1---
 2template:
 3slug: better
 4title: Being better
 5subtitle: My epistemic breakthrough to better living
 6date: 2024-12-19
 7---
 8
 9A year and a half ago, I decided to go completely vegan. Actually,
10scratch that -- completely *plant-based*. I only went vegan about a year
11ago[^1]. It took six months for the reasoning to actually *click*. It's
12kind of like an optical illusion: you know it's an illusion because it
13says so, but it still takes you a while to actually *see* it.
14
15[^1]: I use the term "vegan" to describe ethical vegans.
16
17![optical illusion](https://cdn.icyphox.sh/illusion.jpg){300x300}
18
19When it did click, I couldn't unsee it; I couldn't unthink it. Total
20paradigm shift. *Why* contribute to suffering when we -- those with
21privilege, living in modern society -- can completely do without it? Of
22course, most people have yet to even look at this particular optical
23illusion, let alone experience the [illusory
24unravelment](https://gappa.atharvaraykar.com/atharva/vocal-fry-and-illusory-unravelments)
25that follows.
26
27Vegans, and to some extent, vegetarians reading this, may already know
28what I'm talking about. I'm choosing to describe the moment this
29epiphany occurred, as when I started "being better". To be clear, this
30isn't in a "better than you" sense, but rather, a more holistic
31betterness -- for myself, other beings, and the planet as a whole.
32
33This has by far been the best decision I've made for myself -- one that
34has not only improved both my mental and physical health but also opened
35up my mind to entirely new epistemic frameworks like effective altruism,
36transforming how I reason about moral responsibility. I have learned to
37*think* more deeply.
38
39There's a lot more I can say, but I've found the most powerful lever was
40moral consistency. Most of us already live by a shared set of moral
41principles: we condemn abuse and believe causing unnecessary suffering
42is wrong. Moral consistency is simply about extending that compassion
43beyond pets and charismatic wildlife to all sentient beings. The values
44are already there; we just need to align our actions with them.