My vegan experiment: second update
I've been mostly-vegan (in reality, flexitarian) for several months now, and I think it's time for me to post a long-term update, to track how my attitudes to the diet and related social issues have changed over time. A number of significant issues have come up from what I've thought and what I've read.
I guess the first thing that's been on my mind is how much my relationship with animals has changed since I began what was very much an experiment in vegan eating. At the time, I was far less concerned with the emotional aspects of animal ethics than I was about the potential health benefits of eating a vegan diet, and the logical arguments behind it (these include the fact that the intelligence of many animal species puts them on a par with severely mentally retarded human beings, which I for one would never consider killing and eating, and the fact that the suffering which we cause animals is frankly unnecessary for people like me, who can freely choose what we eat without detriment to our health or finances). However, the longer I spend making decisions about my food every mealtime, the more attached I become to emotional arguments concerning the welfare of animals, and the more anxious I become to be responsible (within reason) for a minimal amount of animal suffering. Of course, I'm still flexible regarding food choices. I eat vegetarian food in a restaurant when eating out with my friends, and I even make a few cultural dietary exceptions (notably, eating some chocolate at Easter).
As well as my relationship with animals, veganism has changed my relationship with food, and my appreciation of its intrinsic value. Through various factors (only eating particular foods, a greater reliance on prepared rather than convenience foods), I've been much more hungry than in the past, and have come to appreciate the importance of food in my life, as well as more generally for humanity in general. As such, it's come to my attention that a vegan diet is considered more efficient (both in terms of energy and food production) in a world where many of us do not have enough to eat, and man-made CO2 emissions are known to be responsible for climate change. Perhaps most surprisingly, I find that veganising my weekly shop (which was vegetarian before anyway) has led me to actually save money! I have considered giving the extra to charity, and also the possibility of reducing my bills further by following schemes such as those asking people to live on £1 a day, or the CAFOD Lent Fast Day scheme.
When making major life decisions, I often consider how any decision would be supported or opposed by my religion. The more I mused over my Christian faith and vegetarianism, the more I became convinced that limiting my intake of animal products is the most Christian thing to do in my position of (relatively) great privilege and luxury. Historically, many important Christian figures are thought to have expressed either a desire to be compassionate towards animals or to abstain from their flesh, from the apostle Peter and Francis of Assisi through to William Wilberforce (and many members of the Quaker movement) and the Seventh Day Adventists, and many religious orders e.g. the Carthusians and Carmelites, are vegetarian (though these do so out of a desire for mortification, as I have discussed briefly in my post on fasting). For many reasons (their piety, compassion and charity) I feel persuaded to follow their good example. Additionally, while many verses in the Bible endorse the sacrifice of animals (notably, as part of the Jewish Passover), there are also passages in Genesis which remind us of the responsibility that our relationship with animals entails, described using the concept of 'stewardship': "Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (1:26) Vegetarianism is also yet another reminder of the need to interpret the Christian concept of 'agape' (unconditional love) in a new way, wherever possible. For me, part of this new interpretation includes avoiding the unnecessary death of animals.
A final thing I should add is: vegan food is pretty tasty! In truth, it does take time to adapt to a diet that largely avoids such staples as cheese on pizza, or ice-cream, but by cutting down gradually (and telling myself failure to adhere to vegetarian principles are perfectly fine) it is by-and-large possible for me. In the process, I've learned to cook far more efficiently than before, as I now do so on a regular basis. I find I'm often experimenting with new ingredients, taking greater responsibility for preparing my food and generally developing my culinary knowledge and skills.
