A few months ago, I made the decision to only purchase makeup from cruelty free brands. I'm not vegetarian or vegan.I still eat meat.Probably daily. Does that make me a hypocrite? To keep eating meat while being against animal testing? Probably yes., from some people's perspective.That's how I view it sometimes too. So why aren't I going vegetarian or vegan? And why do I no longer purchase not cruelty free makeup?
Personally, I am someone that loves animals very much. I always have. Especially in the past few months, I've been so much more compassionate as I see more and more abuse happening to animals.I follow various pages where I watch videos of animals being rescued from the street,from difficult situations or from abusive owners. If I see someone on social media doing their own effort to help animals,I immediately support them. Whatever animal that might be. But are you still considered an animal lover if you help animals but continue to eat meat from animals that have probably been tortured before killed? Are you still considered an animal lover if you help cats and dogs but you see a bug and your first instict is to kill it?
Ever since I was a little kid my insticts when I saw a bug like a mosquito or a cockroach would be to get disgusted or afraid and then proceed to kill it. If a cockroach found its way to our house we would chase it around trying to kill it. In the past couple of years whenever I see a little insect like a small spider or a bee I'll try to catch it and get it back out. Everytime my first instict comes of "just kill it" I push back that thought and instead think "is that really necessary? you don't have to kill it." However mosquitos and cockroaches were the exception until a couple of weeks ago when I realised that it is something that is also starting to change when I noticed a dead cockroach (from pesticides) at work and I felt so bad for it.I felt bad that it's life had ended.
What I'm trying to say is that sometimes you pick up habits from your family and the people around you that are not really necessary. Yes "there's billions of bugs out there".Yes "you can't let it wander around your house because it can lay eggs and reproduce like crazy". But it has become such a habit and like I said a first instict to kill a bug and that is troubling me. It is something that I personally want to change. That first instict.
The thing is it is not easy.Changing your habits.From what looks unimportant (like killing a small bug) to something more major (like giving up meat).For me,giving up meat particularly seems so hard. It is certainly not impossible but it is not easy when you actually like the taste of meat. When you've eaten it your whole life.When it is part of your daily diet. But I DO want to make that change.I don't know when it is going to happen.I might wake up tomorrow and decide that I am finally going to do it. For me what really matters is that I WANT to make that change. Even if I don't know how long it is going to take to make it happen.
The reason I wanted to make this post is to tell people ( and myself ) that are having the same thoughts around this subject, that it is OK to eat meat but be against animal testing or just being someone that sees a hurt animal and rushes to their help and not just passing by and ignoring it. Every little thing that you do to help those who don't have a voice of their own matters. Yes, it would be ideal to be a vegetarian or vegan and use only cruelty free products and volunteer to help animals and anything else that could help them, but it's OK if you don't do all of that.Of course it is not impossible but every little thing you do and every little step you take to help not just the animals but the people in need or every little move that you do to make this world a little better, MATTERS. So, ( and this goes out to myself as well) don't beat yourself up about not being "perfect" in this or anything else you're trying to make a change in. Every small step is important. All efforts however big or small matter. When you keep doubting yourself and thinking that you are not doing enough remember that.
I chose to start by going cruelty free in my makeup.Maybe within the next year or two I'll go vegetarian or I'll be volunteering in an animal shelter. But right now I'm starting with this.
If you want to make a change in your life or in this world you have to start somewhere. So start somewhere.
xo Maria
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