How else can I not kill?

January 7, 2004

i must know how you (no one specifically, but other vegans in general) feel about pesticides. i do all that i feel i can do as far as ingesting none of the products, nor coating parts of my body with parts of anyone else's body, and i boycott cruel companies, but VEGETABLES! doesn't the harvest of vegetables cause many, many deaths, too?! lately especially, it's been getting to me. the fact that i'd never squish a mosquito, but i'd gobble down the fruits grown by farmers eager to poison countless insects. i sneer (inwardly) at those who claim they couldn't ever hurt an animal even though they still eat plenty of them, and i feel way too hypocritical and guilty that i've drawn some harsh line stipulating that only mammals count...or that i'm condoning killing insects "as long as i don't have to see it."

But then again, if i tried to clear my diet of these foods, in addition to all the other stuff i can't eat, i'd surely become malnourished and perish having cast no positive influence, right?

and what does "Organic" mean? (it doesn't have any bearing on this, does it?...that'd be cool...)

Thanks for listening and, in advance, for responding! (i've never heard anyone else make an issue out of this; is there something i'm missing?) Expand your wine savvy — and get some great new recipes — at MSN Wine.

January 8, 2004

In a message dated 1/8/04 8:11:03 AM Pacific Standard Time, phytoscarfingsimianpod writes:

and what does "Organic" mean? (it doesn't have any bearing on this, does it?...that'd be cool...)

organic means produced without the use of pesticides, fungicides, herbicides etc

it can not be genetically manipulated....

if yer worried about pesticides, the first big step is to try and eat as organic as possible...

we have chemicalized our world, and each and everyone of us is carryin a certain toxic load within our bodies, its unavoidable at this time...but, you can minimize how much more you add, plus, the more organics you eat, that means the less pesticides that entered the eco-web stream.....

organic farmers use "natural" methods to control pests and the like...and as fertilizers, etc

this can range from intercropping and permaculture to only planting certain crops in certain areas..it can mean encouraging natural predators(ladybugs, mantids, lacewings...)..it can mean all sorts of things..but it is working with nature and how she works, as opposed to dumping some chemical soup on the earth...

cheers

fraggle

January 8, 2004

In a message dated 1/8/04 8:11:03 AM Pacific Standard Time, phytoscarfingsimianpod writes:

but VEGETABLES! doesn't the harvest of vegetables cause many, many deaths, too?! la

unless yer a hermit, face it, it is impossible to be 100% perfect vegan...

do you drive a car??

do you live in a house?

everything we do impacts something around us.....

but..imo, its about trying yer best to live in harmony with those around you, trying to minimize yer ecological footprint, and just tryin yer best

its all about a journey...do you know everything already? i hope not, cuz that would make the rest of yer life really boring..well..veganism(to me) be a journey...we are always learning new things, finding out new facts, discovering new things about ourselves and the world around us...

as far as i'm concerned, its all about taking forward steps, even if they are baby steps....

if you care about the sanctity of all life, well then, maybe ya could sit down and calmly think about all the things ya do to impact those around you...and see wot ya can come up with to minimize that

cheers

fraggle