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Lessons I Learned from Quitting Vegetarianism
Vegetarians and vegans are usually known for being outspoken about animal rights and the ethics of eating meat. One thing a lot of us won’t talk about is what makes us quit.
We need to talk about vegetarianism.
I don’t mean that we should try to convince more people to adopt our ways — even though philosophically, I fully support and agree with vegetarianism. I’m all for having a conversation about compassion for living beings, care for the environment, and the many other philosophical issues that go hand-in-hand with meat-eating.
And yet, there’s a vital piece of these conversations that’s been missing: the reality of being a vegetarian. And the truth is that, for many of us, it’s not actually a sustainable lifestyle; not long-term, anyway. Most vegetarians, regardless of our convictions or reasons for quitting meat, ultimately go back to eating it.
I bring this issue up not to sound defeatist, and certainly not to criticize those who choose not to eat meat. I bring it up as an example of how sometimes even the most well-intentioned philosophies and ideals don’t always line up with reality.
