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Vegan and vegetarian diets appear to be among the top food trends, but there is evidence that some people have been eating a predominantly plant-based or vegetarian diet for centuries. However, it wasn’t until 1944 that the term “vegan” was coined. Essentially, individuals who follow a vegan diet have opted to remove all animal-based foods from their diet. Many choose vegan clothing, household items and personal care items as well. Most individuals who adopt a vegan diet are doing so for the perceived health benefits or to advocate for animal rights.
When we talk about Veganism and Vegetariansim, many people hear the word “diet” as part of the overall conversation. After all, one of the most well-known aspects of the vegan lifestyle involves not eating meat or animal by-products.

However, by centering diet at the soul of the conversation, we might be doing a disservice to vegans and vegetarains. Vegans lead with intent. They do their best to create a world, however small, in which no animals are harmed in service to humans.And it goes far beyond diet. The vegan lifestyle involves actively avoiding any practice that damages animal welfare or subjugates animals for our benefit as humans.

Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.”

There can be no argument in any way to  justify pain, hurting  and killing of lives just because they are in a animal form and not in our human form. We no longer live in the primitive age of hunting for food and today we have choices and alternatives .Every argument in support to kill and eat meat is only a sorry and pathetic excuse to satisfy ones gratification of their sense of taste and the ignorance and arrogance caused by the absence of moral and spiritual bankruptcy in themselves.so we cannot carry on the bullshit of arguments of  being a Vegetarian Vs being  Non Vegetarian.

The whole point in being a vegetarian is to avoid inflicting pain and harm to these poor, gentle and defenceless animals.There is so much cruelty involved that shames millions of people to be qualified to be called human beings. In the process of being  killed for meat,these animals are invariably tightly packed, and farmers typically remove the tails and trim the beaks, and typically most do so without anesthetic. Animals are bred to grow fast on a restricted amount of antibiotics, food, and hormonesin such a way that their bodies become heavier than their bones can support. As a result, they “are in chronic pain for the last 20% of their lives” (John Webster, quoted in Erlichman 1991). Animals are killed young—they taste better that way—and are killed in large-scale slaughterhouses operating at speed. Animal farms have no use for, e.g., male chicks on egg-laying farms, are killed at birth or soon after.

It is always impossible to raise animals for food without some form of temporary and permentent pain, and you must sometimes inflict this pain with your own hands. Animals need to be castrated, dehorned, branded, and have other minor surgeries. Such temporary pain is often required to produce longer term benefits.All of this must be done knowing that anesthetics would have lessened the pain but are too expensive.

There is the physical suffering of tail removals, trimming beaks,  removing horns, and castrating, all without anesthetic and transporting them in a painful way.Raising animals in this way enables ignorant people to feed their appetite for meat.The same goes for hunting of animals for pleasure and sport.The same goes for the painful transportation of these poor animals. Both slaughter and transport can be painful and stressful .Hence there can be no sorry excuse or argument in support of these beastly acts of human being. It is morally and spiritually wrong.

At its core, veganism is a philosophy and way of life that rejects animal cruelty and exploitation. Those that subscribe to a vegan lifestyle can become part of a culture. Sometimes, some people treat veganism almost as a religion unto itself, although the principles of being vegan are not expressly written in any religious texts. As it stems from vegetarianism, some of the same beliefs regarding animals and health tend to overlap. The difference is that veganism has stricter guidelines of what can and cannot be eaten.

A vegan lifestyle is a crede and a way of life that denounces the idea that other animals exist for our use. We were all put here for our own purposes, and animals other than humans contribute just as much as we do to our ecosystem.Vegans believe that we can live side-by-side with animals rather than as “apex predators.” Instead of exerting dominion over animals, we can help them live their lives as naturally as possible.

Choosing a vegan lifestyle begins by making a decision to completely stop eating meat as well as dairy and switch to an entirely plant-based diet. It is similar to vegetarianism, but with a smaller scope of what is acceptable. It is not just about meat, but animals in general. Vegans also avoid animal by-products like honey as well as products made from animals, such as silk, fur and leather. Soaps and certain cosmetics that may contain animal by-products are also on the “do not use” list for vegans.

Like vegetarianism or other specialty lifestyles, there are many reasons people choose to become vegan, such as animal rights, health, weight loss and more. One of the most effective ways to lower your personal carbon footprint is to avoid animal products. This is simply because there are a lot of natural resources that go along with meat production. There is a significant amount of water and energy that goes into raising animals for food, and the vast amounts of grain necessary to keep them fed can contribute to deforestation and habitat loss.
We know that animals are used to create many consumer products, from soaps and cosmetics to clothing. Vegans wear synthetic fabrics, for instance, instead of wool made from sheep, llamas, alpacas, and other animals.

It’s true that these animals aren’t killed for their fur. However, they’re terrorized during the shearing process, which they don’t understand, and left without their natural protection from the elements.
Just as the vegan lifestyle is about intent, it’s also about mindfulness. Before buying something at the store, a vegan considers whether or not it has had a deleterious impact on animals in any way.

