Mark McLeod
Lettuce to the Editor
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Mark McLeod
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This letter to the editor of VEGANZ is reproduced with kind permision
In the last couple of issues of the VEGANZ newsletter writers have been offering their interpretations of wnat it means to be vegan. I'm wholeheartedly supportive of people promoting the diet as a practical expression of their desire to avoid inflicting suffering on other animals.
I'm disappointed to think anyone would want to promote veganism as a religion. Religions are the complex and fanciful products of centuries of speculation aimed at explaining the unknown and giving meaning to life in the absence of real knowledge. They demand unquestioning belief in unprovable statements about the nature of life and the universe, they often toy with deep seated human desires, fears, insecurities, ignorance and guilt in order to secure membership, and they are inevitably exploited by power mongers eager to entrench their hold over the mass of humanity.
As a humanist I consider it a waste of life's most precious commodity time to dwell too long on speculation and try instead to focus my efforts on improving the quality of life in the only world we can be certain of the observable and measurable reality we all currently inhabit. This involves seeking to minimize the suffering and other harm we inflict upon other life forms, particularly those likely to be sentient. It naturally also involves trying to minimize the harm we inflict upon the global environment and must promote those values which best serve the quest for higher civilisation such as cooperation, reason, peace, compassion and honesty. For me the vegan goal to avoid using all products of cruelty and suffering is all about compassion in action, not belief, and therefore is a perfect and essential companion to the humanist objective.
On the subject of promoting veganism I think we must first accept that those of us who care about the issues embraced by veganism and humanism represent a tiny minority amidst an ocean of people who are so self absorbed they don't even comprehend the point of questioning animal exploitation. No argument, no act of legislation and no amount; amount of protest will change their minds. Simply being visible in families, workplaces, universities, and so on as people confidently endeavouring to live as closely to our pronciples as real world circumstances permit will win some respect and give positive inspiration to those ready to question their lifestyle practices.
I think we can also look with hope to the internet as a means for us to create an effective transnational trade, communications and support network that will be big enough to act as a "market force" and thereby realise more of its objectives with less necessity for compromise
Regards, Mark McLeod Dunedin.
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