Facing a dramatic change in life

1788: 

To inconvenience oneself by becoming vegan, for the sake of farm animals, will seem to most people entirely unnecessary. They wouldn't even try to think through the logic of the issues involved. They’ll probably come to the conclusion that we vegans are just attention-seekers.

Our biggest challenge is to tell people, in the most non-judgmental way possible, the reason we’re vegan. It's easy to sound self-righteous. If we still have them listening, we can then go on to say what we have to say. Succinctly, perhaps by simply mentioning the fact that we can't approve of the way things are for animals. And leave it at that, unless we're asked for more. Vegans have to get used to truth-avoidance. People aren't going to agree or change their whole lifestyle without going away and considering carefully what they've found out. So, for our part we need to show a determined patience, continuing on despite rejection, disagreement or ridicule. And that means we have to remain vegan without the need for others’ approval or encouragement.

I know ex-activists who’ve 'given up' in frustration, angry at the people’s ethical weakness over animal issues; they haven’t reckoned on it being so slow to catch on. But when you think about it (the long tradition of humans exploiting animals) you know that such a major shift of emphasis, from human-centred concern to concern for the non-human, is a huge shift. Quite how anyone 'gives up' I'm not sure, since the only option they'd have would be to either deepen their hatred of the 'enemy' or indeed to join them again, and resume their omnivorous habits. In other words, for vegans, once vegan, always vegan.

For the hardened omnivore, it seems that animal issues, because they are so closely connected with one's daily food, are shunted off into the 'too hard department'. There's a conspiracy of silence - the issues are never talked about, either in the media or at home around the dinner table. Maybe people make a small gesture, mainly for health reasons - they reduce their intake of red meat. Or maybe they go further by giving up meat altogether (for ethical and health reasons). But in general, stopping ALL compliance with animal farming and boycotting ALL animal produce is, for most people, beyond what they think they'd be able to keep up. So, why bother starting on such a course of action? It’s just simply out of the question.

If we do decide to boycott animal products there is obviously going to be a dramatic change to our daily life, whereas if we don’t, then we condone the abattoir and all that it stands for. But it all starts with the power of one - if demand for animal products drops, as it is slowly dropping, abattoirs shut down. If abattoirs shut down, animal farming stops, and animal products become unavailable. And people adapt. And eventually consciousness changes. This almost inevitably is what we are heading towards in the future. It would spell a dramatic change in the way humans operate and think.

But we can safely reckon that it won’t happen overnight. All the time there is no immediate threat to human survival, such a change is unlikely to happen, unless by the power of one, individuals step ahead of the norm to almost unselfconsciously bring about another fashion, based on ethical principles. However, in the meantime, if that particular change doesn’t seem likely soon, then a vegan might lose heart. And this is a difficulty many vegans face right now.