The thing is, I’m not a vegan. Not really.
I eat a vegan diet, avoiding all meat, dairy and eggs. But the other elements of a vegan lifestyle are not something I adhere to all that closely. I mean, within the last year I’ve had no occasion to buy any leather or silk clothing, nor visit any zoos or aquariums. But I haven’t avoided them either. And my awareness of bathroom items or medicines that are free from animal products or testing is pretty poor.
However, it’s easier to call myself a vegan when it comes to discussions on food. People have an understanding of what a vegan is; using the label is just an easy shortcut for me. Besides, saying I’m ‘plant based’ makes it sound like I was birthed in a cabbage patch.
I started into the wilderness because of my health. I know the issues around animal agriculture and climate change, but they aren’t the motivating reasons for me beginning this. That said, they may be important in making me stick with it.
Before I took on veganuary – for the many, many years of eating meat – I was able to live with my cognitive dissonance around the issue of animals being killed for my food. But, once I had committed to eating meat free, I found myself more able to embrace the ethical aspects of the diet. I finally ended up watching those films I’d preferred not to watch – Land of Hope and Glory, Dominion, Cowspiracy, Earthlings – and I began to follow vegan activists like Earthling Ed and Joey Carbstrong to better educate myself on the arguments around an issue I’d spent the vast majority of my life wilfully ignoring. I still have some way to go before I can really call myself a true vegan, but any big lifestyle change takes time.
Is the moral question of killing animals for food the reason I set off into the wilderness. Absolutely not. But now I can say it’s a genuine motivation for me staying here.
