No, I won't shut up!

People want me to let them eat in peace.I am disinclined to afford them that luxury as long as what they eat is the product ofthe abuse, torture and misery of others.

I was a vegetarian for two years and have been a vegan for seven. I have never been afraid to tell people I am vegan.  However, I have been afraid to say anything when people have made jokes about veganism or the animals I wish to protect. Some of the humor was benign. "Oh, I've got dinner ready for you. I just mowed the lawn" (Which I do find funny). To the less benign, "PETA stands for People Eating Tasty Animals" (Which I do NOT find funny).

In the past I kept silent.

Why do we keep silent?  Why did I keep silent?  Here are some reasons.  All of which were apropos to me:

The Militant Vegan

Either we do this to ourselves or others do it for us.  In the end I blame society.  My friends and acquaintances would talk about the militant, on a high horse, in-your-face vegan. The one they never met but were hoping I wouldn't become.  The media doesn't help. Quite often any mention of a "vegan" will be negative and involve someone who is about as socially appealing as wearing a nazi uniform to the mall.   As a result, we keep quiet because we don't want to fall into this stereotype. 

The fact is, this sort of stereotyping is done to keep people quite.  Sometimes it is intentional, such as what would come from the meat, dairy and egg industry.  Sometimes it is unintentional, like what would come from family and (true) friends.  But most of the time this is a defense mechanism.  It is a way for people to stop you from making them feel bad.  If they can create a distasteful enough stereotype then perhaps you will want to stay as far away from it as possible.  You will act in a way that keeps them feeling safe and comfortable.  It is psychological manipulation. Period.

Don't listen to it! You know who you are.  If you feel like maybe you look like the stereotype, then get out a piece of paper and write down the ways you are. I think you will find that you really aren't like it at all.  Sure, you are forceful. A lot is at stake.  Sure, you are committed.  Why should anyone listen to you if you are not?  But you are also loving.  You love the animals you want to save and you love the people whom you want to save from what they are doing to the animals (Even if you get mad as hell at what they are doing).  In the end, you care.  After all, isn't that what veganism really means?

One of the crowd

Sometimes we laugh along with the jokes or ignore the meat-centric comments because we don't want to lose friends or alienate family. Being a part of the tribe is an important survival trait that is built into everyone.  Don't be ashamed of it.  Rather, control it.  Standing up for what we believe in, especially if it is against friends and family, can be really difficult.  For some of us, it will be the most difficult thing we have ever done.  But we can do it.  Millions of others have done it and so can we.

If you find you don't care at all what people think or feel, you may have lost what it means to be vegan (and human).  We cannot allow ourselves to trade apathy, hate, carelessness and aggression towards one group, for that of another. Believe it or not both humans and animals are the victims here.  I know it doesn't always seem like it and there are some humans who are not victims but truly violent, hateful, careless beings.  But all in all, I believe most humans have been brainwashed by society to do what they do and it is our job to reverse that conditioning.  That is going to take some risk on our part by standing up for what we believe, even if it loses our friends and family.

Overload

Let's face it.  There is a lot of killing going on today.  World wide there are approximately 3,000 animals killed every second.  That knowledge can (and should) bring anyone down.  Sometimes we are taken so low that we wonder, "What's the use in saying anything?", and so we just keep quiet.

The truth is, we are in this for the long haul.  The world we want to see is never going to happen in our generation.  In a "I can have it now" society, this can be a very big pill to swallow.  But swallow it we must.  We are doing this for future generations of nonhumans and humans as well as the few, the very few, animals we can save right now.  We are going to need patience and a certain amount of tunnel vision.

In most contexts "tunnel vision" is a bad thing.  But when it comes to changing the world, it is an asset.  We need to focus on what we can change in our sphere of influence.  For some that means doing undercover work on a factory farm.  For others it means showing up for protests and marches. For some this means writing about the subject.  But it doesn't stop there.  Some of the most important changes are going to happen on a very personal level.  The mom that raises her children vegan.  The dad who takes a stand for animals even though all of his friends are animal-eaters.  The co-worker who puts together a vegan lunch to feed all of his or her coworkers.  The vegan friend who sits down with a non-vegan friend to watch Earthlings together.  All of these things are making a difference.

