The water at the well

545:

One ‘thirsty’ enquiry is all I need. It’s like being asked, “Can you point me in the direction of the well?”, as in,  “Can you explain what ‘vegan’ is?”

            A genuine show of interest is worth a million. But I’ve rarely heard it put that way, because, unless someone is naive it would be like inviting me to tell them what they don’t want to hear, and, in their own mind, they’d also be inviting me to big note myself.

            Vegans are well aware how intelligent vegan principle is which is why we find it so tempting to shout about it ... which is why we’re given so few opportunities to explain it, which is why people avoid talking to us about this ‘animal’ subject.

            But you never know. There might be an itch. A curiosity. And for me, that would be enough to make me break out the champagne. But would I then, too quickly, want to get to the heart of things; if there were any sort of interest would I try to convert it into a much bigger interest than it was originally?

            For them, perhaps it would be like kids being sent to collect water from the well. Suddenly they are confronted by a fierce giant, who steps onto the path, sending the children running away in tears, buckets empty, screaming of a horrible bully they’d encountered.

            Vegans shouldn’t be jumping out on people. We shouldn’t be overwhelming the questioner or swamping them with too many answers. We have an altogether different job. We’re merely the bucket-providers, the conduits, the keepers of a universal principle. Ready for enquiry, understanding people’s feelings but NOT spruiking.