Can humanity survive without dependentness on other the other life forms. It is an idea that pervades vegan idealism. Abstain rather than Live.
Veganism grows out of the lack of understanding that ALL species are inter-dependent on each other. There is a failure to see the connectedness of life and how all life forms are all linked.
Veganism forgets the Symbiosis of Life
Cows have been with humans since the dawn of time. The people of those ancient times lived more in synch with the natural lifecycles of the world tending flocks and herding cattle. Those people lived one with nature guiding the animals to greener pastures and in return, the animals provided for them. For millennia, our human forbearers lived in symbiosis with these animals. Subtract the cow from our history and would humanity even have been able to develop without this symbiotic union of lifeforms.
This knowledge of symbiosis is becoming lost as people become more isolated from nature. What was once apparent symbiosis between species becomes less obvious to those living unnatural places like the inner cities. The idea of veganism springs from this disconnectedness from nature. There is a deep need to get back in touch with these natural life cycles. 
Vegans claim that abstinence from meat is the answer but is this the path to reconcile our relationship with nature. Through vegan principals you separate yourself from the world, isolating yourself from the natural order of life. You become a spectator, rather than a participant of life. And this separation from the natural order of the world leads to slow decay with a decreased sense of purpose.
The cow as a Microcosm of the Macrocosm
Take for example the cow- you might look at the cow and say she is a wondrous creature being able to survive on her own following a vegan diet. The cow can take grass for nutrients instead of having to kill other species. The cow does not have to use other life to sustain itself. However, this thought that a cow can live independent of other life forms would be wrong.
A cow’s fate depends heavily on the micro-bacteria that live inside the cow’s stomach. The cow’s stomach (rumen) is a mini ecosystem that’s existence depends on the cow’s skill at grazing. These bacteria provide the nutrients the cow needs to survive and it is the micro-bacteria that convert the plant fiber into energy and protein to sustain the cow’s life.
Without the bacteria the cow cannot digest its food, it is wholly depended on this other lifeform living inside it. When the micro-bacteria die they also become the food (not just the nutrient converters) for the cow as they are digested by the other stomach compartments in the cow’s digestive system. The health and well-being of the cow depends on the health of the micro bacterial- her symbiotic relationship.
Is the cow CRUEL for using the micro-bacteria to convert the grass it eats into nutrients? Is the cow guilty of USING these microbes for its own selfish gain? Are the cow’s responsible for ABUSING microbes and ENSLAVING and COERCING the bacteria to work for them for their own gain and sustenance? Are the cows GUILTY of KILLING other life after the microbes useful life to the cow is over?
From a vegan perspective, replace the “cow” with “human” and there would be hordes of vegans protesting against these “hate crimes” and “abuse.” However, this is a cow living her life in nature. The cow is living her life as she was made to be in symbiosis with the microbes.
Is the cow exploiting the micro-bacteria- some might say yes- but both species gain from each other’s interaction and there is a duel exchange of value. Stand back and look -the cows provide the bacteria a home, shelter, and food to live while the microbes provide the cow with food and energy in order to live. All the while both species are connected and serve each other. Both lifeforms are serving their purpose and living in harmony with each other.
To say we can live without other species is unnatural. To live without other species goes against the very natural law in this universe. We cannot live isolated from other species in this world. By abstaining from one lifeform, we only use more of another.
I have thoughtfully and as open mindedly as I can read a number of the comment threads within this blog. It seems that the dairy guy feels threatened by veganism, and of course why wouldn’t he? It’s okay, really. “Hate the sin, but love the sinner” Christians would say, and I tend to be moved accordingly. He clearly wants to propagate the belief that a plant-based diet is unsustainable, unnatural, extremist and ego-driven. That in fact might be his main motivation for creating this blog. He has made great efforts to refute veganism on the premise that plants have every bit as much feelings as animals do. Well, that is certainly a remote possibility, but that argument against veganism has been shot down numerous times in various threads here by simple laws of economics. It is easy to understand the dairy guy’s bias. As one of the growing number of people that has converted to a 100% plant-based diet, I honestly do have concern for the small businesses in the animal agriculture industries. The last thing I would want to do is put someone trying to make an honest living in hardship. At the same time, I would love to see a giant leap in the plant-based movement for the already well stated reasons in these threads. By and large, the plant-based defense here has been logical and clear. I am just one and what I do isn’t likely to affect one farmer. I don’t know how the existing overbred animals would manage if humanity were to turn vegan tomorrow. However, I do know that reduced demand would also reduce the populations accordingly, so it would likely be only a temporary challenge. I guess it’s both good and bad that we don’t have to face such an interim challenge.
