Consistent approach

If we take on a vegan food regime, not only will animals’ lives be saved but the health of human populations will also be saved. By following a vegan diet we act altruistically, perhaps not at first, maybe not initially, but then, as it’s established, eventually the food regime seems very much in our own interest. By acting for the greater good, for animals and for the endangered environment, we save resources used to feed ‘food-animals’ which could be diverted to feeding malnourished humans (it’s bizarre to think that overfed children suffering from obesity can live right alongside children suffering from starvation). As we recognise the absurdity of popular eating habits and we make the necessary adjustments to our own lifestyles, it’s as if we’re leaving behind some big part of the insanity of the modern day world. Thence to start a recovery process.
I don’t think how it all came to be this way is as important as how it can so easily be repaired. Nothing can be left to chance and yet nothing has to be done, but what is done ought to be done well, not perfectly but useably. So, for instance, the loving, protective attitude we have for our own kids, in our own homes, must become the standard-of-protection for other human members of the world outside our family, and that same standard extended to other beings. It’s this consistent approach to life in all its forms, whether son or daughter, cat or dog, pig or cow, or a tree or river. It’s not a matter of exercising willpower or spreading ourselves too thinly, it’s just knowing that we can respond to all the silent cries for help that pass our way. Any cry.
That’s why vegetarians should try to become vegan, because the vegan diet lies at the start of the peace project. And surely it’s a peaceful approach to life that feeds back into our relationships … with everything. To refuse to eat meat but then to exploit animals for their by-products and co-products falls far short of having a consistent approach to the idea of peaceful co-existence. And that’s also why vegans don’t ever need to be warlike with those who don’t agree with us. If we eat and behave consistently we have the best chance for personal happiness and public effectiveness.