Ahimsa, and the reasons I will NEVER be a Vegan

To the vegans I love.... 

I personally live within a vast culture of people who are deeply rooted in the healing arts. Within this culture, is a broad community who practices yoga. Those who are deeply familiar with yoga understand Patanjali’s yoga sutras, namely the first limb, Ahimsa: Non-harming. With this sutra, many believe (and do not typically hesitate to help other’s understand) that veganism and vegetarianism coincide with Ahimsa. I have encountered many direct and indirect interactions with vegans and have done much of my own meditation and contemplation on this subject with regard to their views and I have come to an understanding that I feel is more true and correct than the generalized “non-harming = non meat eater” idea. So here it is.... and truly does come from a place of love.... 

1. I am a huge lover of animals. My home is blessed with 2 dogs and 2 cats and a vast history with many animals blessing our home and family (and extended family) over the 44 years I have walked Earthside. I hope to have my own chickens someday as well as beehives when my personal space is better accommodating. I firmly believe in animals living a cruel free life; full of love and freedom. I think it is sad that American farmers have become blinded by dollar signs when it comes to raising cattle and chickens etc etc… The fact that we have to seek out “free range” and “no hormones added” is a complete disaster if you ask me. We can thank consumers and lawmakers since the 50's, who blindly did what they were told, for that. I disagree wholeheartedly with the way things have become and I do want animals, and ultimately our food, to circle back around to the way things used to be when they were all free range and we didn’t need to worry about what harmful additives are in our meat and milk etc. I am, however, grateful that society is beginning to question these practices and demand better alternatives.
2. I believe that living a strictly vegan life is enormously short sighted. It is like every other dieting fad, in my opinion, in that there truly isn’t a “one-size-fits-all”, even in the yoga sutras. There is a very good article in Yoga Journal magazine that talks about the subject of Ahimsa and veganism not being appropriate for everyone, and ultimately, may cause the harm it is supposed to be sidestepping – thus not being Ahimsa at all... more on that in a second.
3. Consider how many Christians walk Earthside. Over 1/3 of the world belongs to some kind of Christian religion. Religions that believe in the Bible which was written over 2700 years ago. The 3rd book of the Bible, Leviticus, talks in great detail (chapter 11 - btw) about God instructing Moses what animals were given to us to be food and what animals weren’t. If you are a vegan who is “schooling” over 1/3 of the world’s Christian population, accusing, either directly or indirectly, that they are violent and harming for eating meat, is a very bold and irresponsible thing to do… and whether you believe in God or not, you are essentially refuting and contradicting His teachings, and the belief system of one third of the world.
4. One argument I have heard from every vegan I have crossed paths with is that when you ingest an animal’s meat, you are ingesting their fear and how they felt at the moment they died. This is because everything is energy. I absolutely believe this fact! Plants, animals, people, insects, air, water, fire, earth, rock… it is all energy vibrating on its own special frequencies. Energy is powerful. It never dies, only transforms. It has been proven time and time again that our minds have the power to heal as much as it has the power to harm through these energetic fields. We can stress ourselves into illness, and we can meditate ourselves into healing. Correct? This is where the power of prayer and gratitude comes in to play. People pray over their food… They say “grace” and give public or private gratitude for the food they are about to eat. They ask for blessings on the food that it will “nourish” those who consume it. THIS, dear vegans, it the transformation of energy. This is taking whatever fear and energetic disruptions may be “trapped” in the meat and changing it to adapt peacefully to our body’s needs. Even Jesus prayed over fish he was about to consume with his followers. 
5. I have also heard the argument that milk products have "pus" in them... Well, sounds like you need to do your research. The "pus" you talking about is technically the Somatic Cell Count (SSC). This is what is allowed in cows milk to a certain level. (Somatic literally just means "relating to the body"). A Leukocyte is a white blood cell - this is the body's natural defense against infection. Leukocytes are part of the SCC. Somatic cells are allowed to be in US consumers milk products up to 750,000 cells per mL. (Zero cells in milk means the cow is dead). Higher than this count means that there is infection somewhere and that milk should not be consumed until the cow is healthy again. Milk that comes from cows that are only bred to produce milk for mass consumerism are increasingly at higher risk of illnesses like Mastitis. THIS is where the problem is... The number of somatic cells increase in response to pathogens like bacteria, and can cause Mastitis. Mastitis causes pus - "dead" white blood cells, bacteria and other things like dirt and oil (pus) to collect in/on the utters at a higher rate than what would be considered "normal"...  