Bullying persuasions

525:

However long I’ve been vegan, I’ve been fighting demons. The strength I need for ‘the fight’ definitely comes from the passion of being vegan. But to become vegan is to enter a marginalised lifestyle. On the one hand I have found that being vegan gave me a lot of leverage. Being vegan allows me, even tempts me, to flex my muscles, or show off my passion. It’s fun to do that and, best of all, it shocks people. I always want to ‘get passionate’ about animal liberation, but there’s a fine line between my being passionate and my being offensive. In order to get people to trust me (enough to listen to what I have to say), I need to show I’m kind. First up. No confusion. We vegans do a lot of talking about compassion to animals. I’d like to see that same compassion carried over and equally distributed amongst humans. There’s a lot to go around after all. And I suppose people like me tend towards big rescues, and because there are so many animals in trouble that’s where my focus is. I reckon there may be many who would rescue right now if they knew how to.

            My own priority is for the victim-animals. I want to demonstrate my feelings of compassion for them so that others can’t fail to see how important it is to me. (I like to think it’s also making a nicer person of me, but I might be wrong about that).

            A nicer person doesn’t try to make other people feel uncomfortable or guilty but does try to explain what’s involved in becoming vegan. Obviously food is on the mind of most people, concerning taste, cravings, restrictions, health, safety, economics, etc. So at first, food throws up several things-to-be-dealt-with. What we eat and don’t eat is guessed at, and guessing vegan diets are too restrictive. Anything we call a diet shouts discipline, and that’s a turn-off. And yet the up-side is so attractive that almost anything could be given up for it.

            Vegans are in a unique position. Just by being vegan, it allows us to argue a watertight case. Right now, it may not be the optimum time for collective consciousness changing, not on this scale anyway,  but when the time comes ...

            When the time comes, the vegan argument will ring far too true for it to be ignored, despite the kicking and shouting of the vested animal interests.

            In the meantime, for us, we must all go looking for a few graciously-given seconds to speak (until their attention-span ends), or an audience who is hopefully thirsty for information.

            If I had thirty seconds to present a case for being vegan, I think it would go something like this: 1,2,3 ... Life is safe solely on vegan food. Animal cruelty is wrong. Farming animals is cruel. 15,16,17 ... Humans are natural herbivores. Plant-based food  can be delicious, and is healthy and energy producing. 23, 24, 25 ... planet-saving, greenhouse-friendly, and it’s good to feel empathy ... 30.