Ah, but the loneliness!!

1598:

What’s it like being an animal activist, someone who wants animals to have a proper life but whose words fall on deaf ears? With almost everyone chomping away on their meat and various animal secretions, nobody seems to be listening to us. Omnivores aren't interested in anyone who tries to keep them away from their 'simple food pleasures'.

         

As vegans, we know how it feels to be alienated, isolated and alone but perhaps that experience is essential, because it lets us empathise more closely with farmed animals. It helps us not forget that domesticated animals are not only abandoned to their fate but continuously at the mercy of violent humans. As vegans, we are trying to expose the violence inflicted on farm animals and act as spokesperson for these animals, and gather support for their liberation-from-humans.

It’s no consolation therefore, for us personally, when we realise the apathy and silence of almost everyone around us. And what's most disturbing is that, the way in which we regard  farm-animals shows a hardness, especially noticeable amongst otherwise kind and intelligent people. They’re certainly harder than they'd like to be, but for the sake of practicality, for the sake of being able to continue eating animals, they can't afford to communicate too closely with their soft side. For fear of where it might lead to.

         

I want to be an advocate for animals but I also want to be close to my friends. However, at this point in time, it seems the one might have to be sacrificed for the other; the louder I speak up the sooner my friends seem to turn off and walk away. The softer I speak up the easier it is for my friends to tune out.  

         

I don’t underestimate a vegan's pain when we are being marginalised by others. I know, living near to few vegans is hard going.  it could be dangerous to feel so alone. It could drive a guy crazy. But I also know that there's more danger, because of a need for acceptance, that it might tempt me back to my old idiot-ways. So, I have to tell myself that I’m serious about acting for ‘the greater good’. But do I put too much strain on personal needs here? Perhaps it's important to find ways of NOT feeling alone and to find ways of not feeling that it’s all pointless. Certainly, it helps to know other vegans, and meet up with others of like mind to lick each other's wounds. But in reality, we all live apart. We’re on our own. This is one big personal challenge for most vegans - not in the changing of our diet but in our need to face up to a diminished social life and a shortage of simpatico companions.