|
HAS BEING VEGAN CHANGED YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO ANIMALS? This question of the Vegan Relationship Survey evoked so many heartfelt responses; I could literally print a book of them. Somehow I narrowed it down to the following assorted responses to the question: HAS BEING VEGAN CHANGED YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO ANIMALS? Many responders think it absolutely has, of course. Many other responders said no; but many said no because they have ALWAYS felt a kinship with animals. One idea was voiced in many different word choices and dialects from around the globe. Whether survey responders answered yes or no to this question, it became apparent that, not all, but most of the responders were vegan because of the animals, first and foremost. "ABSOLUTELY!! I view them all as interesting fellow earthlings. I feel more peace when I look at them, and more wonderment. Now that I know how complex, aware, and interesting they are, I see them very differently. I respect them as individuals. Now I appreciate nature like never before." "I've always felt a connection and love towards animals. Since becoming vegan, this has intensified. I just look at them as another person now. I feel I understand them better now." "Yes, I feel a lot closer to them. If there is such a thing as a rainbow bridge, I hope that by being vegan I will be allowed to cross it one day and be with the animals." "...It has changed my relationship with them as I no longer think of them as a food source or something we have to consume. It is so good to break away from the thinking that has been forced upon as since children." "Not really, the changes came 16 years ago when I became vegetarian, previously I hunted, I fished and was a total drop kick. One day it dawned on me what I was doing and that it was very wrong. That day my relationship changed." "They like me more...I think they know." "YES. I always liked animals but now I have a deep abiding respect for them. Through reading vegan literature, researching in my college classes, and taking the time to view the world around me, I realize that humans are not at the top of some arbitrary hierarchy - we're just an equal part of the planet, and the planet and its beings deserve our respect and protection, since we are the ones who have the power to do so. We screwed up the planet - it's our responsibility to set things right." "Veganism has deepened my relationship with animals by helping me see not just the things they share with humans but the attributes that make them individuals. Veganism also made me realize I need to do more to help animals than just not have them hurt and killed for my dining pleasure or my fashion choices. So I do a bog to help people have a better relationship with their companion animals, we do a newsletter to share recipes, stories and ideas regarding veganism, and we started a very small farm animal sanctuary named CockadoodleMoo, where we take in abused, rescued and abandoned farm animals. (Learn more at www.cokadoodlemoo.org)." "No, I have always known they deserve so much more from the humans who have so much power over their lives. Now there is a name and a lifestyle that embodies that conviction." "No. I've always felt compassion towards animals. And, I never feel like I can do enough for their plight." "I cared for animals long before I went vegan, however being vegan has removed that schizophrenic 'pet one and stab the other' relationship I had with animals." "I am more empathetic and gentle." "I understand that all living things deserve equal consideration, have the capacity for suffering, pleasure and pain, just like me even though there are varying degrees of difference. I understand that cruelty is wrong, no matter who inflicts it and to whom or what. I think of myself as my dog's guardian, not owner, no living being can own another." "Oh yes! I used to think I was an animal-lover before. But I love them, value them, respect them all the more now that I know about veganism and now that I know about how the rest of our culture treats them 'behind closed doors..." "Yes I can honestly look at them and not feel guilty. I think everything has a right to live. I don't feel like we have a right to take that sparkle away. Peace." "Made me like animals a lot more. I feel like they are more like my friends now." "Yes. I have always been an animal lover - now I see cows, pigs, chickens, etc. in the same way I see my dogs - beautiful, feeling creatures." "No, I have always loved them more than most people, and still do!" "...I make a point to remain non-judgmental while not sugar-coating the realities of factory farming. Factory farming is brutal to the animals, the environment and the people working there. If I use that three-pronged approach; people seem more inclined to discuss the situation. ...." "Of course. I now feel more in tune with all life and the earth. Life is sacred and animals deserve to live as much as we do. Since going vegan, also I have a catch-n-release policy on insects that sneak into the home. It would be hypocritical of us to respect the animals and not show respect to other life forms like insects. The same can be said of the environment. I feel I've been awakened to the principle of Ahimsa, one of the most ancient 'truths'. I have a deep reverence for all life because veganism has enlightened me more than any other knowledge learned during my life." "Of course. It has allowed my heart to feel everything fully. When I was an omnivore I knew I was a hypocrite, now I can love everything and know that I am doing my best to help them all." "Not really, I always have had a soft spot for animals but I just had to quit being a hypocrite and had to quit eating and wearing them. And quit going to zoos and circuses, etc." "Yes. They should d be liberated. Do it now." "Absolutely. Non-vegans are conflicted because of the disconnect between their opinions of animals and what they do to them. I see animals with a clear conscience." "No it has made it stronger!! I love them so much that I feel sad sometimes at the way they are exploited by people...I feel they are here to share our lives with not to kill and torture." "Yes, I used to feel sub-consciously guilty but I didn't realize till I became vegan and didn't feel guilty anymore as I was doing the right thing. Now I can look at sheep in the fields and be sympathetic to their plight, and even though they are suffering, I can feel good that I'm not