Picking up from yesterday –
There are plenty of “no-meat athletes,” many of whom are stronger and faster than I am – by a lot! A lot, a lot. I don’t think animal products inherently make you more alert or energetic. I see in other people who you can live an awesome life with no animal products.
But I don’t know that I can.
As far as I can tell, you have to work really hard (especially if you’re doing a vegan diet) to make sure you get all the nutrients you need. You have to think and plan so much. It’s not a bad thing to think about your food, but my gosh!
If you’re trying to be vegan, try eating out – especially eating at a small airport. Most pre-made salads have cheese or chicken. You have to make sure you constantly have snacks for yourself ’cause you never know what will be available. And parties! Etc. It’s hard to be on such a strict diet with life happening around you.
A number of my amazing role models are vegetarians! Cory Booker. Lisa Simpson (even though she’s not real). The jury’s out on Michael Jackson. I’ve heard opposing ideas on his diet.
These people do inspire me – really, they do. I don’t allow myself to say someone inspires me unless I really have changed – even a little – because of them. I can only say they’ve inspired me if I have been inspired to change. And I have.
Looking up to Cory Booker has made me more patient and open. Lisa Simpson has made me more passionate about music and academics. (I joined Mensa because of her!) Michael Jackson – don’t even get me started, of course.
But their vegetarianism does not inspire change in me.
This just isn’t my thing. I can’t see the harm eating meat does to me or my neighbors. I can’t see a real reason to stop eating it. So I’m not willing to sacrifice or work hard to be a vegetarian or vegan.
Kudos to the people who believe in it and are disciplined enough to live that lifestyle! Just ’cause it’s not for me, doesn’t mean it’s not for everyone. To each their own, I suppose. (I say that now about something that doesn’t strike a chord with me, but when it comes to something I’m up in arms about like cigarettes, I never allow it to just be “to each their own.” I’m all, “don’t smoke in front of me!”)
I could decide to completely turn down the donor, say I don’t even want to consider going vegetarian transitioning to vegan anytime in the next five years. I’d save myself possible heartache and $1,300 if I don’t go through with it. However, I would feel far too guilty of keeping such an incredible gift away from my charity.
My final random thought: Did you watch the “Penny-wiseguys” episode of The Simpsons? (So sorry that that link goes to an expired episode, but I couldn’t find one you could stream online now. :() Anyway, first off, it was hilarious! Hilarious, I tell you! I had a couple of laugh out loud moment.
Secondly, for me it was so wonderful to see Lisa actually struggle with being a vegetarian! It’s not so easy all the time! And I thought it was nice to see that.
So, there you have it. It’s funny ’cause I’m running for marriage equality, which is a very political, dividing issue. Yet, sometimes it seems like the vegetarian/vegan posts on here are the most controversial. Vegans seem to really, really care about their lifestyle choice. It’s great to see passionate people. But vegans, I have a secret. I’m a tiny bit scared of you…
But now we’re done talking about all this for a nice, long while! Yay!
Very nice, thoughtful (double) post!
I’d say that, for me, a lot of activities fit into Mahatma Gandhi’s “be the change you want to see” category. If the rest of the world follows America’s lead in either petroleum-car-dependent suburbanization OR converting most of the food grain harvest into animal shit plus a modest amount of meat, Planet Earth will be goatfucked. [1] (Or, to be more exact, the majority of people and wildlife who want to live on it will be.) [2]
One person isn’t likely to change the trajectory of the world in that regard, but as we both know one person is unlikely to change the trajectory on whether same-sex marriage gets legalized. It’s one part which side you choose to stand with, one part attempting to shine enough light to create a North Star for society to navigate by, and three parts hope.
In any case, I’ve appreciated your publicly wrestling wtih the issue. And as I recall the big “challenge” donation doesn’t get made until 2013, so it’s not too late to back out.
[1] Excuse the farm animal reference. For those unfamiliar wtih the term, the point is that once someone has fucked a goat they are forevermore a goatfucker–it’s impossible to unfuck it.
[2] And again it’s a matter of quantity. Just as the world can sustain most folks riding a powered vehicle every now and then, the world can sustain a modest amount of meat consumption.
Thanks for commenting, Kevin.
I completely believe in the “be the change you want to see” idea.
I also believe in taking small steps to make big changes. I’ve put those ideas together, and I make a lot of small steps in my life to try to be a better person and live in a better world.
I don’t believe in using the “small steps are good” thing as an excuse. Continually growing is good. And I believe that no matter how much I go in the right direction of the person I want to be, there will always be room to grow. Maybe part of that growing is doing something about what meat-eating does to our environment. For me, that might mean researching companies and trying to see what places I can buy from while doing as little damage possible, if I’m going to continue to eat meat.
Even though I have read a number of things about vegetarianism/veganism, I think I still don’t completely have a handle on exactly how much damage eating meat has on the environment. Maybe I need to keep reading until I so understand the impact that I have no choice but to figure out another way to eat. Or maybe some companies aren’t as bad as I think… Only one way to find out, and that’s for me to make the choice to be more educated and less ignorant on the subject.
Thanks for being patient as I’ve struggled. I know some people who didn’t struggle at all becoming vegetarians, so it’s hard for them to understand my struggle. And I know some super animal lovers who don’t like me talking about eating meat so non-chalantly ’cause they cannot understand how a person could be so okay with eating animals. Maybe I’m not respectful enough to vegetarians/vegans in my posts. It is a completely different way of life, for sure. And I just don’t have the animal lover in me. (Though I do have the environmental/human lover, and I should care more about those things.)
As far as the donation, I can be disappointed in myself for needing a hold/extension on the challenge, but I cannot let my charity down. I need to either get it together and tough it out through six meatless (and many dairy-less) months within the next five years, or pay up the money by 2017. I can’t let my charity suffer because I am not strong enough, educated enough, disciplined enough or whatever it is that I’m lacking enough…
Thanks so much for your generosity, patience, and interesting thoughts/conversations!