What Is Involved In The Vegetarian Lifestyle?
Vegetarian is just a name. Just as any other name, the word does not define the individuals, but only makes generalizations about the group. The generalization that is almost always true about vegetarians is that they do not eat meat. The definition of meat will vary among the individuals however. Other choices also vary among the individuals. There are a few common preferences that can be attributed to people that belong to the larger group of vegetarians.
As Far as Meat Goes
Vegetarians do not eat meat. That is a fact that is widely agreed upon. What is meat though? Meat could be called any flesh that comes from a living thing. In that case though, even artichokes have meat. A person wouldn’t live very long if he avoided eating all living things. Meat can also be called the flesh of all animals. That definition would include mammals as well as birds and fish. Many vegetarians eat seafood though. The strictest sense of the word meat would include mammals only. Most vegetarians would also include fowl in the meat category, but a significant number do not include fish. And yet, there are some vegetarians that avoid all animals as well as any product that was derived from those animals. They do not eat broths made from meat, they avoid eggs and cheese and they even avoid gelatin. The lifestyle of a vegetarian who is concerned for the welfare of animals goes beyond the diet.
Eating and Everything Else
The vegetarian lifestyle is not only about what’s on the table. Some are concerned with what’s under the table too. For example, a truly devoted vegetarian would not wear leather shoes. Leather comes from the hides of animals, and so shoes, handbags and jackets made from it are all off the list of wearable items. Furs are obviously detestable to an animal protector. When it comes down to it, these vegetarians do not use any products that involved harming of any animals. Essentially the possessions of such a vegetarian would all be synthetic. That is not the only criteria though, as lotions or other cosmetic products that were tested on animals would also be off limits. As you can imagine, it could become very difficult making sure that no aspect of your life negatively affected an animal at any time. Imagine even attempting not to support businesses and organizations that promoted hunting. The choices involved in being a vegetarian seem to be unlimited.
Certainly any group of people could demonstrate the un-definability of a lifestyle. The vegetarian lifestyle could range in definition from one extreme to the other. A vegetarian may even only be an occasional meat eater. On the other hand, a vegetarian may be absolutely concerned with the welfare of living creatures. Vegetarians may be such for their own health reasons or for, in a sense, the health of animals. A vegetarian, as an individual, cannot be defined. The vegetarian community can only be described and even only then in generalizations.