This is the problem. What you may not realize, sweet vegan, it that somatic cells are also in HUMAN MOTHERS MILK.  So then does this mean that "Pus".... is freely given to our babies from the moment they are born? No... This is not Pus. It is a somatic cell count. GUESS WHAT!? PLANTS HAVE SOMATIC CELLS TOO!!!   Cow pus, human pus, plant pus... its all actually only a somatic cell count.  So the point here is to buy milk from cows that aren't at risk of mastitis and over-breeding illnesses. Free range cows that are fed natural grasses, local cows, happy cows, from trusted local sources.  Consumers need to keep demanding better quality... Now... with this all said, I don't drink cow's milk very often, nor do I eat much cheese. But I do drink half&half in my coffee. It's not because I'm tricking my mind into thinking something is wrong with consuming it... I'm not just jumping on a bandwagon cuz someone else told me a story (or showed me a video) and I believed it. I understand the medical verbiage and have thoroughly done my homework. I know that somatic cells and pus are literally NOT the same thing. 
6. I pretty much eat like a vegetarian… with the exception of fish (pescatarian). I didn’t do this to be part of someone’s food “fad” or “clique”. I eat this way because I am very acutely aware and in-tune with my body. It tells me what it needs to consume, and I listen. I know that my body rarely, if ever, wants red meat in any form. My mind doesn’t want pig, of any kind, and my senses can’t usually tolerate chicken, especially if it has been reheated or chemically treated. I have even found recently, after the process of elimination, that my body is HIGHLY sensitive to bread.... especially whole wheat! My body speaks louder than your vegan beliefs. But I also know that when I crave salmon, there is an energetic reason my body is telling me to consume it. If I don’t pray or meditate gratitude before I consume it, then this is on me for not changing the energetic pathways and I get what I deserve at this point. But don’t tell me I am violent and harming because I might catch (or buy) a salmon and take it home to feed my family.
7. Speaking of family, I have been a single mother for most of my children’s lives (16 years) and I have struggled and fought to keep us afloat and, on too many occasions, even fed. Sometimes all I could do is take what was offered to us free of charge and much of this was meat, milk and cheese. All I can say is that my gratitude for food, meat or otherwise, is probably far greater than the majority, because there were too many times we had to choose… food or rent? 
8. Isn’t your judgement about non-vegans “harming”, in itself, if it is impulsive and unrequested information? Meat eaters don’t want to be judged and “schooled” any more than non-meat eaters do. So consider this: the next time you encounter a meat eater, simply say you are a vegan and let it be. In the event you are asked about your beliefs in this regard, THIS is when you offer what you believe… but do it in a way that is actually and truly non-harming and practicing Ahimsa, not condescending. While you practice Ahimsa: non-harming, also practice Vairagya: Non-attachment. Consider your attachment to another's meat eating beliefs and check your motives. 
9. Even if I ate like a vegan, I would NEVER claim this status. Because veganism is a belief system. Just like any religious belief system, or parenting belief system, or psycho-social belief system. I could never call myself a vegan because I do not share your belief system... I simply cannot latch on to a belief system I wholeheartedly do not agree with. And Veganism, honestly, just tastes like a fad to me… for this reason alone I have to lovingly say “no thanks”.

You may agree, you may disagree… but I strongly believe in the transfer, and thus, the changing of energy. I believe in God and although I am not deeply religious, I do trust that the Bible didn’t survive for over 2700 years because it was just a cool relic. I believe that my body’s needs are not like your body’s needs, even if they may be similar in needs. (circling back around) I believe that my daughter is deeply wise, and although she started her adult journey as a vegetarian, she now eats organic meat and dairy from reputable sources because she was starving and sick in her body when she wasn't consuming it. She heard her body’s needs and honored this call to care for herself. THIS is Ahimsa... non-harming - to herself. I believe that I absolutely, without equivocation, am non-violent and care deeply for all walks of life, including the plants and animals I may or may not consume. I believe in your right to choose to not eat animals or animal bi-product as much as I believe in my right to do what I feel is right for my body/mind/soul. I did not go into this uneducated… and more than likely, I asked far more questions than you did. Honor your beliefs, dear vegan, but honor mine as well. 

With all my love...
​Raiya
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