While I am not particularly proud of any of this, I am also not particularly ashamed of it either. We all come to our own realizations in our own time and although I cannot undo my past choices, I see no reason for them to have been in vain. I can be bummed about my past, or I can use my past decisions and past experiences as a point of reference and common ground when speaking to someone who may want to know more about my lifestyle and choices as a vegetarian. After all, I too was once a consumer of these "products".
As my blogger name, The Vegetarian Vixen states, I am a vegetarian. I am not a vegan. Not yet anyway. I do consume egg and dairy products, so that makes me a vegetarian. This may change at some point, or it may not, but this is where I am right now. So let's be clear, I eat eggs and dairy, I do not eat meat. What about leather, fur, honey etc. you ask? No, no, and yes. In that order. Well sort of. I do have a handbag that I received from one of my most cherished friends for my 40th birthday (prior to becoming vegetarian) that has very little leather trim, and I do wear it. (This photo below was me receiving this handbag for my 40th birthday.) Would I still wear that fur? No. But these are my choices. They may not be yours. And that's okay.
Yup.. I can hear it already... the dreaded word...Hypocrisy... Let's talk about this for a minute. So I don't eat animals, I do consume milk and eggs, and I wear a handbag with leather trim that was purchased for me as a gift before becoming a vegetarian. I won't wear fur. I will eat honey...blah blah blah Does that make me a hypocrite? Many would argue yes. And to those people I say that arguing in and of itself is hypocritical. I am not going to argue with anyone whose mind is open to making more compassionate choices. PERIOD. Any place is a good place to start. This all or nothing attitude makes it very difficult for people to even ponder the idea of life without meat, and ultimately the goal is compassion, no? So I ask the bashers, how is this helping your plight?! How is people bashing helping animal bashing?
No matter where another human being is, we should all learn to respect each other. If all you are ready to commit is a "meatless Monday" meal once a week, then go for it! That is 52 meat free meals for the year. I do not bash you for that. I COMMEND you for that. How beautiful that your mind is open to even the possibility of compassionate eating!
Perhaps you need a different starting point. Perhaps you want to begin by life without beef; then that is where you are. Start there. Start wherever is right for you to start. Maybe even "meatless Monday" is too much for you to grasp right now. That is okay. It is all okay. I'm going to go even a step further and say that even beginning with an idea of wanting to think about starting is a start. Dive in there if you want to. Anywhere is somewhere. But for the love of all animals (including humans) please don't bash anyone who is not yet where you are!
Now I am sure many people will disagree with my views. That is okay too. I see no point in bashing another human being because of their choices, and I make no apologies for mine. Where is the compassion in bashing another human being for not being compassionate? I'm not going to fight against meat eaters, or someone who wears a fur or a leather belt. I'm not even going to fight the bashers. In fact, I am not fighting against anything. I am praying for a more compassionate world. Beginning with myself and my choices, how I treat myself, and how I treat others.
Sadly, when I first decided to become more educated about compassionate living and eating, I found no shortage of extremely disturbing comments online by people claiming to be compassionate and loving towards animals, yet lacking complete self control and empathy for their fellow human beings. Earthlings, this does not bring more attention to our plight. It only serves to alienate people from each other. Only love and compassion towards each can foster love and compassion towards all living things. After all, people are animals too!