To boil things down to the simplest of elements, you going vegan started world change.  You became a part of something much, much bigger than you.  You are saving animals right now! So stop worrying about the rest of the world and focus a bit closer to home.  Make change where you have the power to make change.


Stale knowledge

When I first became vegetarian I had a vague idea why I was doing it.  Then I watched some videos about the farm industry and became vegan.  But then, over the years, that knowledge began to fade.  It became stale.  It was just a faded, vague picture of something sitting in the back of my mind.  So stale was this knowledge that I went back to being a vegetarian for about a year.  But then I watched some more videos and was appalled afresh.  I renewed my commitment to being a vegan and this time dropped any pretense for why I was doing it.  This time it was purely for ethical reasons.

As anyone in any profession can tell you, knowledge becomes stale and fades over time. A doctor cannot expect to remain a good doctor if she doesn't constantly renew her knowledge of her field.  A computer programmer will find himself quickly obsolete if he doesn't keep up with the latest technological advances in his field. And you cannot expect to remain fired up indefinitely if you don't add fuel to that fire on occasion.   Maybe this means watching or rewatching videos on the horrors of factory farming.  Maybe this involves reading articles about the vegan movement or news about the farming industry.  Maybe this means reading or rereading a book about animals and animal welfare.  Whatever helps you get fired up, do it.  Don't let the fires die.  Lives depend on it.

Conclusion

Those are just a few things that came to mind.  I am sure you have experienced others.  But whatever might be holding you back from speaking your mind, figure out how to climb over, around or through it and say what needs saying and do what needs doing.  Maybe people will get mad.  Maybe you will lose friends.  But your conscience will be clear.  Just remember: whatever you do, do it with love.  Love for the animals, love for people, love for yourself.

But where do you get your protein?

 

When I say that I am a vegan the person asking invariably gets a worried look on his or her face and asks, "But where do you get your protein?" To this I typically respond with two questions: How much protein does one need? How much protein are you  getting? When I ask these questions all I get is the gentle sound of crickets in the background. The fact is most people have NO CLUE how much protein they need or are getting on a daily basis.

For some odd reason an urban legend got started somewhere that says one can only get protein from meat.  Or at least sufficient amounts of it for survival. Of course that is not true.  Plenty of vegetables, grains, nuts and legumes have protein. In fact, it is very difficult to NOT get enough protein if you are eating enough good food.  Sure, if all you eat is iceberg lettuce you will be in trouble.  But most don't go on that diet.

How much protein do I get?  Well, here is a typical day for me:

Breakfast
2 cups of Life cereal: 8g
1 cup of almond milk: 1g

Lunch:
1 Zucchini 2.4g
1 carrot 1g
1/4 cups nuts 8g

Supper:
3 cups of spaghetti: 24g
1 Slice homemade white bread: 3g

Total 47.6g

Now some of you who are in the know will start jumping up and down screaming, "But you need at least 56g of protein to stay healthy, according to the RDA!"  (You know this because you just googled it).

Well, to ease your mind, here are a few things to consider:

1. I am mostly sedentary.  Hey, I'm a programmer.  What did you expect?

2. When I was super active, I drank vegan protein drinks and ate quite a bit more.  Which put me way over the RDA. When I need more protein, I eat more protein. All from plants.

3. The RDA for protein was, in part, determined using data provided by companies funded by the meat, egg and dairy industry. So I have serious questions about the numbers for the RDA for protein.

4. The number is an "average" and a recommendation. Some will need more and others less.  As it stands, I do good on that amount of protein. Get to know your body.

5. I've been a vegan for over nine years and still alive and healthy. That counts for something. Sometimes the obvious facts are the right facts.

6. Finally, many athletes are vegan, including MMA fighters and competitive weight lifters.  They've figured out the protein thing.

I would argue that the average America is actually getting too much protein in their diet. If you aren't a body builder or long distance runner, then eating bacon and egs for breakfast, chicken sandwich and yogurt for lunch and a stake for supper is probably WAY to much protein for you. And yes, too much protein can hurt you. Here is what a pre-vegan meal looked like for me:

Breakfast:
2 eggs: 12g
4 slices of bacon: 12g
1 slice of toast: 3g

Lunch:
Chicken sandwich: 24g
Yogurt (Greek): 27g

Supper:
1 Stake: 62g
1 potato: 7g
Maybe a salad (Leaving that off, but it DOES have protein)

Total 147g

Do you really need THAT much protein? If you are very active, then yes, maybe. But if you are the typical American, no. 