I guess this pretty much concludes my analysis of this vegan experiment; I'm fairly sure I'm going to stick with this in the long-term, and I'm definitely glad I tried it in the first place. Following a mostly-vegan lifestyle does require some commitments in terms of time and effort (but not in terms of finances, I've found!) but I think the results, in terms of peace-of-mind, are well worth it. For me, though, there are two important caveats to this whole vegan experiment, which are important to explain:
I guess the first thing that's been on my mind is how much my relationship with animals has changed since I began what was very much an experiment in vegan eating. At the time, I was far less concerned with the emotional aspects of animal ethics than I was about the potential health benefits of eating a vegan diet, and the logical arguments behind it (these include the fact that the intelligence of many animal species puts them on a par with severely mentally retarded human beings, which I for one would never consider killing and eating, and the fact that the suffering which we cause animals is frankly unnecessary for people like me, who can freely choose what we eat without detriment to our health or finances). However, the longer I spend making decisions about my food every mealtime, the more attached I become to emotional arguments concerning the welfare of animals, and the more anxious I become to be responsible (within reason) for a minimal amount of animal suffering. Of course, I'm still flexible regarding food choices. I eat vegetarian food in a restaurant when eating out with my friends, and I even make a few cultural dietary exceptions (notably, eating some chocolate at Easter).
As well as my relationship with animals, veganism has changed my relationship with food, and my appreciation of its intrinsic value. Through various factors (only eating particular foods, a greater reliance on prepared rather than convenience foods), I've been much more hungry than in the past, and have come to appreciate the importance of food in my life, as well as more generally for humanity in general. As such, it's come to my attention that a vegan diet is considered more efficient (both in terms of energy and food production) in a world where many of us do not have enough to eat, and man-made CO2 emissions are known to be responsible for climate change. Perhaps most surprisingly, I find that veganising my weekly shop (which was vegetarian before anyway) has led me to actually save money! I have considered giving the extra to charity, and also the possibility of reducing my bills further by following schemes such as those asking people to live on £1 a day, or the CAFOD Lent Fast Day scheme.
When making major life decisions, I often consider how any decision would be supported or opposed by my religion. The more I mused over my Christian faith and vegetarianism, the more I became convinced that limiting my intake of animal products is the most Christian thing to do in my position of (relatively) great privilege and luxury. Historically, many important Christian figures are thought to have expressed either a desire to be compassionate towards animals or to abstain from their flesh, from the apostle Peter and Francis of Assisi through to William Wilberforce (and many members of the Quaker movement) and the Seventh Day Adventists, and many religious orders e.g. the Carthusians and Carmelites, are vegetarian (though these do so out of a desire for mortification, as I have discussed briefly in my post on fasting). For many reasons (their piety, compassion and charity) I feel persuaded to follow their good example. Additionally, while many verses in the Bible endorse the sacrifice of animals (notably, as part of the Jewish Passover), there are also passages in Genesis which remind us of the responsibility that our relationship with animals entails, described using the concept of 'stewardship': "Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground." (1:26) Vegetarianism is also yet another reminder of the need to interpret the Christian concept of 'agape' (unconditional love) in a new way, wherever possible. For me, part of this new interpretation includes avoiding the unnecessary death of animals.
A final thing I should add is: vegan food is pretty tasty! In truth, it does take time to adapt to a diet that largely avoids such staples as cheese on pizza, or ice-cream, but by cutting down gradually (and telling myself failure to adhere to vegetarian principles are perfectly fine) it is by-and-large possible for me. In the process, I've learned to cook far more efficiently than before, as I now do so on a regular basis. I find I'm often experimenting with new ingredients, taking greater responsibility for preparing my food and generally developing my culinary knowledge and skills.
I guess this pretty much concludes my analysis of this vegan experiment; I'm fairly sure I'm going to stick with this in the long-term, and I'm definitely glad I tried it in the first place. Following a mostly-vegan lifestyle does require some commitments in terms of time and effort (but not in terms of finances, I've found!) but I think the results, in terms of peace-of-mind, are well worth it. For me, though, there are two important caveats to this whole vegan experiment, which are important to explain:
- I don't ever want to be in a position where I find I can't eat meat if I live in a culture/society where it's necessary to do so for nutritional or other reasons.
- I hope I never find myself judging another person based on their decisions regarding the use of animals for food.
- For me, it's important to be flexible; like I said, I do eat animal products sometimes, and I will continue to do so on occasions where I consider it worthwhile! The difference is that I think about the decision I make to eat something made with animals, before I do so.
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