Let’s start off by saying, this statement is absolutely true. In the world which we live in it is currently impossible to avoid everything that contains any animal derived products.
But does that mean you are a hypocrite for using these products? Should we keep things the way they are and accept this as a fact?
The term 'vegan' is defined as "a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude — as far as is possible and practicable — all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.”
Many everyday items are derived from animal products. Items such as; Bike/Car tyres, Plastic bags, Condoms and many more. Even fireworks contain stearic acid (usually derived from animal fats). Should I look away if one goes off? Would it make sense to say that since we cannot 100% avoid items derived from animal products, therefore the use of animals is morally secure and we should just accept it?
As Gary Yourofsky said in an interview, “Being a food vegan is 100 percent achievable. This is the main issue that we need to focus on, not the extraneous issues. I get tired too of people focusing on 2 percent of the problem, 98 percent of animals on this planet who are tortured abused and killed, are tortured abused and killed by the meat, dairy, and egg industries.”
The goal is to reduce suffering as much as is possible. And intentions play a key role in the permissibility of an act.
Animal slavery, exploitation and slaughter are wrong and we should demand society move toward abolishing it. We should not sit idly though, instead, we should support and promote the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of everyone.
Political and social change is always a stagger-step process. Demand that society changes.
