1 Vegan vs. the Rest of the World (well, that's what it feels like)
For a long time I've wanted to create my own nation. Preferably on an island. A vegan nation. A cruelty free nation where all beings are equal in terms of compassion.
Someone I've know for years pretty much attacked me and my diet. And, yes it hurt. I let my guard down because I thought I was safe, so I wasn't ready for it; I didn't have all the facts on hand. But it didn't matter because he'd been drinking, had a loud voice and a closed mind. And he's as stubborn as they come.
Will I ever meet another flesh and blood person who doesn't attack me? Sometimes I hate the world and think there's no hope for humanity. Sometimes I hate humanity. But I'm forever the optimist. All I want with my diet and lifestyle is to prevent pain, cruelty and suffering. Why would anyone think that's just cause to make me suffer?
I'm sorry. I'm sure that you will meet people that don't attack or question you for who you are. And, there are other optimists, people who want to end suffering and see beauty, people who from time to time feel just as lonely as you do now. This is a huge world, we are never alone. As long as you have compassion, you realize that others are people like you. While their situations may be different, the human experience is the same. As long as you realize that, you know that somewhere anothere feels like you do, simply because like you, they are capable of compassion.
Humanity is a mess, because all people are flawed. Sorry, but I hold no hope for humanity. I gave that up long ago. I still do what I can to ease sufffering, and I am still sometimes appalled by the things that others do. I am no longer surprised by them, though. That's sad.
As for why someone would think that he could hurt you just because you care? That's his problem. He's a jerk.
I know exactly how you feel. I'm just waiting for my *real* people/family to come pick me up off earth and take me home--my aliens from another benevolent planet far far away in the universe where beings treat each other and their planet with pure kindness and love. Where are they, dammit?!!! I've been waiting forever! Why haven't I been beamed up and transported home, yet? And why have they abandoned me here to dwell among the millions of a**holes who don't give a crap about anything?!!! ;D ;D ;D
I know I'm probably beginning to sound like a broken record here, but I am completely convinced that those who attack vegetarians/vegans do so because they are ethically uncomfortable with the way they're living their own lives.
Logically, only those who feel threatened in some way would bother to go on the attack. If he felt completely comfortable with his diet/lifestyle there'd be no benefit to him and so it wouldn't be worth the effort to confront you and try to undermine your choice.
Generally, I pity people like that. I'd hate to live such a conflicted life.
I know I'm probably beginning to sound like a broken record here, but I am completely convinced that those who attack vegetarians/vegans do so because they are ethically uncomfortable with the way they're living their own lives.
Logically, only those who feel threatened in some way would bother to go on the attack. If he felt completely comfortable with his diet/lifestyle there'd be no benefit to him and so it wouldn't be worth the effort to confront you and try to undermine your choice.
Generally, I pity people like that. I'd hate to live such a conflicted life.
I agree. I've noticed a few times it was the people who got angry/etc about me being vegan (and talking about it and leafleting about it) who were the next ones to go vegetarian (that and a few of the people watching :o ). I mean, I think we all have to remind ourselves from time to time that we weren't always vegetarians/vegans (unless you were raised that way, in which case you're lucky), and we all probably felt threatened by this idea and troubled by the idea that the way we've been living our lives and been taught by our parents is wrong, and we were somehow guilty of something we weren't entirely aware of. That's sort of the trouble I run into when people ask why I'm vegan; I'm vegan simply because I believe it's wrong to use other animals (the health and environment bits are just perks.). But if I say that I think it's wrong, I'm also saying that I think those around me are doing something wrong (and sensitive people can get pretty upset by that).
At the moment, I'm more or less at peace with family and friends around me who haven't chosen to be vegan or vegetarian. It helps to think of them as future vegans, and just give them friendly nudges (like making them something delicious from vegweb! or going out to eat at a vegan restaurant), and explain as well as you can about veganism/etc when they seem remotely interested (most people won't outright ask).
I actually get more depressed when other vegans or vegetarians don't "get it." Like buying leather (oh! but these boots were so cute!) or vegetarians who eat fish and justify it by the old and tired "fish don't feel pain" or aren't animals or whatnot. Or, I get depressed by just how many people *must* have some idea about what's happening and do nothing ('course, I'm softer on people I know 'cause, well, I know them ??? ).
The weird thing is, I think almost everyone gets it. Animals feel pain, we cause them pain, so that we can eat them. And thinking that eating them might maybe be necessary isn't stopping anyone from being vegetarian (needing veggies doesn't get most of us eating them!), but it's the social problem, and convenience/general laziness. I think we can relate to the social issue of being vegetarian, because we all deal with it all the time. (when people ask me if it's hard to be vegan, i tell them it's not hard to eat or to be healthy, but it's hard to deal with people). The fact that we won't budge because it's just not convenient is the part that is depressing for me; it's like there's a bandwagon effect of cruelty; if enough of us are doing it, I'm not really responsible nor do I need to do anything about it. Reminds me of Nazi Germany. :o
First of all I've been a vegetarian since I was 11 years old and a vegan since since I was 14 or 15 years old (I don't remember exactly) and I'm 39 now so I do know the prejudices that are around.
Meat has been around for ages the beginning of time here.They want food that they were served by their mothers. They think how can that be wrong?
Meat eaters also are very very conditioned. I still think that some meat eaters think that we live off alfalfa sprouts- an image from the 60's.
I suggest don't preach. How would you like it if someone imposes their beliefs on you? If you see someone eating meat don't sit there and say do you know what your eating? That's very disrespectful and then you wonder why someone is not respecting vegetarianism.
My attitude is I don't tell you what to eat you don't tell me.
And when I offer vegetarian food and if they don't want any my attitude is more for me.
And you know what my sister is vegetarian she saw what I'd cook when I was younger. The word vegetarian didn't exist in my family until I brought it in.
But if someone is just being plain disrespectful towards you because your a vegetarian attack back say, "Go eat your cholesterol ridden food" and laugh about it.
I wake up in the morning sometimes and "forget" the world isn't vegan. Then I go ANYWHERE and try to do my vegan stuff and get look at cock eyed, then remember how crappy the world can be. I guess carrying cloth bags in the grocery store is a SIN. And making chickpea tacos instead of ground beef? that's blasphemy.
Or just plain talking to anyone. I love the whole "You eat tofu? That's GROSS!" Yeah, like eating a hunk of artery-clogging, rotting muscle ladden with antibiotics isn't gross......