one of the other things people say it
say to me is they say you're vegan we've
obviously never had bacon before right
and cheese oh I love cheese so much like
you must have never had cheese I could
never go VIN our cheese I love cheese I
just our cheese is the best right y'all
you've never had cheese have you and I'm
like no no no no it's all good like I've
eaten all of these products right and
there is no wet vegan it isn't because I
stopped enjoying them it's because I
asked myself a question what has higher
value my taste preferences or their life
and the consequence of what me
purchasing these products does to the
animals because I used to love fried
chicken like I said I used to love the
taste of these products too but it
wasn't what was important when it came
to making decisions about how I should
live because when we make the argument
of taste we're making the argument that
sensory pleasure is a justifier for what
we do to others I like the taste of this
product therefore taking the life of an
animal and exploiting them in the ways
that we do is justifiable as a result
but to understand whether or not that
holds up we have to apply that way of
thinking to other situations as well and
so we say other environments or
circumstances or situations were an
oppressor feel sensory pleasure at the
expense of a victim now of course we can
think of many examples and then we say
are those examples morally justified
simply because the oppressor feels
sensory pleasure and we say of course
not and so why is it then when we look
at non-human animals it's okay to hurt
them as long as we as the oppressor feel
some sort of gratification sensory
pleasure because of the exploitation
that's done to them we say well we're at
the top of the food chain and therefore
other animals eat other animals as well
and so why can't we if we are at the top
of the food chain
now of course other animals dewy other
animals but they do so out of necessity
because they have to to survive
sometimes people say to me
alright then Adam why don't you go into
the savanna look a line in the eyes and
tell them they should be vegan only
because I'm not crazy right that's why
right
I don't want to be eaten that's why but
Lions kill gazelles because they have to
they need meat to survive but we don't
and so we can't look at other animals in
the wild as a justification for how we
should live especially when those other
animals do so many horrendous things
like killing each other they even kill
their own children sometimes lions we
would never justify doing that in a
human society because lions in the wild
do it and sometimes people say to me
look at this vegan thing is a bit
ridiculous because you know animals well
not only do they kill each other but we
had to kill them to survive and so it's
not just about the Lions in the savanna
it's also about the fact that your
ancestors used to eat meat and if your
ancestors didn't eat meat then you
wouldn't be alive today that's a very
good point
my ancestors certainly did hunt and kill
animals but again is it justifiable
simply because we've done something for
a long time this is the longevity of an
action justify its continued its
existence and shouldn't be looking at
our ancestors again for our moral
framework because if we look for our
society we don't apply that in any other
scenario or into any other situation so
how do we justify what we do to others
we recognize that in buying these
products it causes huge amounts of
devastation to our environment and that
by going vegan it's the single biggest
thing that we can do as individuals to
protect our planet but we also recognize
that when buying these products has a
huge massive consequence on the
non-human animals who we kill by the
trillions every single year with
trillions every year now Emile's worst
last one out of 15 minutes maybe doesn't
last that long 15 minutes but that meal
could have cost someone their entire
life or at least if contributed to a
system where they currently being
exploited and will have their lives
taken 15 minutes
something that we consume and then often
just forget about I'm sure if I asked
you what you had for lunch yesterday you
probably have to take a moment to
remember I can't remember if atop my
head sandwich bagel I think a yoghurt
it's not something we consciously think
of most of the time we eat it it's done
but that moment could have cost someone
their entire existence and contributed
them living a life of suffering and so
what do we think as high
let's put taste on one side let's put
habits on one side because we've always
done it
let's put convenience on one side
because you know it's convenient to do
what we've always done stacked up a
little bit and on the other side we put
life an animal's life and then we also
put the environmental cost that that
consumption also has the lives of wild
animals whose habitats are destroyed
what about the lives of humans who will
be displaced and he won't be live in
their homes and already can't live in
their homes and if we stack it up we say
taste convenience or life life of an
animal life of the planet and life of
our children grandchildren our species
scientists the same that the year or the
century 2100 the next century will be
called the century of hell because of
how desolate and horrible this world
could look if we don't do something
about it that's a world that our
grandchildren could be living in and if
we recognize that being vegan is the
single biggest thing that we can do to
continue eating animal products is to
sentence potentially our grandchildren
to living in a place that we will call a
world of hell what do we think is higher
value how do we justify this when we go
home tonight do we have to look at
ourselves and do we have to say enough
is enough I don't necessarily want to
change but I recognize I have to and
I'll let me tell you just before I went
vegan there was a voice in my head right
and I used to say I don't wanna go vegan
Oh God but advice when you can't have no
you have to run like you know that now
don't you you've watched those
documentaries you've seen that footage
you've researched to yourself you've
looked at the studies and you do know
and I was like yes I know it just don't
fun - please don't make me and that
voice was like no you're gonna do it and
so I did it and now I love it
it's the best decision I ever made and I
wish I'd done it sooner take a look
yourself in the mirror how do I justify
this how do i morally justify the
devastation my actions caused and if we
can't find a justification then maybe
that means that we have to make a change
and it really is a very easy change I
promise you I promise you is very very
easy especially when you wake up next in
everything they're not changing
contribute to and the suffering it
causes thank you so much for listening
[Applause]
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