There are multiple reasons someone might choose to adopt a vegan lifestyle. Some of the ethical reasons people choose to lead a vegan lifestyle include:
• animal welfare issues and the objection to using animals as commodities
• environmental issues directly associated with animal agriculture (such as air pollution and contaminated drainage from factory farming into water supplies) and to help lessen our over consumption of resources including land, water, and fossil fuels
• adopting veganism as a part of the solution to world hunger by more efficiently using our planet’s food resources
A dietary vegan may choose to follow a plant-based diet for health reasons and may not choose to avoid animal products in other aspects of their lives.
There are many ways to embrace vegan living. Yet one thing all vegans have in common is a plant-based diet avoiding all animal foods such as meat (including fish, shellfish and insects), dairy, eggs and honey – as well as avoiding animal-derived materials, products tested on animals and places that use animals for entertainment.

Vegans lead with intent. They do their best to create a world, however small, in which no animals are harmed in service to humans. And it goes far beyond just diet.Vegans have been behind many of the protests that lobbied against circus acts and other entertainment venues that force animals to perform for human entertainment. A circus has nothing to do with diet — unless you count popcorn and cotton candy — but everything to do with animal welfare.

Animals forced to perform for human entertainment often show no signs of enjoying the work or wanting to perform. Consequently, the trainers have to use pain to evoke the desired response from the animal.
The vegan lifestyle involves actively avoiding any practice that damages animal welfare or subjugates animals for our benefit as humans.
Very few people will say they “hate” animals or want them to suffer. If you live a vegan lifestyle, however, you make a statement with every product you buy, article of clothing you wear, and piece of food you eat. Instead of just saying how much you love animals and wish the best for them, you’re contributing to their cause.

Every scripture and every saint taught the same. Here are few of the teachings from scriptures of every religion and great saints of the world –

Bible –

Thou shall not – (Christ one of the 10 commandment).“And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” — ( Genesis 1:30 )
“Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy” – New Testament

Bhagavad Gita –

One who is not envious but who is a kind friend to all living entities is dear to me – ( Lord Krishna )

Quran:

“It is not their meat nor their blood, that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches Him.” (22.37)
“Show mercy to all living beings like the mercy and love shown to you by the Lord” – ( Mohammed Words.)

Buddhism

To become vegetarian is to step into the stream which leads to nirvana.

Manu-Samhita:

“He who permits the slaughter of an animal, he who cuts it up, he who kills it, he who buys or sells meat, he who cooks it, he who serves it up, and he who eats it, must all be considered as the slayers of the animal. There is no greater sinner than that man who though not worshiping the gods or the ancestors, seeks to increase the bulk of his own flesh by the flesh of other beings.” (Manu-samhita 5.51-52)

“By not killing any living being, one becomes fit for salvation.” (Manu-samhita 6.60)

Saint Tiruvalluvar –

Greater than a thousand ghee offerings consumed in sacrificial
fires is to not sacrifice and consume any living creature.How one can get Grace if he develops his flesh by eating the flesh of other living
beings.

Saint Vallalar

Even if one has the power to bring a dead person alive but if he eats meat then he can never be a Jnani – Enlightened – Liberated. He will never get the grace of lord and his life will be determined by his fate and will never cross the birth death cycle. Person who avoid eating meat and has compassion on all form of life will be eligible for getting divine grace. Vallalar has clearly warned that one of the worst sins to commit is to “Put a bird in a Cage”.

He laid a very great emphasis on being vegetarian. He said God is personification of Grace, Mercy and Knowledge. He said the path of compassion and mercy are the only path to spirituality and God. The almighty exists in the soul of every living being and we must never cause pain directly or indirectly to any life. We cannot move even one step ahead in our spiritual journey if we eat meat or be a part of killing any living being, directly or indirectly. This is the harsh and bitter truth.

Embrace the truth of “Hurting no one”
We don’t have to hurt others to survive. Human beings have proved that through centuries of living on this earth
The problem, though, is that many people pick and choose. If you embrace the belief that you should do no harm to another sentient creature, it’s impossible to separate dogs and cats from cows and chickens and fish.
Ancient cultures hunted animals because they often had no other choices.But we have all the choice now and we can no longer hide behind outdated beliefs.
According to 2017 statistics, the incorporation of vegan foods into meals across all American households has risen by 40 percent. Furthermore, nearly half of all Americans support banning slaughterhouses, and in some countries, vegan populations have increased by as much as 600 percent.
The data is clear: More people are going vegan every day. This evolution creates significant demand for consumer products that fit the vegan lifestyle.

If you consume meant then the spirituality will be only be cosmetic, ornamental and superficial. It will never be real. How can we extinguish life and walk the path of spirituality? Where is a human’s love, kindness, affection and care for a life or soul if we are part of harming or killing a soul to satisfy our senses of taste and justify them with ignorant justification of science and stupidity. We do not show mercy to these souls and yet ask god for mercy for ourselves. If we do not show mercy to these animal lives and remain ignorant, then we cannot expect mercy for ourselves too from the Almighty.

Vegetarianism is a noble and compassionate diet and way of life because it involves eating food containing the least amount of destruction of life.People who talk about “Love” must adopt a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Always Remember we are all accountable for our actions  and so my dear a honest attempt to become a Vegetarian and take the right path step to humanity, spirituality and enlightenment – Liberation in this life.

So how do you ensure you live your beliefs and help veganism and vegetarianism ?
AS MAHATMA GANDHI SAID – “BE THE CHANGE THAT YOU WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD.”
Let the Change begin with ourselves.Let each one us be the change.Let every reader enlighten himself / herself first.By Enlightening yourself,you can enlighten others.Let us avoid non – vegetarian food and be the change that the world needs.