What It Means to Be Vegan
Some people consider being vegan a radical stance. As it’s portrayed in the media, avoiding products that come from animals is a weird and slightly crazy ideology to have, one that’s reserved for dreadlocked, idealist twenty-somethings. If you look into the roots of veganism, however, you’re likely to find out that the reasons behind this outlier lifestyle aren’t that crazy or extreme at all.
To get to the roots of veganism, first you’ve got to define what it means to be vegan. As with any title or classification, different people will define veganism a little differently. The main gist of the vegan lifestyle focuses on refusing to consume products or to use services that exploit animals. The first thing that comes to mind is diet, of course, and not killing animals is a key part of veganism. But unlike vegetarians, vegans also avoid dairy and other foods that are derived from animals. For most vegans, this lifestyle extends past food into other areas as well. They look for soap, cosmetics, and other products that haven’t used animal testing, and they avoid institutions where animals are exploited, like the zoo or the circus.
If you’re not vegan and you’re still reading this, you might be thinking that that sounds pretty extreme! Why bother changing your lifestyle so much, just for animals? For some, the reason for veganism is derived from ethical arguments, and the idea that animals don’t deserve to be killed or tortured just for human pleasure, when an animal-free diet can be just as healthy. For others, the environment is the real motivator; raising animals for food is much less sustainable than a plant-based diet, and is a significant contributor to global warming. Still others choose veganism for its potential health benefits, or because of their religious beliefs.
When it comes down to it, veganism is about carefully evaluating your lifestyle and choosing to live in a way that reflects your intellectual, ethical, or moral framework. For many people, the current modern diet of factory farm raised animals doesn’t hold up to scrutiny; switching to a vegan lifestyle is a way to live in such a way that their internal beliefs are reflected in their actions. On an economic level, refusing to consume animal-based products is a way to speak with your pocketbook against practices that are damaging to animal welfare and the environment. Rather than being extreme, veganism makes perfect sense for people who are concerned with the current status quo that results in the maltreatment of animals and the earth.
Sources:
Why Vegan? (2011) Vegan Outreach.