Eating has always been a chancy pastime. Every generation solves some problem only to be confronted with another. Animal protein, a staple in most modern diets, is evolving as the newest issue in an otherwise basic function.

The emergence of new pathogens in meat and meat products, which threaten our health and mortality, makes the simplest and safest choice appear to be abstention. Indeed, vegetarians have long been a significant subgroup of any era. Their lifestyle now seems vindicated.

Vegetarian diets are not all the same. Some people refrain from red meat, others from any animal flesh. Some consume fish or dairy or eggs. Some follow a strict nutritional regime but occasionally give in to an urge for a steak or cheeseburger. Most vegetarians limit only their eating habits but some, as part of a growing movement, strive to eliminate consumption of any animal matter from every aspect of their lives.

A vegan (pronounced VEE-gun) follows a philosophy of lofty and admirable values that embraces every living creature as a phenomenon to be treasured, revered, and respected. They see no difference in the value of an existence, whether possessed of complex thought or basic instinct, and consider all sentient beings equal, none the master nor the property. Every animal, sapient or simple, deserves gentleness and tender regard for the intrinsic value of being a fellow creature. Eating them is unthinkable, wearing them is disrespectful, and raising them for any purpose, other than taking joy in their presence on Earth, is misguided.

A mental image of gentle Taoist monks comes to mind. Shades of a Karate Kid-esque retreat where even the insects, brushed carefully from harm, are revered. Of pastoral lives spent in consciousness-expanding contemplation. What could be wrong with vegans following this peaceful path?

Vegan groups advocate animal rights, fund lobbyists to pass eco-friendly legislation, support alternatives to animal-derived products, and encourage society to adopt a course of non-consumption. Are these simple goals for a simple choice?

Not in the slightest. These activists fight an uphill battle of far-reaching ramifications. Animal-based materials are ubiquitous. No part of a carcass is useless. The meat industry has developed myriad uses for the tons of inedible scraps left over once the more palatable cuts are removed. Exhibiting an expediency that is unknown to most factories, slaughterhouses are showcases of conservancy and economy.

Products with ingredients obtained from animal parts are found in every home, office, plant and research facility. Our vaccines, cosmetics, industrial lubricants and oils contain additives purified from animal matter.

Even Vitamin B-12, with which most vegetarian diets must be supplemented, contains elements of animal derivatives. The binder in tablet form and the gel coating in capsule form begin as collagen from connective tissues and skin or as tallow from meat, hooves, and horns.

The seemingly straightforward choice to eliminate every atom of animal matter from their own lives becomes a covert quest to change the reality of world affairs. The end being sufficient to justify the means, some of the activism crosses the line into eco-terrorism.

Bruce Friedrich, a coordinator for PETA, has been quoted as saying; "It would be great if all of the fast-food outlets, slaughterhouses, these laboratories, and the banks who fund them exploded tomorrow."

These are not the words of a monk seeking self-enlightenment. This is militancy and it is this attitude that defines the wrong.

The ultimate vegan goal is not merely to eliminate animal meat and by-products from their lives but from everyone's.

The vegan cause touches the very core of modern life. If they succeed, substitutes must be found for an unimaginable number of uses or they must cultivate a universal willingness to do without certain goods. For those people not opposed to eating animals, the question becomes not one just of dietary preference, but of limiting the choices in our wide range of consumer products, surgical and medicinal options, and petroleum alternatives.

This is neither David versus Goliath nor a clear issue of right and wrong. This is a complex problem of deciding at what point one individual's rights end and another's begin.

On a different level, this could ultimately be a conundrum of whether all animal species have rights equal to the only species on Earth that both asks those philosophical questions and also wonders about the responsibility of being in the position to grant them.

"All animals are created equal, but some are more equal than others."

George Orwell - Animal Farm

References:

Klinkenborg, Verlyn. "Cow Parts"  Discover, Vol. 22, No. 8. August, 2001

Vegan Values by Stanley M. Sapon PhD.

Vegan Action

Veg Family (Vegan parenting online)

Travelers' Health at the CDC

Say NO to the Nanny Culture

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