{"id":12710,"date":"2012-11-15T03:56:31","date_gmt":"2012-11-14T19:56:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/?p=12710"},"modified":"2012-11-23T17:43:29","modified_gmt":"2012-11-23T09:43:29","slug":"what-ego-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/2012\/11\/what-ego-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"What Ego Trip?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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What Ego Trip?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It’s bizarre that some animal-eaters actually believe lifelong veganism is a possible ego trip. If it is so, vegans sure make great efforts for their entire lives, to keep their egos inflated – but for what? Do they get paid or any special benefits from those who know they are vegans?<\/p>\n

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Well, they just want to live lives as harmless as possible. They just wish to assert as little ego as possible upon animals, via not supporting their slavery, torture and murder. And there’s nothing fun about sharing the kinder lifestyle out of compassion despite being misunderstood and called ‘egoistic’ and such.<\/p>\n

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On trips, what kind of trips do animal-eaters take daily then? Assuming they already know the impact of their consumption (please see http:\/\/www.viva.org.uk\/goingvegan\/index.php<\/a> if you’re not yet aware), would it be an apathy trip… or what? I wouldn’t know. Am no mind-reader and wouldn’t want to be presumptuous. The truth is, anything can be an ego trip – even being an adamant and defensive animal-eater, even claiming vegans being egoistic.<\/p>\n

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An interesting response to this article:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Part 1:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Re:<\/strong> ‘… seems to have read my recent article “Vegetarianism Can Be An Ego Trip” and here is his response.’ [links to the article above at moonpointer]<\/p>\n

Reply:<\/strong> If this was referring to who I think it does, he didn’t read it at all. He only saw the title. I didn’t either. Thus, this article cannot be about the article titled above, but simply on the assumption in the title – that vegetarianism can be an ego trip.<\/p>\n

Re:<\/strong> ‘I don’t believe in censoring alternate viewpoints (a belief not shared…’<\/p>\n

Reply:<\/strong> Every Facebook account owner and blogger has the right to censor unwanted items on his or her page and websites just as everyone has the right to keep anything unwelcome out of one’s house. Here are previous posts on the subject of censorship: https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/2012\/05\/censorship<\/a> Seems like they were not read? Here is what was ‘censored’, replied point by point: https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/2012\/05\/no-laughing-matter-for-animals<\/a><\/p>\n

Re:<\/strong> ‘Here are the so-called censored views: Ironically, his article proves my point exactly. I am a human being whose beliefs differ with him. But he has reduced me into a simple label – “an animal eater”.’<\/p>\n

Reply:<\/strong> The article clearly refers to presumptuous animal-eaters, who claim vegetarians and vegans can be on ego trips. It applies to one only if one is presumptuous and an animal-eater. It does not reduce any animal-eaters to animal-eaters and nothing else. Just as animal-eaters don’t see vegans as plant-eaters and nothing else. The use of the term ‘animals’ instead of ‘meat’ is a simple reminder not to objectify animals as ‘flesh’ or ‘meat’- to reduce them to a simple non-sentient label. There is a famous book by a bestselling author (Jonathan Safran Foer) who titles his pro-vegetarian book ‘Eating Animals’. Obviously, he also does not say animal-eaters do just that (eating animals) and absolutely nothing else that is worthy. Again, this is to de-objectify animals.<\/p>\n

Re:<\/strong> ‘…I am against vegetarianism-elitism – the belief that that vegetarians are holier and kinder than omnivores just because they don’t eat meat. Vegetarian elitism demonizes those people who don’t share their faith and reduces them with a single label – “Animal eater”. The implication of vegetarian elitism is that those who eat meat are somehow lesser citizens on the spiritual path.’<\/p>\n

Reply:<\/strong> There are extensive articles in moonpointer.com already, on how rational vegans would never feel holier-than-thou to animal-eaters. Here is one of them: https:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/2012\/10\/do-vegans-feel-holier-than-thou<\/a> Moonpointer.com is against animal-eating elitism, but there are absolutely no posts in moonpointer.com stating that vegans are holier and kinder than omnivores in general, barring the exception that a vegan is roughly kinder to 80,000 animals that one lets off the butcher’s knife in one’s lifetime. Yes, veganism has to count for something. It is not pointless. There are absolutely no posts in moonpointer.com demonising animal-eaters, because moonpointer.com hopes to persuade animal-eaters to eat less animals. Pro-vegan posts simply speak of opening the circle of compassion to encompass more beings in terms of consumption. What is a nicer term for those who eat animals than ‘animal-eaters’, that at the same time does not objectify animals? ‘Omnivores’ isn’t a good term in the sense that it still doesn’t bring about greater empathy to animals. Wait… what about ‘plant-and-animal-eaters’? I don’t mind people calling me a plant-eater, by the way.<\/p>\n

