Part Two: VEGAN
As I mentioned in my previous post, I did not waste much time in getting my second tattoo. Most things in life that I find interesting, enjoyable and that give me pleasure I tend to jump into headfirst and take to extreme limits. Tattoos are one of these things for me, and as soon as I had gotten my Chinese name completed, I immediately knew what I wanted my next one to embody: my Vegan beliefs/principles, which are perhaps the most defining things about the way in which I choose to live life.
My journey to living a Vegan lifestyle was a process that took place over a few years and was done in conjunction with my wombmate/twin brother, John. Although this initially started primarily for health reasons, it has since grown to encompass far more than simply what I choose to eat and not eat and in fact dictates many of the choices I make on a daily basis. I will get into all of these reasons throughout the body of this post and hope that I am able to make readers more aware of their impact on our planet and fellow living creatures, as well as practicing mindfulness in life.
John was the catalyst for me in becoming more conscious of my dietary choices and together we progressed from being omnivores to vegetarians to Vegans. For two South Dakota farm boys who spent their childhoods eating whatever was put in front of them, which included copious amounts of our family farm's pork and beef, it is ironic in some ways that this happened at all. The progression from eating anything and everything to then becoming aware of every single thing that I put in my body was not something that happened overnight, nor would I recommend to anyone to drastically change their dietary habits all at one time. It is far better in the long run, I believe, to make changes gradually and a few at a time. In any case, as I became more conscious of the food that I consumed, I naturally became more aware of how I felt in response to the things I put in my body. The more I did this, the more I wanted to further refine my food choices and ensure they were as life-sustaining as possible. Within roughly eight months' time both John and I had completely cut animal flesh out of our diets.
For the next year or so, we were then following a vegetarian diet and continuing to eat dairy products, eggs, wearing animal derived clothing and other products from animals. It was then during a trip to Mt. Desert Island off the coast of Maine that we finally made the commitment to being Vegan. This had been, at least for me, something I had considered doing for quite some time. The final deciding factor for me was becoming more aware of the difference between the environmental impact of a plant based lifestyle versus that of a animal based lifestyle. It is this aspect of Veganism, coupled with the health and ethical aspects, that keep me so firmly rooted in my Vegan principles. By following this particular way of life, I feel I am able to coexist with all life creatures on Earth as peacefully as possible, an ideal I continually aspire to achieve.
It has now been nearly eight years since I adopted a Vegan approach to life, and at this point many of the things I do in line with Vegan principles are habitual and simply my own reaction to life. I still do, however, make decisions on a daily basis that are directly influenced by these principles. One area in particular is in the way in which I choose to commute to places in my daily life. I am a firm believer in mass/public transit as a means of moving from place to place. However, I generally choose my own body as my means of transport either by walking/running or cycling to get to and from places. When this is not feasible, I then do my best to use a combination of public transit and myself to get where I need to go. Although this may not seem like a part of Vegan principles, for me it is directly in accordance with the values that this lifestyle attempts to embody: peaceful coexistence with one's surroundings. I do not claim to be perfect in my attempts to live in this way, but I do my best, which is all anyone can do in this life. For example, one thing I do quite often that is in direct contrast to this ideal is travel via airplane. Unfortunately nearly all of my efforts to reduce my carbon footprint each year are very nearly negated by the amount of air travel I do annually This is a fact that I have chosen to live with, as I enjoy travel too much to give it up at this point.
I feel it necessary to clarify that I do not judge others for their lifestyle choices and do not consider myself a militant Vegan, though I did at one point. I do not like when my choices and lifestyle are judged, so I do my best to show respect for others' choices and not make comments about how my fellow humans live. "To each his own," is a proverb that I say out loud several times each week to remind myself about this. Having said this, however, I do encourage others to become more cognizant of the choices that make up the lives in which we lead. After all, life is but a matter of individual choices that together dictate the path in which our lives take us. Making choices that involve more cogitation will ultimately lead to a more positive and fulfilling life experience.
My next blog post will focus on my third tattoo, which did not come for a year and a half from this one. The story behind that one involves a much different inspiration and narrative.......
