Motivation

997:

If we are the sort of vegan who doesn’t particularly want to speak out but just wants to be accepted for our views, then fine - we’re simply wanting others to recognise us for what we stand for.  We shouldn’t need anyone else to agree with us, only recognise us for what we stand for.  But even that’s a hard ask.  Usually people’s reactions to veganism are neither logical nor kind – nor for that matter particularly unkind either - they’ll say, “What’s important for you is not important for me”, hoping to leave it there.

On some level we must accept that, for them, this whole subject is not worth talking about or responding to.  This might be irritating but I think we have to learn to cop it sweet. It comes down to this: what is wonderful and brave and future-making for us is, for others, not even worth noticing.  And of course that’s hardly very encouraging for us!

           

So, if there’s no social kudos in being vegan where do we find motivation or encouragement?  Perhaps we have to look within, tap into our imagination, develop an ability to see ahead and then to create our own reality.  Maybe the catastrophe of our age is really only a crisis of ‘unimaginativeness’.

           

If encouragement isn’t forthcoming from others, there’s no point getting angry about it.  That’s probably the seat of all human trouble anyway - the need for recognition, whether it be a nation state wanting autonomy or an individual wanting recognition. The big trouble for many of us is that we look ‘outside’ for guidance and motivation … in other words we’re likely to do what others will encourage us to do.  Omnivores reason, “Others eat animals so I eat animals.  Others don’t question it so I don’t question it”.  But without inner questioning things will only stay the same.

If we, as vegans, are attempting to lead the way, we can expect to keep hitting up against our own motivation crisis points.  It goes with the territory.