Related Articles In Response To Same Person<\/strong>:<\/strong><\/span>
\nAll Mothers Deserve Respect, Of Course!<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/2012\/05\/all-mothers-deserve-respect-of-course<\/a>
\nCensorship Not<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/2012\/05\/censorship-not<\/a><\/p>\n

Inspired Article:<\/strong><\/span>
\nSam & Sara #389: Eating Animals<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/2012\/11\/sam-sara-389-eating-animals<\/a><\/p>\n

Part 2:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Re:<\/strong> ‘… a few points to clarify: My article was originally a response to a Hare Krishna vegetarian who told me that it is impossible for an omnivores to be truly compassionate. It wasn’t directed to you.’<\/p>\n

Reply:<\/strong> A few points to clarify. The top article (What Ego Trip?) was not directed to any person; but to be exact, it is on the idea that veganism (not ‘vegetarianism’ per se) might become an ego trip. Your article and its title is about vegetarianism. I hope you know the rather vast differences between vegetarianism and veganism.<\/p>\n

Re:<\/strong> ‘I respect your position of being a “rational vegan” as a method of cultivating compassion.’<\/p>\n

Reply:<\/strong> It’s wonderful that it’s agreed that veganism is a method to cultivate compassion. Indeed, it is, as can be seen at http:\/\/viva.org.uk\/goingvegan\/index.php<\/a>, veganism has very significant and irrefutable impact in furthering compassion in many areas of life.<\/p>\n

Re:<\/strong> ‘But if you have read my article (which it seems you didn’t), you would see that I have nothing against vegetarianism so long as we see it as a method and not turn it into an ego trip. If you agree with this, then we might be on the same page.’<\/p>\n

Reply:<\/strong> It is heartening that you have nothing against vegetarianism (and veganism too, hopefully). Again, your article or reading it plays absolutely no part in the writing of the top article (What Ego Trip?), which is against the possibilities of both meat-eating and veganism becoming ego trips. None of your article’s contents were referred to. Even the title of your article wasn’t quoted. It has never been about you or your article. Moonpointer.com community’s bloggers (yes, there are a few of us, and I’m just one of them) blog for many; not individuals. This is reflected across all articles.<\/p>\n

Re:<\/strong> ‘Regarding the “censorship”: I understand that you have the right the remove whatever you want from your Facebook\/Blog\/Twitter. But the fact was that I allowed your views to be linked and represented on my blog at that time (even though I did not agree with them) while you refused to do link my article on your Fb, which I provided so that your readers could have a fuller context of my views. This is why I have avoided communicating with you since then since you clearly don’t believe in dialogue or respecting alternate views, but instead wish to control the narrative on your own terms.’<\/p>\n

Reply:<\/strong> Thank you for your understanding. Yes indeed, Facebook account and blog control is personal. There are perfectly understandable and respectable reasons why Facebook built in the delete and untag functions. People often delete their own disagreeable entries too, much more to say, others’. In the mean time, there has never been any request or insistence by moonpointer.com folks that any of their possibly disagreeable views be represented, linked, remain undeleted, or remain tagged on any Facebook account or blog, because we respect personal preferences. It is only right to do so. Moonpointer.com bloggers avoid communicating with those who seem to see such basic rights as disagreeable, who wish to control the narrative on their own terms only. Moonpointer.com folks believe in dialogue and engage in it robustly at moonpointer.com, in great detail too. We have hundreds of posts on veganism already, all open to comments. When any discussion at Facebook seems fruitless, it is halted as there is already the proven possibility of there being misinformed readers, whom due to many contradicting and lengthy viewpoints shared, become confused into thinking veganism has totally arbitrary effects. It would go against our cause of efficiently promoting veganism for a better world. Still, for the record, previous posts’ fuller contexts, as mentioned above, can be seen in the list below. (Again, your article on ego trip need not be mentioned as there was no reference to it.)<\/p>\n