causing it and indeed am working to end their abuse. And I now realize that we are much more similar to other animals that we want to think - humans think they're special, but really a lot of our reactions, thoughts and emotions are all survival-based, just like other creatures - we are no better than them, and in fact worse as we cause immense suffering of others and damage to our environment." "Yes, I want to save them all." "Yes, it has intensified and deepened my sense of compassion and love for my own animal companions. I feel that I can really look them in the eye (as well as other animals) and feel I'm being true to my commitment to care for them." "Being vegan makes me feel good that I am not part of the torture and murder of animals. I would feel horrible if I could not be vegan." "I've always been an animal-lover; I just never made the connection between cows in the field and cows on the plate." "Yes. I've always loved them, but now I really do." "It's hard to say if my vegan lifestyle has changed my relationship to animals or if my relationship to animals has helped change my lifestyle to veganism!? Animal cruelty is only one reason I choose to be a vegan, environmental responsibility, spirituality, health and longevity, these are also reasons I choose to live this fabulous Vegan life!!" "More than I ever would have imagined." "Yes and no. I've always loved animals but I was taught to see them as inferior to humans. Since becoming vegan, I see them as my equal and they deserve all the best I can offer. The love for all sentient beings has grown, and I'm not exactly sure when that happened, but I'm grateful. I will help an animal out of a burning building just as fast as I would help a human. Each life is precious." "I think they sense my veganism! Most animals seem to respond to me and trust me more than ever. It's a great feeling. I think they sense the even greater respect I have for them now, since having become vegan and learning about animal rights." "Sure, I don't eat or wear them anymore...that is a major relationship change." "I have always loved animals; being vegan has allowed me to express that love In many ways, including not eating them, telling others about the tragic conditions of animals, and doing my part to make the world a more vegan place in which to live." "Yes, I view them all differently. Even going to the zoo isn't fun anymore because all I see are poor animals trapped in cages who are not allowed to run free in their natural habitat. I do not in any way think that animals are on the same level as humans (like some vegans do), but they are living creatures and I don't think that just because we are able to control and abuse them, that we should." "My compassion has blossomed, and I become more involved with animal rights and animal rescue every day." "Absolutely. I see animals as equals now, as friends. I feel like I have more friends than anyone on the planet because of this." "Absolutely. It has made me even more compassionate and empathetic to animals. It has also changed my relationship with Mother Earth and the human race, as well. It has made me an all around better person." "I always loved animals, but I realized after I became vegan that the only way to truly love all animals was not to eat, harm, or exploit any of them. I think becoming vegan did make my love for animals stronger, and it also gave me a deeper resolve to help them." "Absolutely. I've worked or interned in a few animal shelters since becoming vegan. More accurately, I would say that my relationship with animals was the primary reason for me going vegan. Since then, environment and health arguments have become vividly clear, but originally it was my empathy and friendship with a few animals that led me on the vegan path." "It is my relationship with animals which led to my becoming vegan. I have always felt a strong connection to animals so I don't think my veganism has changed my relationship to them. I am simply much more aware of how speciesist our society is. It has actually contributed to my misanthropy. I am deeply disappointed in the human species for the atrocities we perpetuate on our r fellow earthlings." "Yes, we have become more aware of their souls/spirits and spiritualities. We turned our backyard into a National Wildlife Federation Certified Backyard Habitat and have enjoyed learning from our wild family members that visit our yard." "Yes, I don't consider them as mere objects anymore. I have learned a great reverence for all life on this planet through veganism." "Yes, they sense my more evolved aura, and flock around my feet like St. Francis of Assisi." "Completely. I now talk to animals more intelligently than I speak to humans. Ha Ha Ha. I really do understand the world from an animal's perspective and all I want to do is help them get free of the human enslavers. I'm sure I will pursue this advocacy till my last breath." "Dramatically. I am much closer to them since I don't eat them and their bodily fluids. I have removed the guilt that kept me apart from knowing them." "The other way around. My relationship with animals changed my diet." "It just makes me have more compassion and empathy for the immense suffering they endure. I learn to block out, so I can function on a daily basis. Otherwise it is too overwhelming." "I don't kill them anymore (or pay others to do so)." "Yes. I'm more aware of them as individuals. I respect and love them as never before." "Oh, certainly. I am sure that animals know when they come across a human being who is carnivorous and fell more comfortable in our company. We can truly communicate." "No, my feeling for animals has made me become vegan. Although, I must confess that I am not vegan primarily because I respect animals and abhor cruelty. Basically, I am squeamish and find the idea of eating dead bodies, bird's eggs, and drinking bovine milk repugnant!!!" "I no longer want to own them or dominate them in any way. (I used to enjoy riding horses and taking my dogs to obedience training, I am ashamed to say." "I suppose I should feel even more ashamed to behold a sweet deer gently grazing on the grass or a cute duck sailing on by with her duckling, or a dying kitten, if I were not at least vegan. I don't think I could. Whenever I do behold them, I think, 'How can I be more vegan than I already am?' This is how I deal with their beauty, my love for them, and the eternal atrocity and deprivation of basic rights that they all live under." "Yes. Veganism