1741:
This is how I, as a vegan, see things: I see the violence in the ugly foods people
eat, because of the things done to animals, and I find it’s hard to eat with
people while they eat animals. I even feel awkward mixing with them socially,
because of their insensitivity. It’s no wonder I seem to be a social misfit,
even to some a pariah. But there’s an up-side.
If this is the lonely reality for me, you
might think it sad, but at least it builds up my will power. I need that, for
those times when I say “no” instead of
“yes”. It’s easier to fit in, to do what others do, to indulge in the
evident food-pleasures on offer, plus the social side of things. But once the
line is drawn there’s no going back, and I’ve often been surprised to find
that, when we stick to principles, we find it’s not as hard as we thought it
would be.
For me, as for other vegans, it’s important
to build a resistance to the popular culture. If I can’t do it then how
can I expect others to do it?
The most important driver for me is that I
must want to make the attempt to
counter the culture. And be convinced that by following a vegan lifestyle it
will be liberating, and will bring me happiness. If I’m gritting my teeth and
only ‘doing it for the animals’ it will never work. If I don’t think it will
make me happy then I won’t be able to persuade others of anything. Why would
you take any notice of me if you didn’t think I believed that veganism made me
happy?
In truth, there’s always a struggle. It
isn’t a breeze. To stand up against such an entrenched culture isn’t in itself
meant to make me happy. Because it’s not an easy game to play, I must also say
to myself that I do not necessarily have the right to be in a constant state of
happiness while so many animals are suffering. Why should I expect to enjoy my
freedoms when so many creatures languish in cages? This is at the heart of
social justice.
Becoming a vegan isn’t just about me. It’s
not about my feeling good about myself, it’s just as much about developing
empathy whilst living within a world of indifference. And if I ever resent missing out on all the 'goodies' on
offer, I must be able to balance that in terms of my sadness for what my own
species is doing to other species, knowing that nothing can change for the
animals until something changes in humans.
Instead of our becoming more
compassionate as we humans advance, we become less so; animal suffering gets
worse; the planet dies another death every time we miss our chance to revive
it, every time we procrastinate. And we must wonder why people are so blind to
the crime of exploiting animals, and why we can’t see animal slavery for what
it is.
Vegans don’t want to offend people
unnecessarily. As individuals we don’t set out to lose all our friends. But,
whatever the cost to us personally, we can’t condone the zombification of the
human species. We can’t stand by and passively watch the drone mentality take a
hold.
I don’t want to whinge. That will get me
nowhere. My attention should be on how
to talk effectively, how to talk from the heart and how to talk so that even
kids can understand. I want to talk to fellow adults so they don’t grow to become
embarrassed but grow in their understanding. All I want to get across is that whenever we buy anything from animal sources
we attack them. And if this can be understood then it’s up to the animal
advocate to find a way to appeal to people’s hearts. It’s really not so much
about healthy eating or saving the planet but about the human ability to rise
above the ubiquitous animal-eating habit. Once the habit is broken, then there
will be no stopping the advance of the human.
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