Rescue Journal

you know...

Carol  ·  Mar. 29, 2013

you can't just toss around politically popular words while being somewhat foggy in their definition.

like veganism...great way to be..it is the ideal we all could and should strive for. but what does it really mean?

it means you do not use any animal products in any way in your life...no meat, fish or dairy products, no fish oils in your vitamins, suppliments, fertizilers. it means there is no leather in your house, in your car, and not on your dress up or running shoes. no leather on your pet collars and leashes and no animal products in your cats, rodents, reptiles or dogs food. it means that every lotion, cream, shampoo, conditioner, cosmetic is made, manufactured and tested free from animal involvement at every stage and it means that any medications or medical treatments you take or receive has never been made, manufactured or tested on animals and the same is true for all cleaning products too. it means besides not wearing leather, you cannot wear or use silk or wool and many rubber and vinyl products are held together using animal product glue. and that is not even the tip of the veganism iceberg.

it is a HUGE committment..it is a HUGE achievement and it is a really difficult thing for many/most people to do.

i applaud full fledged vegans...i applaud the ones who are on the long hard road to veganism but not yet fully there.

but veganism is not just a foggy, airy fairy politically correct word..it is an extremely clear, noncompromising, compassionate, challenging and difficult life to live in this world. lets not belittle it by pretending it has exceptions as long as the word's actual meaning is somewhat unclear.

however..each and everyone of us can make choices that reduce the amount of animal based products we use. every little bit helps even if we haven't yet achieved the absolute pure ideal.

Comments

Cheri

Wow! You guys are my heros!
You walk the talk, that's for sure.... Wish I could, I try, as you say to make the most ethical choices I can.

Leila

I do pick food for my pets that are organic, no antibiotics and try to find a free range animal source (that is the hardest thing to find for pet food). But humane farming also lends itself to cruel practices due to the humans like to eat which leads to what is more cost effective to the farmer. The other aspect is that it cost a lot of money to eat totally humanely if you not only take in consideration animal welfare but welfare for huamns and welfare for the enviornoment. I am going to drive myself crazy trying to fit as many ethical choices as I can. I don't think it can be done.

Carol

just to be the devil's advocate and for the sake of an interesting discussion...the whole pet food thing is a slippery slope...if it is not ok to support an industry that tortures, abuses and kills animals in the ways that current commercial farming practices do for human consumption...then why is it ok to do the very same things for fluffy or muffy's consumption? the animals in pet food are not treated any more kindly...in fact they may have been treated even worse because animals not as fit for human consumption and more likely to end up in pet food are from the bottom of the farming industry barrel.

anyway,..it is one of those issues that can bend ones mind into pretzels and still not find the right of it all.

and it is one of those times when our values and ethics are by necessity somewhat fluid..we do not want to be part of the problem but we still want our pets and pets do have to eat.

anyway..i actually do get it because i have to feed the guys around here too but i do see it as a conflict of ethics.

that is why i tend to lean more towards supporting more humane farming practices because then i can have my cake (ie..companion animals) and eat it (ie...feed them) too.

it is freaking hard thinking about all of this stuff and wanting to be an ethical and honest human.

Leila

I have been a vegetarian since I was a teen and just switched over to becoming vegan since Nov. As Carol says, it is hard because the way the human world produces its products, it is not geered towards vegans. Everything you buy has to be considered and I am still probably over looking things without knowing it. But Carol, I had to laugh at one teeny tiny aspect of your definition of veganism and that one can't feed their pet companions meat if they are vegans. I do feed my cats and dogs meat (while trying to make ethical choices for them where ever I can)because I don't think it is up to me to decide for them what they would like to eat (although for someone reason I think it is okay for me to decide how much they can eat). I pretty sure, that given a choice, my guys would choose a diet based on meat and I try not to foist my ideals on them - so they eat a mostly meat based diet. But again I do decide on how much they eat so really do I 100% respect what they want. And I strongly dislike vegans/vegetarians shoving their opinions down others throats - give us other vegans/vegetarians a bad name. To me, being vegan is a private matter between me and my conciousness.

Carol Ann

good for you Lynne. We don't eat meat here and I hate when I have to feed it to the dogs and cats but no choice there they have to have it. I like my goats they are truly vegan lol.

Carol

you do VERY good lynne not eating meat...one step among many but a good step at that.

lynne

holy shit i thought i did pretty good not eating meat. guess i could never bee a true vegan.

Bev

I love the commitment but I abhor the rigid mindset - animals are suffering and they need our help - no matter what our personal philosophies ...