Ethics

When I was working at Pangea, occasionally people would call or email with their ethical quandaries, as if by purveying vegan goods we were somehow paragons of vegan living. But, they looked to us for answers, so we had answers ready. Questions like “what should I do about underwear, because the rubber in the elastic contains stearic acid?” and “should I take the medication my doctor prescribed, even though the pharmaceutical company tests on animals?” were met with measured reminders that it is impossible to avoid 100% of animal ingredients 100% of the time, so by all means, wear your underpants and take your meds, because you can’t stand up for your beliefs if you’re naked and dead. We could have made it into a little song.

In other words, it’s impossible to be perfectly anything, and you do the best you can with the information and resources you have. But, knowing that perfection is impossible isn’t an excuse to be reckless or lazy.

Which brings me to the fact that we’re kind of broke. The past eighteen months, and especially the past year have been financially ridiculous. The plumbing debacle was what finally put me over the edge and put us back in super crazy cheap mode until we can start wrastlin’ some more income. As in, other than food*, if it doesn’t come from the dollar store, we can’t afford it. I’ve been diligent over the years about buying only home and body products that are not tested on animals, and always buying the vegan versions if available. But, there comes a point when a sixteen dollar bottle of conditioner, heck even a six dollar bottle of conditioner, just isn’t in the budget. I am fortunate that there are some good ethics hacks out there: the dishwasher soap, dish soap, and razors at the dollar store are produced by companies manufacture in the USA and do not do animal testing, and Breck conditioner – another dollar store item -claims not to be tested on animals, although the parent company may test.

Usually, the parent company testing would take something off my list, but these are different times, and I’ve had to bend some of my ethics. The item that is really getting me is lotion. Aside from the ethics of the companies that make inexpensive lotions, there are the ingredients themselves. When I see a long list of chemicals I can’t pronounce, the thought of absorbing that stuff into my skin gives me the willies. But at the same time, I’m itchy.

The point in all of this is that I don’t really have any answers, and this is another opportunity to explore my ethical constitution, at least with regard to what I support with my money. Certainly, it would be more pleasant to have the means to always buy the organic vegan version of everything, but I’ve learned over the years that getting too comfortable in any set of values, even good ones, can lead to rigidity and narrow-mindedness. So, while I’m not about to go out and buy bacon shampoo, being forced to bend has its gifts.

*I am compelled to add, for anyone wondering, that if one stays away from processed foods and fake meat, vegetarian / vegan eating is dirt cheap, if you’ll pardon the pun. Between the two of us, there are five organic, veggie meals a day in our house for $60 a week.