“You won't actually live longer if you're vegan. It will just feel longer.”
It would be very useful if every vegan understood that joke is funny 'cuz it is true. I have talked with many people who would rather die than be vegan. Being denied the foods they like, not having what their friends and family eat, being as angry and rude as many vegans....
This has nothing to do with the arguments for being vegan. Everything "factual" we say doesn't matter. Life isn't about facts.*
As noted, being more physically fit is the best thing we can do to live longer and healthier, yet few people are close to optimally fit.
People don't primarily care about living longer. Especially in the short-term.
I'll give you an example. I hate VO2 max workouts, but I'll do them ~1/week. However, I won't do the recommended cold therapy. I just won't. I am nowhere near mindful enough to not dread being cold. My life would be worse. The same with abstaining from alcohol. Just not worth any purported benefit. You won't convince me otherwise.
You may honestly believe that you have the optimal lifestyle. You may believe, for example, it is illogical and irrational to eat chicken, or drink alcohol, or stay warm.
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| Bigger is just waiting for your click. |
But here is the key: It simply doesn't matter what you or I believe. The only thing that matters is what will actually make the real world a less-bad place for those being tortured.
The best diet is the one someone will stick to. The best exercise plan is the one someone will stick to. The best advocacy** message isn't the one that is "right" - it is the one that someone will accept, act on, and stick to. At least in the United States, that message is not veganism.
If we don't face facts about what actually helps animals, are we really all that different than those who continue to directly support factory farming in the face of those facts?
* You can never overcome tribalism and jingoism [or prejudice, or ... anything] with an argument. Tribalism [etc.] is an irrational position, and it is impossible to defeat an irrational position with a rational argument.***
-The Expanse
(Or: We are rationalizing animals, not rational animals.)
** Not that every vegan cares about animals. I was told about a recent "Animal and Veganism Advocacy Summit." Doesn't that just say it all? Veganism itself is something to advocate for. According to this conference, veganism is equal to and as important as actual animals. 😢
PS: As if to reinforce a link in "The End of Veganism" chapter of Losing My Religions (“The Impossible Burger Debate Was A Test For Vegans, And We Failed.”) some vegetarians are still complaining that everything in the world isn't centered entirely on them. <sigh>
*** So why do I blog? To stay in contact with you! ❤😀😉
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