More Than Just A Diet
Talking about veganism makes most people think about a vegetarian diet. The most well-known definition of a vegan is someone who does not eat meat and other animal by-products. However, the vegetarian diet is not all there is to veganism. Focusing on a vegetarian diet does not give justice to the entire concept of veganism.
Becoming a vegan means committing to lifestyle choices that require control, sacrifice, and discipline. Any person can be a vegan. However, simply avoiding meat and other animal by-products does not make a person a vegan. To become one, you must adhere to the values of veganism and express these values through everything that you choose to do and not do. Read on to better understand the concept of veganism.
Are You A Vegan?
A vegan is someone who has adopted a way of living that excludes all forms of cruelty and exploitation of animals for all purposes. Vegans practice this kind of lifestyle and refrain from deviating from it using willpower and discipline. A vegan is someone who leads others with intent. Vegans aim to create a better world by making sure that no animals are ever harmed just to serve humans.
If you are a vegan, you must understand that simply choosing to not eat meat and other animal by-products is barely scratching the surface of the lifestyle that you have chosen. By becoming a vegan, you are choosing to become an advocate against animal cruelty and service. A lot of vegans are behind the protests that aim to eradicate animal cruelty and using animals for entertainment. To be a vegan means to stand for the rights of animals.
Choosing the Vegan Lifestyle
Choosing the vegan lifestyle means living by the principle that animals must not be treated as if they exist for the benefit of humans. Like humans, animals serve a purpose which is why it is cruel to take advantage of them in any way. After all, animals contribute to the balance of the ecosystem. Therefore, they must also be protected and respected.
If you choose the vegan lifestyle, you must be willing to give up on the concept of humans being “apex predators”. Vegans do not believe that humans must dominate animals. Instead, humans must allow animals to live their lives in the most natural ways possible. The vegan lifestyle does involve the act of following a specific diet. Vegans do not eat meat, dairy, eggs, and all other animal by-products. Vegans also do not use products made out of animals and other animal by-products such as their skin, wool, and fur.
Veganism Is in Everything That You Do
Aside from refraining from using and consuming meat and other animal by-products, vegans also refrain from purchasing and using items that subject animals to cruelty and stress. Vegans are careful about purchasing almost all of their needs and desires. The clothes they wear, the jewelry they buy, and the food they eat must be guaranteed clear of animal cruelty and exploitation.
Therefore, vegans scout trusted stores and sellers where they can purchase all their needs and desires. Vegans go to vegan-friendly supermarkets like Target, jewelry stores that sell vegan-friendly jewelry like Kravit Jewelers, and vegan-friendly clothes shops like Reformation. Most vegan-friendly stores make themselves known for easier access and reference for vegans and those who wish to adopt the vegan lifestyle.
Rise in Veganism
The vegan lifestyle is becoming more and more successful in terms of influencing more people to adopt a vegan lifestyle. After all, cruelty towards animals is something that most people cannot consider supporting for a lifetime. More people are advocating against slaughterhouses because these places subject animals to extreme cruelty and exploitation.
With the number of vegans growing each year, it will come as no surprise if the world takes a sudden shift towards considering more animal-friendly ways of sustaining people’s needs. Vegans can also influence others to see things from their perspective. Even though veganism can be challenging, the fact that people are looking after the welfare of animals is difficult to contradict.
For the Love of Animals
The vegan lifestyle can be difficult to process, but once the idea of not hurting animals for people’s benefit sinks it, you will discover that this lifestyle makes a lot of sense. Not many people would say that they are comfortable with the idea of hurting animals for their benefit. However, most people can disregard this fact because they live based on the principle of “out of sight, out of mind”.
However, animals are being tortured and slaughtered even if nobody witnesses these acts. Therefore, people need to take a stand to help protect the welfare of all animals. After all, humans have a better consciousness compared to animals which means that our species is more capable of making important decisions to determine the welfare of other living beings.