Quitting dairy, eggs and meat several years ago halted and even reversed disease processes in my body. In my seventh decade of life, I feel healthier and more vibrant than I ever did. I have medical reports to substantiate that I am indeed much healthier. I of course could not prove that my diet saved my life, but I know without any doubt that it did. My only dissonance might have been in justifying why it is I need to pop a daily Vitamin B12 tablet in my mouth. I am afraid that debate has been repeatedly tried to failure by many a meat eating (and milk drinking) adversary. I therefore have no dissonance about that whatsoever.
I promised myself I would never become the preachy vegan and I have held to that. My enthusiasm in sharing the amazing things plant-based eating can do to improve health has been confused with preachiness a time or two, however. Health was my primary motivator, but I definitely have gotten on the bandwagons of the environmental and animal welfare aspects too. Of course, the dairy guy says that his air-conditioned facilities, etc. have improved the quality of his cows’ lives, albeit shortened ones (by his own oddly metaphorical admission after being asked at least twice). The truth is that these cows likely would not have existed had they not been bred for human food production. I won’t pretend to know definitively whether having never been born would be better than the lives these cows otherwise experience, but I could venture some solid guesses in favor of the former.
I think it is unfortunate that this topic brings out such aggressive behavior on both sides of the argument. The extent of psychological projection from each camp is also quite interesting. I do honestly believe I have the right answer. No, that doesn’t come from any stance of moral superiority or anything ego driven. I probably have a plant-biased eating bias like I have a non-smoking bias. When it’s that clear, is it really a bias? Consuming animal products hasn’t yet evolved to the truth we now know about tobacco smoking, but despite enormous efforts of big animal agriculture industries to conceal the truth, there is little doubt that it eventually will. I am so sure that my path is the best one that I won’t expend a great deal of energy defending it. I do, however, try to lead by example.
Thank you for leaving a note- I am really glad to hear that you were able to get healthier- that is really great. If other people shared your experience, they would probably come to share the same views as you. I’m just not convinced that its the “vegan” diet that helps cure people as much as the dietary restrictions. Fasting has historically been a well-known way to cleanse the body. I just finished reading a book written by a MD from the early 1900s that has people on a milk only diet and they reported similar effects with people being cured of a wide-range of health problems. Even though I am a fan of milk, i would still be apt to give credit to the fast.
The effort of Dairymoos to justify anti veganism is laughable. There’s no way anyone can tie in health and the mass production of cows as natural and mutually beneficial to both species. Please just go to a milk and cow factory and check out the conditions for yourself. Even easier, just watch a doc. Nobody in their right mind will say this is “natural” and symbiotic. This site is one of the worst propaganda for animal consumption I have ever seen.
If you are going to promote milk, please at least promote 100% grass fed and grass finished cows. Do not be disillusioned into thinking that cows happily graze the prairies. It’s a dirty, for-profit industry pumped full of chemicals and hormones. It has to do this in order to feed our addition. So what if Vegans lessen this burden. If anything, people who over consume meat and dairy are the ones who are out of touch with the natural cycle of life (Dairymoo claims vegans are).
I’m not vegan but I don’t believe it is right to tear down a group of people who’s intent is so opposite to what is being preached on this page.
I’m honored by your comments. There are few vegans from the countryside or that live in harmony with nature’s lifecycles. Nearly all vegans are from cities and unnatural environments. You’ve just been conditioned by all the vegan propaganda out there. vegetables/crop farming uses far more pesticides and herbicides but that doesn’t matter to people like you. Milk is actually one of the most unprocessed foods in your grocery store