The vegan brain

605a:

On a self-interested level, being vegan makes us far less worried about illness. Good body health is one thing to look forward to but perhaps even more importantly is the prospect of good mental health. When you move towards living as a vegan a certain creativity ignites so that we can be inventive, bold, positive, etc. The whole food regimen, our animal activism and our general optimism is inspired by the challenge – the bigger picture forming against such impossible odds – and all that creativity is good for the brain. I think a vegan’s brain works better if only because it must, by definition, be relieved of the heavy stomach and the heavy conscience. It’s difficult to prove, but it seems that vegan foods, being lighter, allow a greater speed of thought. The brain isn’t weighed down with ‘heavy’ foods or whatever it is that omnivores are weighed down by.

If the vegan brain reacts more quickly on lighter food, imagine the great benefit it could be to us. Have you ever watched the fast reaction of birds? Wild animals in general are sharp, observant and react impressively. Their lives are lived on the edge, and I’d venture to suggest that their attention to their own safety (in the face of predation and their ability for self-feeding) keeps them on top of their game.

Perhaps one main characteristic of plant-eaters is that we’re quicker off the mark, like birds. It’s often the most obvious thing you notice, when you meet a plant eater, that they’re just a bit more awake, as if we’re less mentally sluggish. We are usually fitter too. But that’s not how we are portrayed in the media. I’ve noticed that people only see what they want to see, and what conforms to the normal pattern. The confirmed omnivore will probably see a rebellious vegan as frail and sickly, maybe because we don’t look quite like them in certain ways. I’ve noticed omnivores looking at me pityingly, sad that I “have to miss out on so many things”. They’re sad for me that I can’t maintain a proper social life because I can’t join in on so many levels. From my point of view, in compensation, I hope they envy me. Not that I want to be envied for my own sake, but only to highlight the attraction of the simple vegan way of life. Even with a tiny brain capacity myself, I hope omnivores will compare my mental acuity with their own relatively heavy way of thinking, and will want to ditch their dull thinking in order to have a robust conversation about important issues  with a rebellious vegan.

Talk with a vegan is one thing. But omnivores are compelled to hold a fixed view of the animal issue; it mustn’t matter to them; there must be NO reason to think about these things. In fact, on the subject of Animal Rights there must never be a reason to be ‘at-thought’ at all. And that’s where we stand today, some moving rapidly forward while others are left behind, stuck in a state of compulsory non-thought, about an obviously important matter.