1546: 

Edited by CJ Tointon

I think there’s support for veganism - but it's in theory, not practice.  Ideally, our arguments are attractive, but most omnivores hate the idea of giving up any of the 'animal-derived' things they have come to like. 

Within the 'vegan principle', we have the inspiration of non-violence, in the food we eat and our avoidance of any products from abused animals.  Vegans eat ethically at every meal.  Non-vegans don't.  They eat what they like because they don't consider animals (or their welfare) very important.  Most people think this way about food and clothing.  Many 'vegetarians' wear leather shoes!!  It isn't important enough for them to break with convention.

It's not just the stubborn mob of hedonistic meat-heads intent on enjoying life that poses the difficulty most people see in front of them when considering a change to a vegan lifestyle.  They don't believe that changing the habits of a lifetime is possible!  And yet, they do know that much of the food they eat is ethically and nutritionally unsound.  One thousand meals a year for every year they've lived spells a lot of damage to both body and conscience.  And who wants to admit they've been damaging themselves for that long?

To restore the balance - to make things right - doesn't involve merely making small token changes to the shopping list.  That won’t anywhere near address the problem!  It’s a matter of forgoing one's 'favourite' foods (as well as other commodities) for the sake of a higher principle and moving on to a new way of thinking.  Moving to a world of plant-based foods and non-animal clothing.

For some people, this may seem like a massive undertaking.  But the principles that vegans suggest not only make a lot of sense, they can overturn addictions to dangerous substances - namely animal-derived food!   This type of change can be both exciting and daunting.   As with any addictive substance, getting 'clean' is hard and people usually take the easy way out by just sticking with what they know.  They follow the advice of their elders, they comply with the media and advertising messages, they go along with the displays in food shops and the nutritional advice from so-called 'experts'.  The common usage of animal foods and commodities today prevents your standard omnivore from taking any notice of negative information concerning animal foods or farm animal treatment.  

One of the worst aspects of all this is that our so-called 'leaders' are no use to us at all.  In fact, almost every person with any influence in our society (be they spiritual or educational leaders) remains silent on these 'animal issues' - because they're 'users' themselves!  They are aware (as is everyone else) of the general popularity of commodities with animal origin.  For 'leaders' to speak out against any of this would lose them support.  It would ruin their position in Society and make for great personal inconvenience.  So much for those leaders of our society who tell us that they live by 'higher principles'!  In the end, it comes down to the individual in consultation with his/her own conscience.  No other guide is quite as reliable.