Thoughts about Nature, Progress,
Careers, and Money
Jack Norris, RD
Nature
Vegans like to believe that a vegan diet is the most
natural diet. This is seen in the efforts to show
that people used to be able to get vitamin B12 without
supplements. We are worried that if a vegan diet isn’t
seen as natural, then there is something wrong with
it. I suggest that we will probably be more effective
if we do not use strategies that appeal to what is
"natural."
For one thing, some people oppose veganism
because it is unnatural. They want to return to a
more natural, hunter-gatherer lifestyle and see vegans
as pushing for an unnatural society that exists without
depending on animals. They have a point -- a vegan
diet, while being healthier than many other diets,
probably differs from that of early humans, who apparently
were primarily hunter-gatherers."
Progress
Given that few people are willing to turn back the
clock, it is unlikely that we will convince society
to abandon science and technology in favor of living
simply. Our culture is wedded to the notion of "progress,"
but this is not necessarily bad. If we assimilate
with society, we can make "progress" express
our values.
Careers
It is hard to find a job that does not have some
connection to animal exploitation. The animal rights
movement cannot provide jobs for everyone who wants
to use their careers to help animals. And many other
careers might require the use of some animal products.
So, how can one live up to their vegan ideals and
still take part in society by having a job? I would
suggest that by pursuing careers in certain fields
where animal products are used, we can actually help
animals in the end.
For example, I am currently studying to be a Registered
Dietitian. In my textbooks, it has been shown a number
of times how some alternatives methods of research
have replaced methods using animals and have been
more effective, safer, and less expensive. I see room
for animal activists to get involved in continuing
to improve technology to get past the point of using
animals. Many vegans would shy away from getting into
the sciences because they might have to do certain
things that are animal-related. I don’t mean vivisection
or dissection, but many scientific methods do use
animal products and one might need to use them
during training. A vegan, working to change science
from within, could help countless animals.
For example, some methods to detect bacterial infections
use media that contain sheep’s blood. Someone’s goal
could be to replace this blood with plant or synthetic
products.
We each have to decide where to draw the line. But
if we keep ourselves out of science and other fields,
they will continue to be dominated by people who do
not share our values.
Another example is in building roads. Currently,
it seems road planners don’t even consider the lives
of animals. With some ingenuity, we could save millions
of animals from being hit by cars. It would probably
take money, and transportation departments might oppose
trying to help these animals. If animal activists
were more involved in road construction, we would
eventually be able to help devise and promote strategies
that would make transportation less hazardous to animals.
Knowing that I would be using my skills to help animals
has been quite motivating. The first time I went to
college, I tried to get by with doing as little schoolwork
as possible. This time, I want to learn as much as
possible in order to use that knowledge to help animals.
It has made school much more interesting. I think
other activists might also be motivated if they saw
ways in which they could eventually use their skills
to help animals.
Money
Many activists view money and wealth as evil. As
a source of power, money can be used to promote either
evil or good. Just think how much better the animals
would be if vegans had significant amounts of money.
If each vegan had enough money to buy and distribute
multiple copies of educational materials, the animals
would greatly benefit. Someone who works a job that
isn’t directly promoting animal rights, but who can
use their money to fund the resources needed by our
movement, will be doing much to help the animals.
What do we really
want?
Matt Ball
What do we really want?
While it might be simple to believe (if not say)
that we want people to think like we do, I can honestly
say that this is not the case as far as I'm concerned.
If everyone thought like me, who would write the next
Walden, the next Uncle Tom's Cabin,
the next Animal
Liberation? Closer to home, who would design
the next generation PowerPC computer chip, or perfect
the triple-cheese and pepperoni vegan pizza?
And do I really want a world free of suffering? Would
I appreciate Anne now if I had not had my heart broken
before? Would I fully enjoy periods of health if not
for sickness at other times?
I can say I want a vegan world, or a rational world,
or a free-thinking world, but what I really want is
a better world. Bringing about a better world, however,
is not a one-time, one-person, one-lifetime chore.
Rather, it is an on-going process in which each one
of us participates to a lesser or greater extent.
The future is the story that billions of us are writing.
What can be my role in bringing about this future?
Note that I don't ask what I want the future to be
-- I don't control that, and wouldn't want to do so.
Living in a non-vegan world means living in an imperfect
world, which simply means living. While difficult
to face, let alone accept, we cannot expect perfection
of the world, of others, or of ourselves. While trite
to say, all we can do is our best. We can't expect
others to think or act like we do. What we can control,
at least to a greater extent than others, is how we
deal with life (happy/sad, optimist/pessimistic, constructive/destructive,
etc.), and subsequently, how we present ourselves,
our vision, our piece of the story future.
There are many people who believe as I do -- that
1., the exploitation and subsequent suffering of other
animals is the greatest current injustice; 2., the
raising and slaughtering of animals for food is both
the numerically greatest aspect of this injustice
as well as the psychological heart of animal exploitation;
and thus 3., bringing about widespread veganism is
the key to ending the greatest current injustice.
(There are, of course, far more people who don't agree
with that assessment, even among fellow activists.)
Many of these people feel so strongly about this that
they believe they need to dedicate their entire lives
to this process. However, the economics and logistics
of the situation are such that only a few, if any,
individuals can do this work in an obvious fashion
and still survive, let alone thrive.
However, it is not necessary, or even desirable,
that all concerned people be full-time activists.
From an entirely practical perspective, if not for
the generosity of hundreds of people with non-activist
jobs (including some very progressive professionals)
Vegan Outreach would not exist, and hundreds of thousands
of people would not have read Why
Vegan.
From a broader perspective, however, changes in society
need to be continued and expanded by thoughtful people.
At some future point, the perfect veggie burger and
the "cheesiest" uncheese will be of greater importance
to the further progression of veganism than Why
Vegan and similar tools. Additional advances in
medical technology will nullify the need for the use
of animals in research. Contraception and delivery
methods will stem deer and other "game" animal overpopulation,
and better video games may actually satisfy adolescent
male bloodlusts which in prior times took place on
the hunting fields. Personal computing (desktop publishing,
the Web, etc.) have helped Vegan Outreach and others
reach new audiences, and further advances will help
with the further democratization of information (countering
the advertising budgets of McDonalds, the Dairy Board,
etc.). Improvements in energy efficiency and alternative
energy sources will protect the environment. Better
urban planning will lessen suburban sprawl's impact
on wildlife habitat. New philosophers will help advance
human ethics. Educators, in just about any field,
help advance the human condition and humans' relationship
to others; education, in general, breaks down prejudices,
decreases birth rates (easing overpopulation), and
opens minds.
These are just a few of the fields where people can
make a significant contribution to the advancement
of a better world. None of these careers may be as
glamorous as being Ingrid Newkirk or Peter Singer.
However, in addition to improving various aspects
of the world in one's field and earning money (for
example) to print more copies of Why Vegan,
each one of us will be able to influence many people
over the course of our lives. To create a better world,
it is of more use to be respected by ten people whose
lives you have changed (and who each subsequently
go on to influence ten other people, etc.) than to
be lionized by thousands of activists who aalready
think as you do
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