I think what beguiles many people who wish to become vegan is the peacefulness that the lifestyle brings. The concept of veganism doesn’t associate itself with direct cruelty and suffering to living beings. Moreover, it accentuates the relationship between humans and animals alike. In some form or another, we can all coexist together on Earth without having to cause harm to each other. However, there are many goodhearted people around the world that consume animal products. I’m also sure that these same people have empathy towards animals and respect them when in their presence. Yet, they still consume them, why’s that?

I think depending on where you live in the world, there are various reasons for consuming animal products. Factors like availability, accessibility, utility and stability of food, is what allows people to have a say in their consumption habits. In the Western world for example, where food is plenty, individuals tend to have endless options compared to individuals in impoverished countries. Taste, preferences, convenience, and socioeconomic factors can be considered secondary reasons. This leads to various food industries and movements such as fast food, fine dining, convenience foods, slow food etc…

And finally, morals, religions, cultures, and other forms of spiritual or emotional factors, dictate food choices. Kosher, Halal, vegan, vegetarian etc… can all be placed under this category. I believe that for there to be a specific attachment to food that is not sensory or nutritional, people have to attain a stable food system that allows them to accept and reject specific food items. If one were stranded on an island without any means of sustenance, then they’ll be forced to search or even hunt for their food. The food itself doesn’t matter, because they don’t have many options. At this point, survivability is all that is important.

The Concept of Fairness

With an endless availability of food, it becomes baffling to just eliminate so many tasty and filling options out of our diets. Why would someone want to become vegan anyways? They can’t enjoy the finer things in life! The thing with food is that it doesn’t magically appear, it has to come from somewhere. Whether it’s grown, raised or created in a lab, there are various preliminary steps that come before the end-product. Additionally, there are various byproducts and side effects of food production that make it a complicated task to balance. This includes things like greenhouse gases (GHG), food waste, health concerns, further environmental problems, animal cruelty etc… As such, in order for us to eat sensibly, we need to take several constituents of food production into account, in addition to the effects of food on our bodies.

However, without overly involving the sciences and the economics of food, let us observe one key difference between a plant-based/vegan diet, and any other diet that incorporates animal products. I think it’s obvious that veganism alleviates the effort of breeding, raising and slaughtering animals for human gain. The moral consideration of utilising an animal for the benefit of human’s can be considered as exploitation. When defining exploitation, we realise that the word “unfairly” describes how one entity treats another. Because veganism doesn’t involve animals, does this mean that vegans are more fair than the rest because they don’t exploit animals? Well, I think it’s trickier than that.

It’s a System for a Reason

A food system is a chain of different processes that undertake different duties, which ensure a continuous flow of production and consumption. The end goal is to reach the product (food) to the consumer, and drive the demand for it. If a company comes up with a new product, say vegan cheese, then their motive is to gain returning customers. Over time, the producer might come up with an improved product, technology, or utilise healthier ingredients that overall sets them apart from their competition.

Now, what happens in a system where animals are exploited? Beef for instance is not processed like wheat, so what needs to occur? Well, in order to sell beef, the producer needs to raise and slaughter a cow at a desired weight. The duration of this process is important. Thus, cows are fed a diet that makes them grow quickly. What about a cow’s living conditions? That also depends on the producer/farmer. Some cows live decent lives, others don’t. Finally, you can’t turn a cow into beef without taking its life away, and this is the turning point. Up until that stage, the cow is alive regardless of the living conditions. Although still classified as a commodity, the cow isn’t ready for consumption until the farmer sends it to a slaughterhouse.

I think the picture afterwards is crystal clear for everyone. Although there are numerous arguments for killing an animal, I also believe that there are numerous arguments against doing so. Luckily in the West, there are endless alternatives for eating animals, which makes veganism accessible and affordable. However, attributing fairness to our food choices is important because it highlights their outcomes. If we understand that our food choices cause someone to suffer, feel pain and eventual death, then what does that say about us?

Consumer Guilt

At this point in the article, a few things have been highlighted. Firstly, food choices are very diverse, and hold onto various reasonings and thought-processes. Secondly, the commodification of animals, their exploitation, and their overall quality of life is all up for questioning. Conclusively speaking, it becomes very difficult to convince a group of people that their consumer choices conflict with the interests and desires of sentient beings. However, it’s also very difficult to implement a forward level of thinking in lieu of acceptable societal standards. Consuming animals will continue for a long time into the future, even if it becomes a remnant of past human behaviours.

The ability for humans to empathise with others, especially non-human animals, is what makes a vegan lifestyle morally possible. Coming to the realisation that others have a wish to live, and that the decisions that we take every day are implicating the lives of others, is something that I believe is very profound. I always ask myself how many animals have been spared because of my lifestyle choices. And although I’m a drop in a vast ocean, the animals that I’m forgoing are individuals just like myself. It’s sometimes comforting to remind ourselves that although we live in a vast and magnificent universe, we are still an entity at the end of the day. That is my perception of animals as well. I can notice it when I interact with them—their attitude, their personality, their emotions, are all on display for me to see.

At the end of the day, they are an individual, a someone.

All is Fair in Love and War

Is it then fair to take the life of someone that doesn’t wish to die? Well, here is where things become confusing. Although I wholeheartedly believe that we should keep animals off our plates, especially here in the West, I also believe in the order of things. Society dictates what is normal and what is not. Right now, eating animals is completely normal because humans have done that for many generations. However, the change of an action from something that was effortful and rewarding to something that is done subconsciously, has completely dissolved the connection people have with their food. Similarly, consuming animals straight from a supermarket removes any respect or appreciation for the animal itself. People that hunt game, tend to cherish the animal’s “sacrifice”, and although I don’t have any issues with hunting for sustenance, I do think it creates an awareness that many people are unbeknownst to.

The unfairness arises from a system that is built upon exploitation. The existence of an animal within this system is solely for human gain. The animal that is born into this beautiful world is entirely unaware of its life trajectory, but the human observer is casually waiting for its demise. Like the grim reaper slowly following its next victim, the animal succumbs to a somber fate. As consumers, we can alleviate more suffering by being proactive. Limiting and eliminating our animal intake is a surefire way to bring back some fairness to the animals’ lives. It would be ostentatious to think that we can shatter a system that has been around for eons. However, we can slowly tether its proliferation and instead, promote a new way of living. A way of life that is more fair, and that is less exploitative.