I suspect in the next five years I will fully make the transition to vegan-living. At the moment that is just not possible living on such a small and tight budget. I refuse to spend so much money on food only for myself when we have two very cute and hungry little ones that are more important. I recently decided, around Christmas time, to stop eating fish. Why, you ask? Because of my love for the creatures in the ocean. Not so much shrimp, or crab or even fish, just mainly the dolphins, whales and sharks. You may be wondering what that has to do with eating shellfish? Well, my dear friend, I feel that I am contradicting myself when I explain about the dolphin slaughtering in Taiji and also the whaling in Antarctica by the Japanese to people who ask me about my love for the ocean.
I don't get to explain my passion for Dolphins, whales and sea creatures very often, but when I do I have been asked, on several occasions, "well, do you eat seafood?". I always feel ashamed when I answer "yes, I love it". And it's true, I love seafood, nearly all kinds. Thinking about it now has my mouth watering. Although I love to eat it, the Japanese love to eat whale and dolphin too. To them, that is their "culture" (even though whaling is a thing of the past - which I find a country so "advanced" with their technology to be practicing such a dated past-time is astounding). They like to eat these creatures and consider them "sea-food" the same way you and I consider shrimp, crab and salmon as normal. I decided that it would be more realistic for me to show people my true passion for these creatures. I don't eat any seafood at all, big or small, shellfish or not. I have a true reason to be angry at the Japanese and also people in general for making such a large impact on the largest Eco-system on our planet.
So far I feel great about my decision. I no longer feel like I'm contradicting myself. How can I tell people the Japanese are wrong for eating whale and dolphin (and shark too) when I am eating shrimp and fish weekly? One could argue that I am just as bad as them. My decision has made me feel better about supporting the initial cause I hope to dedicate my life to. It has also made me heavily consider a vegan lifestyle (just for myself, I would never make my family do something they didn't want too. Plus Jeff is a meat man and I could never pry him away from a juicy steak!). This being said, I am not asking you, or anyone else for that matter, to stop eating fish. I am just asking that more people become aware of what is really going on in this world. This needs to stop and it needs to stop now. I can't put enough emphasis on the fact that most of the world is walking around with no idea just how awful the slaughtering of hopeless wild creatures actually is.
Take the time to educate yourself. I strongly suggest watching "The Cove". It's a great starting point. If you are a little hesitant to watch this, then perhaps "Whale Wars" is more up your ally. Either way, research, read. Even if you watch the cove and feel nothing at all (how can you not?) at least you know. Knowledge is power. If this doesn't stop the Ocean will most probably collapse in the next 15 years or so. Every animal in the ocean needs another animal to continue the "circle of life". If you eradicate the Whales and Dolphins there will be a huge problem on our hands. I urge you to get involved or to at least enlighten yourself on the situation in Japan.
If that doesn't change your mind then what would?
