Vegans are reference books

1777: 

Contrasts jolt people - on the one hand we see fit and vital individuals and on the other those who are sluggish and sickly. There’s a lot of illness around, much of it obviously linked to what we’re eating, particularly fast foods, processed foods and the ubiquitous animal-based foods. With so much fresh information coming through, in books and on the Net, we’re maybe jolted awake, enough to break free of the 'animal habit' altogether.

The more we follow vegan logic and the more it impacts on our own lives, the sooner we get our lives back on track, and then out of gratitude will want to pass the whole idea on to others. Convincing ourselves about it all is one thing, but how do we speak instructively without sounding like preachers?

Vegans need to emotionally detach from any need for agreement from others. In that way we can present ourselves as useful sources of information, rather as if we are reference books. The contrast we make with conventional lifestyle is at the very least intriguing – people do want to know what we’re about. They suspect we might have a few answers. We’ve got to welcome questions and resist the temptation to become opinionated. We should welcome people's attempts to challenge us. We don't need to win every argument. The last thing we want is to be avoided out of fear of confrontation.