The problem is, when people ask me about my protein, underlying the question is the assumption that vegans should be getting the same amount of protein as a carnist. And even though most people don't know what that amount is, they  assume it should be the same.  But that simply isn't true.  Vegans have been around for thousands of years, even before protein shakes and cliff bars, and if it were a serious threat to health we would have known it by now. The simple fact is, meat is not necessary to your health.  In fact, plenty of data is emerging that indicates the complete opposite may be true. It may be doing more harm than good.

So, don't worry about my protein intake. I'm doing just fine.  But you may want to take a look at yours.

[Note: The silverback gorilla, pictured above, is vegan. I dare you to ask him where he gets his protein. :) ]

Not alone

Whenever I get into a "discussion" about my veganism, I find myself constantly caught in one particular trap.  It is a fallacy that most of us fall into and one that opponents of vegetarian and vegan diets are particularly good at pulling off. That is the "You are alone" fallacy.  What does it look like?  Take this argument, which represents almost every single discussion I've gotten into about my diet:

Them: "Why do you even bother being a vegan?"

Me: "Because it helps prevent suffering"

Them: "You are not really making a difference.  Do you think the industry actually cares if you abstain from meat? The suffering will go on no matter what you do. ", etc, etc, etc.

Do you see what is going on here?  They are saying that you, yourself, cannot possibly make a difference and so you might as well give up.  If you (and I've done it more times than I can count) continue on with this line of reasoning you will be in trouble.

Let me first say that I do believe one person can make a difference.  Even if it would take a lifetime of veganism to save a handful of chickens and a couple of cows and pigs, it will have been worth it.  So for me, if I were the only vegan on the entire planet, I would gladly continue on as I am.  Whether anyone else thinks it is doing any good is irrelevant to me.  But, that really isn't the point.  The problem with the line of reasoning in the above discussion is that it is completely wrong.

The fact is, you are not alone.  According to a 2016 Harris poll, nine million Americans eat a vegetarian or vegan diet (About one million vegans).  And that number is on the rise.  That is just in America.  Avoiding meat eating is huge in other industrialized nations as well.  Just read the wiki page on the subject and check out the references.

Does this mean the end of cruelty to animals?  I am afraid not.  Even with these numbers the meat industry is still a juggernaut of unprecedented means and influence at its disposal. Too many people are still addicted to meat.  Too many people are under the delusion that eating meat is essential to their survival or health. And too many people are still unaware (or simply don't care) of the immense suffering that goes on every hour of every day at farms and slaughterhouses around the globe.

But even in the face of such terribly great odds, you are still making a difference.  At the end of the day, each and every animal you save makes a big difference to that animal. And, I believe, contributes directly to the betterment of society, our environment and ultimately to our consciences.

So keep on keeping on.  You aren't alone. You are doing a great good!  And the next time someone says "you", you correct them and say, "You mean 'us'".

Influences

Being vegan today is easier than ever.  At least in most parts of Europe and the U.S.  Besides the ready, easy, inexpensive year-round access to vegetables, nuts and legumes, there are plenty of junk food and analogs.  Analogs are those foods that are still vegan but look, and sometimes even taste, like their meat counterparts.  Chicken nuggets, chicken fillets, meatballs, ice cream, even fish! (If you like Van de Kamp's fish fillets then you will like the vegan substitute by Gardein). I'm not saying these things are good for you.  Far from it.  I think these analogs are just junk food in a vegan suit.  But they are there and for those who are new to the wonderful world of veganism, they can be the difference between someone eating animals or not eating them.  Add to all of this the fact that more and more restaurants and major chains are providing vegan options, how could the world get any better?!

So you think that would be the end of it.  Veganism, a plant-based diet or a kind-diet (slightly different ideologies behind each, but all have the same results - less animals being killed) is easy and therefore there is no reason to turn back.  But that isn't the end of it.  As it turns out there are influences in our life that will challenge everything and anything we believe.  Some of those influences may make following our convictions and ideologies very, very difficult and sometimes even impossible.  One of those "influences" came knocking on my door a little over a year ago.  Depression.