Censorship?<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/2012\/05\/censorship<\/a>
\nCensorship Not<\/strong> <\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/2012\/05\/censorship-not<\/a>
\nAll Mothers Deserve Respect, Of Course!<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/2012\/05\/all-mothers-deserve-respect-of-course<\/a>
\nNo Laughing Matter For Animals<\/strong>
\nhttps:\/\/moonpointer.com\/new\/2012\/05\/no-laughing-matter-for-animals<\/a><\/p>\n

Re:<\/strong> ‘In fact, your latest Moonpointer article simply referred to me as “this person”. Depersonalizing “the other” – is that compassionate?”<\/p>\n

Reply:<\/strong> The above (Part 1) never used the term ‘this person’ but ‘same person’. Please be assured that there was no intention of ‘depersonalising’, but written so for readers to more easily relate the links at the bottom of Part 1 to the replies above it. If it’s a well known person’s name, it would make great sense to insert it, to attract more readers to click and read. Anyway, your name has all along been in the article in the first related link (All Mothers Deserve Respect, Of Course!). Your name was not above because this issue was seen as indeed nothing personal. In fact, it was sincerely out of respect, that your name was omitted, as moonpointer.com bloggers never wish anyone to take any issue personally, in case they do. Names are secondary to issues discussed. However, do again recap the above on why the top article (What Ego Trip?) that you responded is truly nothing personally about you in the first place – as [1] it is not about you (as your name was never mentioned), [2] it is not about your article’s contents (as they were never mentioned), and [3] did not even quote your article’s title. The related articles are included above only because the ‘Re:’ responses to it (Part 1, and this Part 2) are by you, to provide fuller context on your views here.<\/p>\n

On an additional note, one of your Facebook friend’s comment recommended a link on Weston Price, please see http:\/\/www.diseaseproof.com\/archives\/debunking-diet-myths-weston-a-price-foundation-stupid-traditions.html<\/a> on why his views are shaky. Also, ‘John Robbins MD has written a critique in which he reviews the history of the Weston Price Foundation and provides evidence that Weston Price had recommended a vegetarian and dairy diet to his own family members as the healthiest diet. The anti-vegetarian and anti-soy views of the foundation have also been criticized in several publications. Joel Fuhrman MD wrote a series of articles entitled \u201cThe truth about the Weston Price Foundation\u201d in which he argues the Foundation is a purveyor of \u201cnutritional myths\u201d, largely because they have failed to update their recommendations in light of contradictory evidence.’ On the contrary, in the world’s most extensive nutrition study, veganism is proved to be the healthiest.<\/p>\n

May all beings big and small be well and happy, free from fear and harm.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Extra:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

From ‘Shattering The Meat Myth: Humans Are Natural Vegetarians’:<\/span><\/strong>
\nhttp:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/kathy-freston\/shattering-the-meat-myth_b_214390.html<\/a><\/p>\n

‘That jibes with what Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine President Dr. Neall arnard says in his book, The Power of Your Plate, in which he explains that “early humans had diets very much like other great apes, which is to say a largely plant-based diet, drawing on foods we can pick with our hands. Research suggests that meat-eating probably began by scavenging–eating the leftovers that carnivores had left behind. However, our bodies have never adapted to it. To this day, meat-eaters have a higher incidence of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other problems.”…\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, our hands are perfect for grabbing and picking fruits and vegetables. Similarly, like the intestines of other herbivores, ours are very long (carnivores have short intestines so they can quickly get rid of all that rotting flesh they eat). We don’t have sharp claws to seize and hold down prey. And most of us (hopefully) lack the instinct that would drive us to chase and then kill animals and devour their raw carcasses. Dr. Milton Mills builds on these points and offers dozens more in his essay, “A Comparative Anatomy of Eating:<\/span> http:\/\/www.vegsource.com\/news\/2009\/11\/the-comparative-anatomy-of-eating.html<\/a> “‘<\/p>\n

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Benefits of Vegetarianism: Vegetarians Live Longer<\/strong>:<\/span>
\nhttp:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2008\/07\/13\/benefits-of-vegetarianism_n_112431.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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