganda from the animal farming industries. Think - laughing cows on milk and cheese, 'happy' hens on egg packets. Then there are the 'built in beliefs' that milk is good, perhaps having it free in school or before bed as a child, and that we are 'meant' to eat meat as it makes you strong despite the strongest animals on the planet being herbivores. The vegan community is sometimes ridiculed as cult-like, but perhaps the majority of us were born into the largest cult of all, born into believing these so called facts despite them being spread by the very industries that profit from them.
It is a theory of course, but are the sheep, cows and hens on these packets truly happy? Why do we portray them to be? They are born into a life solely to serve us, they are not respected as individuals because they are known as numbers. They see, hear and feel, and as far as I could guess, nobody would want to live like that born 'for' it or not.
Think of it simply, you probably love your dog. Pigs are social and smart too, so why eat the pig? You may show an interest in the environment, taking shorter showers.. turning off lights.. car sharing to work, but animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than the combined exhaust from all transportation. In fact, it is one of the leading causes of climate change. When it comes to fashion and beauty, celebrity endorsements, designer high price labels and the desire to appear flawless in a heavily judged society can distract from the cruelty behind the scenes. Suffering is tossed aside in our minds because the final product is so sought after.
Veganism covers a huge number of issues, but the overall definition is to live a life causing the least amount of suffering, exploitation and cruelty to animals you possibly can. However, often this is somehow seen as extreme, crazy, and unnecessary. So lets discuss.
Extreme.
Cows produce milk from giving birth after 9 months like humans. They produce this milk, like all mammals, for the sole purpose of nourishing their young. The purpose of this milk is to help a baby calf grow into a large adult cow. In the dairy industry, the cows are forcibly inseminated year after year to keep them lactating. Their young are taken from them normally within the first 12 hours. Female calfs are destined to join this life after living in hutches for the first 2-3 months of their life fed on a milk replacer...while humans drink their mothers milk. The males? Sold to the veal industry. The overworked females begin to produce less milk at 4-5 years old and so are slaughtered, they live on average 20 years naturally.
Crazy.
Male chicks are useless to the egg industry. They are thrown away like trash, suffocated or gassed to death, or ground up in industrial macerators. I'll leave it at that.
Unnecessary.
'But one person won't make a difference'. Apart from the huge benefits to your health, body, mind and outlook on life, each day, a person who eats a vegan diet saves on average 1,100 gallons of water, 40 pounds of grain, 30 sq ft of forested land, 20 lbs CO2 equivalent, and one animal’s life.
Making the connection is all it takes. Realising that your actions directly affect another life. You can make choices to eat, dress and consume which leave you feeling guilt free and morally sound. This January, why not try Veganuary? https://veganuary.com/
Please keep following my blog for more vegan inspired posts coming soon. Spread the word if anything has shocked you, and please RESEARCH! Educating myself was the greatest decision I made.
