Me... A VEGAN HIPPY???

So guys, I have been watching some documentaries lately that have been challenging my perceptions of what's "right," "normal," and "best." I think it's good to learn about different people's views because you just might expand your knowledge about the world and decide they're right. Here are my thoughts on the documentaries:

1. The Business of Being Born (it used to be on Netflix, but I found it on YouTube!)

This one is all about birth, and really opened my eyes. I now know that people who choose unmedicated births are NOT crazy. A natural birth can be a beautiful thing IF you're prepared for it. When I had my first baby I kind of winged the whole birthing thing. I thought, "How much is there to know? I go in to labor, go to the hospital, get an epidural, and push the baby out when it's time, right?" And that's what I did. THANKFULLY it worked out, but I easily could have had a C-Section, and if I did it would have been totally preventable had I birthed naturally. So watch it. Unless you're my husband and you're squeamish about seeing half-naked women giving birth.

2. Vegucated (on Netflix)


                                           

This one is about vegainsm! It goes through the journey of three people who volunteer to eat vegan for six weeks. The viewers of the documentary are educated about the health benefits and how our society raises and slaughters animals to eat as the volunteers learn about these things. This documentary is also very eye-opening. We don't like to think about how violently pigs, cows, and chickens are mistreated because the demand for their meat is so high. We see brutal video clips and hear stories, and then tuck them in the metaphorical closets in our brains and close the door, because it's too yucky. It's too shocking. We are so far removed from the reality of what's going on that when we see it we almost don't believe it. 

In school I learned about cognitive dissonance. It's when your thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes are in conflict with your actions. This causes you to do one of two things: 
1. change your actions so that what you do is in harmony with what you say you believe
2. keep doing what you're doing and change your thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes to be in line with your actions

As I neared the end of the documentary I was about to give in and tuck this horrific information in my brain-closet, but then my heart asked my brain, "Would I ever treat animals like they are being treated in factory farms?" The answer is a resounding NO! I could never treat animals with such blatant disrespect for life and happiness. Again my heart asked my brain, "Then why would you support other people who do?" 

I believe that Jesus Christ will come to this earth again some day and it will be transformed and receive its paradisaical glory.  I really believe that.

Do I think that we will have factory farms and treat animals we are going to eat so cruelly in that future day? Absolutely not. So if I think they will be abolished and people will perceive the treatment of animals differently, then why shouldn't I start living that way now?

It's a hard pill to swallow. It's a lifestyle change. It makes me have cognitive dissonance, and until I decide to change how I eat or disregard my new found knowledge I will continue to have dissonance in my life.

A while ago I watched this TED talk by Graham Hill entitled "Why I'm a Weekday Vegetarian" and it stuck with me. He says that change is hard and when we're faced with a huge change, like becoming vegetarian or vegan (for whatever reason), it can be so overwhelming. We feel like it's an all or nothing choice. Either I'm going to be vegetarian and NEVER eat meat again EVER, or give up and eat meat every day like you usually do. He suggests that it doesn't have to be like that. If it's too hard to go all in, then eliminate meat for five days of the week, or three, or one. This will still give you health benefits and you won't be supporting factory farms as much. 

I like this approach a lot. Do what you can, or as we say in Cub Scouts "DO YOUR BEST!" 

Not everybody's best is the same. I honestly don't know how my diet is going to change in the long run. This is still so fresh in my mind that the physical changes haven't set in yet. I want to change though, and I think it's a worthy issue to focus on.

There's so much fluff and junk I allow take up my time and energy, but slowly I want to make more important matters a priority in my life.