I am technically bipolar II.  But I've been able to deal with it most of my life because it visited so rarely. At least the full blown effects stayed at bay most of the time.  And when they did hit I had no idea what they were.  So I just muscled through.  It was life. Everyone experienced life this way.  I was just being a wimp.  I'll just pull myself up by my bootstraps and move on.  Onward and upward!

Until I couldn't.

I entered into a period of depression that was the worse I had ever experienced.  It was so bad I was having problems performing basic functions.  Walking took herculean effort.  The things I once loved meant nothing to me.  I longed to go to bed and I dreaded waking up.  I had a family to support so I couldn't stop.  Killing myself wasn't an option even though suicidal ideation was a frequent visitor.  I found myself wishing someone would run me over. Then it wouldn't be my fault and I could be rid of the mental anguish I was feeling.  Life sucked.

It was about this time that I changed my diet from vegan to vegetarian.  I simply didn't care much.  I still had enough conviction to not start eating animals, but eggs and dairy were back on the menu.  It freed me up to not have to think so hard about it.  When I went out to eat, or work ordered food, I didn't have to ask any questions.  I didn't have to think about how I was going to eat vegan in a predominantly meat-eating environment.  It didn't help my depression.  In fact, it may have made it worse as I cut across the grain of my convictions.  But it required less effort and less thought and that was good enough for me.

Thank God! I didn't start eating meat.  I don't hate myself for what I did eat.  And I am not sure, under the circumstances, I could have made any other decision.  But I certainly won't be as quick to judge others for their decisions without knowing more about what they are going through.

I am back on medication and things are looking better.  I'm starting to slough off the non-vegan foods and ease my way back into the kind eating lifestyle I once loved.  But it has been a long road and I am sure the journey has a few more bumps in store for me. 

Influences.  You never really know what they are or how they will affect you until they happen.  The "I will never" and "Not me" mentality is good but perhaps premature.  All we can do is stand by our convictions as strongly as we can and, when we fall get back up, dust ourselves off, and have another go at it.  As for me, you will get no judgement here.  I've been where you are and we are in this together. 

Doubt

Sometimes a person comes along who holds a set of beliefs or convictions which they never doubt.  They always move forward, always stand strong, never question, never waver. They are a rock.  I am not one of those people.  In fact, if we were all going to take a few minutes and play the honesty game, you might admit you are not one of those people either.

But that’s ok!  It really is.  Only in a society defined by media sound bites, whitewashed, sterilized social media exploits and in possession of an overly simplistic view of the world do we condemn thoughtful and valiant struggles with doubt. No one can respect someone who waffles between views or always seems to be “loosing their religion” for the next thing out there.  Being open-minded is one thing; being so open-minded that your brain is always falling out is another.  I suspect somewhere between unquestioning loyalty to one’s convictions and being a Marvin milk toast is the spectrum most mere mortals reside.  The place where convictions are held, questioned, doubted and reaffirmed or changed on a fairly continual cycle.  Perhaps this cycle is very slow moving or only repeats itself once or twice, but it is there.  It may spin more quickly at the birth of a conviction or after a crises of faith or perhaps after a long period of unwavering and steadfast belief.  But for most of us that cycle is there and doubt does show its head eventually if not regularly.

I inherently distrust someone who tells me he or she never doubts their convictions.  I find myself wondering if the person either doesn’t truly understand what he believes or, at least, thought hard and deep about it.  It is like talking to someone who claims to love the desert and when asked what they think about snow, forests and the ocean they wave their hand and dismissively say, “I’ve never seen or heard about such things and I don’t care”.  I’m not saying you have to experience everything in order to determine you love or hate it, but you should at least know why you love what you do and not love what you don’t.  I can say I would hate to be divorced and that I love being married without ever being divorced by understanding, at a bare minimum, that I wouldn’t like to be not-married.  In other words, I have put some effort into thinking about the matter and some of that thinking came as a direct result of struggle through my marriage (Let me make it clear that my wife and I have never  come close to getting a divorce or even separating.  But we have had our share of struggles that caused me to doubt the permanency of our relationship and consider what would happen if my wife left me.  She never did and, I dare say, never would, but that assurance only comes as a byproduct of my - not my wife’s - struggle through the doubts while at the same time not giving up on the reality of our commitment to one another).

