Why I’m Vegan

A lot of people I know have chosen veganism based on ethics and the desire to reduce the suffering of animals. This was also the initial impetus for my plant-based diet. It started on my long intensive silent meditation retreats. One of the things I did day-in and day-out was observe all the wildlife around the retreat center, from the caterpillars to the chipmunks to the turkeys (like the one above, captured by my bud Jeff Haozous at Spirit Rock Meditation Center).

After some time, it became really clear to me that they, and all beings, just want to live. As my friend Tere Abdala-Romano says when she teaches "Have you ever tried to kill a cockroach?! They will do anything to stay alive!"

It's for that very reason I could no longer justify eating meat.

Why didn't I become a vegetarian instead? Just because animals aren't killed for our consumption doesn't mean they live happily.

For example:

• Cows are forced to produce 10x as much milk as they normally would. Linked to this, 30% of cows have mastitis, a bacterial infection of the udder.

• 90% of chickens do not have access to natural light, and 51% of eggs come from battery cages. (Source)

• Most pigs are allowed less than 1 square meter of space for most of their lives. (Source)

• 69% of the world's fisheries are considered fully or over-exploited, whilst 7% are depleted. (Source)

These examples are just a few of many, unfortunately. Sadly, there are countless more examples of animal mistreatment and abuse as being a routine part of the food industry. For more information you can check out the vegan society statistics page.