COSMA’S VEGAN VISION AS OF 2019
(By Ramón D. Marín)
I have been dealing with veganism for the past 9 years or so and I have realized that the path to becoming vegan is not as straightforward and easy as some claim it is. The truth is that for the majority of the world, becoming vegan would be more a long journey than something that can just happen overnight.
For many, entering the world of veganism is not that simple
The first stumbling block that the world encounters on the path towards becoming vegan is even getting to know the word and concept of veganism. I have come to realize that most people haven’t even heard the word before, when you mention it to them. In my personal case, I decided to stop eating meat, out of compassion for animals, long before I even knew the word “vegan” (I have been on and off, I have to recognize) and I became more deeply outraged about the animal holocaust when I first saw videos and images of animal assassinations and abuse a couple of years ago.
The second problem is the lack of vegan, affordable products in the market. Around where I live, cooking with meat is cheaper than cooking with plant products. There needs to come a time when a good variety of plant products almost ready to be served are available in the supermarket and in stores at prices affordable for the majority. It’s a problem that will be solved when there is enough demand for those products, so it’s a vicious circle. Funnily enough, somebody from the USA asked me about vegan restaurants in the e area where I live, not knowing that I and a great percentage of people in my country cannot afford restaurants. There’s not a single vegan restaurant in the town where I live.
I think the protein/vitamin problem of veganism will be solved in the future by making safe, affordable, synthetic vitamins and proteins (that are so badly needed since now) available in the market. It will be a matter of getting us accustomed to them, but before that happens, research has to be done in order to ensure that those products are safe. Again it’s a matter of demand and a vicious circle.
The third problem is when money is not enough because, at least in my country, eating vegetables becomes more expensive than eating meat. In my country (for example) many times people virtually have enough with some rice and a chunk of meat. In my personal case, since I am not earning any money from my "job" as initiator of COSMA's projects (see An Intergalactic Spy), then I have to live only on whatever my family gives me. I am being able to afford some soy to make up for protein, but I am not being able to afford enough in terms of vegetables and fruits, which is the vitamin; therefore, I have had no choice other than keep on eating eggs and dairy products (which my family gives me) out of fear for vitamin deficiency. I hope the hens and cows enslaved for their eggs and milk can forgive me. However I promise that I will be fully vegan as soon as I can afford it.
Another problem you encounter when becoming vegan is your family swearing to God (and even getting mad at you) that you are going to get sick because you’re not eating animals. That is a huge, very annoying problem for me, but unfortunately I can’t afford to live by myself. I have no choice other than keep on resisting the best I can, until they can understand a couple of things: firstly, that I’m a grown-up already, secondly that veganism is a safe practice because you’re eating the vegetables that make up for the proteins, vitamins, and minerals that you are not getting any more from animals murdered on your behalf, and the most important thing to know, which is that a life of murder without compassion for the voiceless, innocent is a life not worth living.
To those that can afford to go fully vegan overnight, I congratulate and I’m happy that there are some that can do so, but my own experience with veganism allows me to tell those that can’t afford it that we don’t have to feel too guilty because it’s not our fault and that there’s hope that the path to veganism can become easier in the future as more and more people of the world march towards there. The more people that start the vegan adventure, the sooner veganism will be fully invented; because there’s too many things in terms of veganism that are still underdeveloped.
There shouldn’t be any excuses for being sponsoring the animal holocaust, but the cold reality is that these are no excuses. They’re real difficulties. The war against the animal holocaust in this planet needs to be broken down in phases: cutting off meat first while the substitutes of the nutrients are invented and then go onto cutting off eggs and milk-based products. This not doing it all at once is something that vegans would be outraged about, but unfortunately we live in a world adverse to compassion towards animals.
There's an urgent need for a global, vegan insurrection!
If we vegans are so outraged about the animal holocaust, why is it that we haven’t gotten organized for action until we see world-wide tangible results? COSMA, prjSMAC, and RESMA want to propose that all vegans of the world unite and join efforts to help the planet march faster towards veganism. In my opinion it must be a peaceful war for the termination of the animal holocaust that has to be fought in all possible fronts by all vegans of the world. It can be broken down by countries; for example, all vegans united helping one country at a time to become vegan and when the right time comes, we move onto the second country and so on and so forth, until all the planet gets to be vegan. It’s a precious present that vegans can give to our younger brothers and sisters, the animals and to the world. How long will it delay in happening? We don’t know, but the sooner we start, the earlier we’ll finish. I nominate my country (Colombia) as a candidate to start that vegan journey, but actually the first country to start would have to be selected probably by a committee or similar method.
We at COSMA hope this idea gets heard some day, because we consider it’s the only possible way for the vegan cause to advance. The murdered and enslaved animals of the world deserve that we fight by any possible means. Whatever it takes! God will help us and thank us for helping him in his difficult mission of bringing justice into the Universe.