Sometimes I have doubted my stand concerning veganism. Certain convictions drive my vegan lifestyle.  The conviction that animals are more than just consumable “things”.   The conviction that one person can make a difference.  The conviction that even if one person can’t make a difference to anyone else, it can make a difference to me and that matters.  The conviction that, even though my religion (another conviction) may allow for the killing of animals and even commanded it it at one time - albeit no longer, we can make a choice to not harm animals and that is a good, honorable and holy thing.

But sometimes I doubt.

My first response to doubt is typically panic.  How could I even be thinking of doubting my convictions?   But the worse thing we can do is ignore the doubt.  Dismissing doubt as non-consequential isn’t strength but weakness.  It takes strength to look doubt in the face and put up a fight.  Sometimes doubt leads to change and that can be good in some causes.  We certainly want a potential murderer to doubt whether murder is a good idea and, as a result of the doubt, change his mind.  But even in cases where change is needed fighting is a good thing. If we never listened to our doubt we would never change when it was important we do so and we would never have the opportunity to grow stronger in our convictions in the same way a fighter grows stronger every time he faces an opponent. On the other hand If we changed every time we had doubt we would never stand up for anything.

Every time I have doubted my convictions for becoming and remaining vegan I have had to think hard about why I am vegan (this is where the fight begins).  I have had to reexamine my position, rehash old arguments, read articles (both old and new) and talk things over with friends.  In each and every case I have finished the fight against my doubt not, in this case, changing my convictions but having my convictions strengthened.  I have shored up areas of compromise and even learned a few new arguments in favor of being vegan.

At one time I wished I could tell people I never doubted.  But now see things differently.  I see it as a badge of honor.  I see doubt as a battle scar that tells others and myself that I have fought the good fight, I’ve met the opponent and I was victorious. So embrace the doubt.  Don’t see it as a threat but  rather a check to your convictions.  Either you use the doubt to help you strengthen your convictions or you use the doubt to change your convictions.  Either way, if you fight thoughtfully and deeply, you will win.

FARM video

Take some time to watch the following video produced by FARM.  It is perfect for passing out to friends and family.   It gets to the point without showing shocking and disturbing photos and footage.

The smell of fishy

Well, we should have seen it coming.  Even though there was great effort by concerned consumers to stop the inevitable, cooperate America won yet another battle against personal freedom and common sense as the FDA recently approved the sale of GM salmon.  Here is the FDA's response.

What is maddening to me is the insane persistence of regulatory agencies to tow the party line when it comes to safety and containment of GMO's.  Reading the above document you get the sense that they actually believe that GM salmon can be contained and that there is absolutely no evidence that GMO's are harmful to both the health of consumers and agriculture in general.   But then the FDA has been in the pockets of big Ag for a long time so nothing should surprise us now.

Also not surprising but worth noting is that the FDA will not require labeling of GM salmon.  So if you are into eating salmon from a store or restaurant, you will be fed this stuff and not even know it.  For most Americans that is fine as we tend to prefer ignorance over truth anyway.  But once these man made experiments escape into the wild (and escape they shall), even those who fish for natural salmon will find they are instead catching and consuming something created in a lab and not natural at all.  Bon appetit!

Yet another problem with the FDA's bungle is that the problem with fish farms isn't that the fish don't grow fast enough.  The problem with these farms isn't all that dissimilar to what we see coming out of factory farms.  Disease, suffering and prodigious waste that is ruining our waterways and environment.  But it is clear the FDA isn't really interested in animal welfare or the environment, never mind that of consumers.

The best we can do now is educate the public so that there is not a single restaurant or grocery store chain that will sell the stuff.  But I am afraid it is too late.  It won't be long before GM salmon is spotted in the wild and the FDA and AquaBounty (the company producing the fish) scramble all over each other to deny they had anything to do with it.

I may write more about this in the coming days because there are some questions I have concerning the FDA's response and what their response might be when the fish get out or concerns about health and eating these fish go from theory to reality.