led me to examine speciesism in society and in myself." "Sometimes I look at my dogs and can't believe other people eat animals, dogs even, some places in the world." "Yes, of course you see them as beings with feelings and thoughts; not a dinner packaged in a supermarket." "Yes. I love, respect and honor all animals as spiritual brothers and sisters. I see their beauty and intelligence and they see mine." "Not in a huge way, except that I feel greater empathy toward suffering and feel greater compulsion to do something about it." "No, I have always been close to animals; often told as a child that I can speak to animals. I have been vegetarian all my life." "Being vegan has further deepened my love, compassion and respect for animals, insects and all living things....o.k., when it comes to humans, not so much." "...The meat-eater can never understand the bond between a vegan and the animals; it's so strong that it will never break..." "More than anything. I think a huge part of being vegan is simply waking up to the fact that ALL animals are sentient beings. That just because everyone else sees a cow as nothing more than a bag of flesh waiting to be cut apart for their meal, doesn't make it true. The meat on your dinner table was once a breathing, feeling, and sentient creature much like yourself. The milk in your glass, cake, or cheese was taken from the mouth of a calf, and the money you put toward it goes to the same people who raise and kill veal. I could go on and on about this topic, but the pint is, animals are the creatures with whom we share this planet, not simple commodities, and they deserve respect." "Sure. I believed animals were just ours to use, but I started seeing them as friends as soon as I understood I didn't need to eat them." "I think they know vegans smell better with no rotting meat in our systems - that is they know we are not a threat to them. They can tell by smell that we have a kinder disposition to animals. More and more, dogs seem to come up to me like they already know me. It is thus easier to make friends with animals, even meat-eating ones." "Of course! Now I'm fighting for total abolition of animal exploitation, and before I went vegan, I was financing death." "It is the reason I am Vegan." "I have always loved animals, but being vegan brings with it a new awareness. It takes the idea of 'loving animals' to a whole new level; deepening your connection and relationship with animals in a way that cannot be described in words." "....I've visited Farm Sanctuary several times now, and it is very painful to realize that the animals there are just the lucky few who were rescued. It is also really difficult to be around the wild turkeys that live in my area around Thanksgiving. As a human being myself, I feel very frustrated and partly guilty about the way humans are treating these innocent creatures." "There are ants in my study and we work and live together so harmoniously that it makes me feel so happy to be where I am; mind, body and soul." "YES! I used to never even want to look at pigs, chickens, cows, turkeys, etc. I think I always felt that I should not be eating them or their products, and since I did, I just tried not to think about them. I have learned so much about these animals that we usually just think of as food. Pigs have become a favorite animal of mine. I just see them so differently! They are really quite intelligent and love affection. I have always been an animal lover. Now that extends to more kinds of animals; cows, pigs, chickens, etc. Unfortunately I have also learned that the days of the lovely little family farm are gone and most of these animals live horrific lives and die cruel deaths." "...The love and respect for animals has ALWAYS been there - I've just used that as an impetus to embrace the vegan lifestyle." "Oh yes. I can see them as the beautiful sentient beings they really are. Before I wasn't an animal lover, I didn't give them a second thought. Now I am concerned about animal issues and wish I could rescue all the animals in the world and set them free/give them a loving home and hug them all! Sometimes I cry over their suffering. I care about all animals now, and I care about people too. I wish the 'Church' would promote vegetarianism/veganism. Most Christians are caring people. My husband and I wish we had known about eating meat and animals issues a long time ago, and wish we had never eaten it at all. Thank goodness there is more info about it nowadays. Thank-you for all you are doing for the beloved animals. May God bless you all. Tricia" "Yes, in a wondrous way of seeing they have a soul. This enriches my life. I feel more connected, and that the whole world and everyone on it is interconnected." "Yes, it has. It hurts to see vegans discounting and dismissing those of us who went vegan for health reasons, because I've found both in my own case and in the observing others that eating vegan long enough WILL cause a shift in how one veiws animals. I know that I couldn't go back, even if a magic wand took away my diabetes. I weep when I see slaughterhouse footage and the funny thing is that I didn't use to before I became vegan. I would see the footage and thought it sucked but it's like there was a part of me that wasn't allowed to grieve for those animals because I knew I was a part of the problem. Even though I went vegan for health reasons, it freed me up to be able to really think about how we treat animals in the animal agriculture industry and it's just ugly and sinful. The various reasons for going vegan are like dominoes: if you tip one over, all the rest are going to fall eventually. This is why I say that even atheist vegans I've met have a sense of the spiritual to them - that's one of the dominoes and it doesn't matter if you go vegan for the animals or the environment or health or whatever, eventually that sense of the sacred is going to catch up with the rest of the equation, if it wasn't already there to start with. In my case, the first domino to tip was spiritual and it opened the door so that when I had a health crisis, that domino was already teetering and ready to fall. Since then, the animal domino and environment domino have followed. I'm just excited to see what other dominoes there are that I haven't expected or predicted and how many of them will fall and what will my life and the world look like to me when they all go tumbling? It's a great adventure and I'm ready for it to shape and mold my life." |