Can One Truly Be Cruelty-Free?: Reflections On A Vegan Lifestyle
Posted in General VEG! on 04. Jan, 2010
Edward Everett Hale once said, “I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something I can do.�
I spend a lot of time pondering the idea that one can never be 100 percent cruelty-free. Try as we may, we do accidentally cause some extent of suffering on occasion. We step on or breathe in bugs. We buy a product that is labeled “no animal testing� without realizing that its parent company does test on animals. Insects and animals are killed during the gathering of our produce.
But just because we cannot be perfect all the time, does that mean we should do nothing? I say absolutely not, and, apparently, Mr. Hale agreed with me.
I am vegan. Sometimes I make mistakes and don’t read a label as carefully as I should. I, unfortunately, regularly tread on insects. However, my diet spares 100 animals from death and suffering each year. My money does not support animal cruelty. I do the best that I can; I do everything that I can. And isn’t that what counts?
What do you to help reduce cruelty? Did you make any VEG-friendly New Year’s resolutions this year? Chime in and share your thoughts!
A great way to help the world grow awareness about animal cruelty is by learning about pet shops and puppy mills.
Excellent point. And one I bring up whenever someone asks about all the starving people in developing nations. After all, as tempting as it is, it wouldn’t be accurate to suggest that the grain that feeds the cows they eat could be used instead to feed the hungry.
My eight-year vegetarian anniversary was yesterday. I only regret that I didn’t make this decision sooner. I will try to live a life that people want to emulate in some respects.
I used to be quite bothered by this “you can’t ever be 100% vegan” unless you live outside of modern society, but I’ve finally come to terms with it. I’ve realized that while I am only one person, there are people willing to hear why I went vegan and people who are ultimately able to see the exploitation and oppression behind the factory farming industry. As soon as I know it, one vegan becomes more vegans, saving far more animals as a result. And a problem I’ve found with purist vegan philosophy is that it can be a real turn-off to others (let’s say that I don’t want to ride in a car because it kills bugs on the windshield or because rubber tires embody animal cruelty,) well I’ll probably be living in a shell and veganism won’t make progress as a movement. I think that demystifying veganism and making it seem feasible to the public is important.
One person doesn’t just have to be one person – We’re all interconnected and society is moldable rather than stagnant. The movement is growing, so let’s keep it up!
Well written, Lauren!
“You can’t save the world” has never ceased to be the most common argument I hear against activism, and cuts through my patience instantly. I find that most often it means “I don’t want to do anything,” and people are trying to paint their apathy as realism by finding flaws in activists. I’ve often found that once someone has taken a stand for any cause at all, they are more likely to be receptive to the point of view of another cause.