Deep Veganism and Spiritual Growth

The majority of vegans I meet today claim they are very spiritual and highly evolved. However, these people, some good friends of mine, are mistakenly confused and are not deep in their quest for higher consciousness. Why do I even care about the consciousness or spiritual elevation of someone who claims they are vegan, and doesn’t eat or use nonhuman animals? It is because in some way they are very unaware that they are still using and viewing other beings as property and it is also because we need to raise the collective consciousness of humanity in order to survive.

The way I see it, there are two types of people in this world; those who see other beings as property and own or support practices that still use and commodify them, while there are others who tend not to support any use of animals at all, as much as they possibly can. Pertaining to “pets”, the animals are not free, as he or she is locked in the house for many hours, not able to use the washroom, being fed or going where they please when they want. People go to work, run errands, or go out to socialize, and therefore, cannot watch or care for the animals at those particular times. Even if we rescue the animals and feed them vegan food, they are still not free, even if they are given a chance to come and go as they please. In most cases, companion animals are not voluntarily giving their life to us; they are dependent on us every moment of their lives. If they are dependent on us, for food, water, washroom, exercise, etc., are they truly free?

The only argument to this I receive is, “What are we going to do with all of the animals in pounds and laboratories? Just let them all die?” Why are we playing God, and wasting our precious time, money, and energy on trying to save only a few lives, when we could be using our time more wisely for vegan advocacy, potentially saving many more thousands of animals? People eat animal foods three or more times a day. This is the biggest massacre ever!

It is sad to see that some of these vegans may also support horseback riding, sanctuaries, and bee keeping or the consumption of eggs or honey, which again exploits animals. Though these people continuously justify their actions and praise themselves for saving and helping animals, this is far from the truth. No animal can be truly free if they are domesticated under our care. Though they claim that the animals live better lives or that they saved them from death, they are not free nor are they living perfect lives. And again, their argument is, “What are we going to do with the animals if we don’t rescue them? Do we just let them all die?” With virtually any animal/human relationship, the owner has to have some incentive in order to want to keep them. Maybe it is entertainment, or to make money off of them, or for companionship (which is always taken in our best interest and not the best interest of the animal). How do we really know anyway, that what we are doing is really in the animal’s best interest? Why do we always play God and think we know what is best for them?

Horseback riding is not something that the horse voluntarily agrees on. The horse has to be broken, in order for us to be able to ride them. Their spirits are broken, their families are torn apart, and the love and trust between the human and animal are lost. They are literally enslaved and do as we please. It is a similar thing with beekeeping. It is known that even small backyard bee farmers kill some bees when harvesting honey. There is no way to harvest the honey without harm to the animals. In fact, it is stealing because the animals don’t voluntarily give their honey to us. Same thing goes for sanctuaries (unless the animals are later rehabilitated into nature). The animals are not free, and they are enclosed in tiny fenced in areas or small stalls or barns. Are we kidding ourselves? Do we really feel we have them in our best interests and they can come and go as they please? Far-fetched. They are not free; they are enslaved. While, yes, there may be the rare case of the perfect symbiotic relationship between the animal and guardian, we don’t really know if this sort of idyllic situation even exists. Though we try to justify our actions as if it does no harm, harm is always inflicted when animals are brought into human situations. That is why I do not own or keep animals as “pets,” “rescued” or “companions.” Whatever term, or however we treat and use them, they are enslaved. If they are not totally free to go and do as they please, they are slaves. The sad matter of the fact is that many people who own pets, support sanctuaries, and even go horseback riding or consume honey or eggs are really confused!

The moment I went vegan, I didn’t want to use nonhuman animals for anything. Later, I got rid of honey and all the animal clothing I wore. I wanted nothing to do with the exploitation or promotion of animal products. Today I live in harmony with animals in nature, and they go and come as they please. There are no cages, fences or any barriers. No matter how we treat the animals of this world, harm will inevitably come from using them. In the end, we can squirm and justify our actions, but if we don’t focus our time and energy on promoting assertive veganism, we won’t get to a vegan world. If we continue rescuing or breeding animals, and viewing them as property and keeping them at home or in small enclosed fenced areas, and on leashes, humanity won’t survive.

And because, the majority of human’s view animals as food and commodities, it is vital as vegans, that we focus our efforts on promoting veganism lovingly and kindly, and see to it that we get people to stop viewing other beings as property and food. It all starts with us.

To learn more, get the book How to Create the Perfect Vegan Life.