As the saying goes, when you assume, it makes an ASS out of U and Me.
Why am I vegan? Please just ask, instead of assuming you know.
I’m vegan because:
- I do not think that anyone should be treated as a means to an end, no matter what their species.
- I think that the interests of other animals should be given equal consideration to our own interests. Note that this is not so much about “animal rights” or “animal welfare” as an application of empathy and equity beyond the borders of homo sapiens.
- Nothing more than a central nervous system is required for pain to be possible, more obviously so for mammals like us (e.g. dogs, pigs, cows, kangaroos, sheep), but also for birds and fish, even if the subjective experience of pain and suffering across species is difficult to apprehend.
- I do not think that the incarceration from birth, suffering and sacrifice of billions of gentle land creatures (and many more ocean creatures) every year worldwide should be condoned, simply because we prefer not to eat plants instead.
- I do not need to consume animal products. If I have to take a regular B12 supplement or consume B12 fortified plant milk or food, that doesn’t seem like much of an inconvenience. It’s not natural, you might object. People take all manner of supplements for sometimes dubious reasons. That, and humans do few things that are “natural” anyway.
- Greenhouse gas emissions from animal agriculture are on par with the transport sector worldwide, and environmental degradation caused by intensive factory farming (including land clearing and run-off) are not really matters of dispute.
- Our health is under threat from the rise of anti-microbial resistance and zoonotic diseases, not to mention the links between the food we eat and risks to our well-being, such as heart disease.
- In the end though, my primary motivation for being vegan is because of what we do to animals, especially those we use for food, clothing, or entertainment.
Each of these points barely scratches the surface, and could be discussed in more detail, but it’s really not that complicated. Mathematics, physics, and engineering are complicated. Coding and mathematics are for me, a welcome distraction from our dystopian world, especially when it gets to be too much, which these days is honestly most of the time.
If you want to know more about how I arrived at where I am, have a look at On Food Choices, part 1: the right road lost and Vegan Activists: you’re doing it completely wrong.