A Vegan in a Non-Vegan World
If you didn’t already know, veganism is “a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of and cruelty to animals for food, clothing or any other purpose” (The Vegan Society, n.d.).
It has been a year and a half since I adopted this philosophy and it has been one of the best decisions I have ever made. In fact, I wish I had turned vegan much sooner. My values are now aligned with my behaviour, I save one animal’s life every day, I am in better health and have a positive impact on the environment! WINNING!
I always get asked the same questions by non-vegans such as “What made you go vegan?”, “What do you even eat?”, “Where do you get your protein from?” etc. 9/10 times I’m given the same response when I tell them that I don’t agree with exploitation of and cruelty towards animals and that I eat pretty much everything, including “Nothing happens to animals for dairy and eggs”, “It’s part of nature” or “I love my meat too much”. In response, I experience a mental dilemma. Do I inform people of the dark reality of animal farming, the dairy and egg industry and the process of animal testing, point them in the direction of more information or discontinue the conversation because it’ll make for a pointless argument and/or so I don’t add to the stereotypical ‘militant’ vegan image? In all honesty, I just do what feels right at that moment in time, and no I don’t fear how I’m being perceived for not tolerating animal violence!
I believe I have a responsibility to act as a voice for the voiceless and I try my best to do this by engaging in what some people perceive as ‘difficult’ conversations (concerning the topics above) and via activism (e.g. sharing video clips, articles, speeches, signing petitions etc). It’s always good when someone initiates a conversation with me and is genuinely interested in veganism as they are typically more open-minded. However, it’s much harder to engage with someone who’s thought processes and attitudes follow a deeply engrained abuse-promoting-and-accepting culture (a culture I once adhered to). Interestingly, many people claim to oppose animal cruelty but engage in actions which might suggest otherwise. Now, the notion of holding contradictory beliefs/ideas is called cognitive dissonance (McLeod, S. A, 2018) and it was the contradictions and hypocrisy that I couldn’t justify in my own head. The only way to eradicate the discomfort was to go vegan!
Being a vegan in a non-vegan world has its pros and cons. I feel empowered and proud that I’m making a stand for something I truly believe in (even if it is against the majority vote). I enjoy cooking more now as it’s innovative, colourful and cruelty free! Also, I am privileged to be a part of a community that shares the same mentality as me. It’s refreshing and reassuring! However, it can also be a lonely lifestyle if you do not have friends or family to share it with. It can be quite isolating when you feel so passionate about something and the people around you just do not understand it or even go lengths to mock it. It can be frustrating and exhausting having to ‘fight’ the world to reverse speciesism and animal maltreatment (what feels like common sense and basic morality) but it’s honestly worth it and it’s the least I can do to help the movement.
I must say that being a vegan is much more than adopting a plant-based diet; it affects every angle of my life. Every decision is based on what is practicable and possible to avoid contributing to animal abuse. It feels quite difficult at first but as time goes by, it becomes second nature!
P.S. Veganism is on the rise guys! What a time to be alive!
By Deena Camps.
References
McLeod, S. A. (2018, Feb 05). Cognitive dissonance. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive-dissonance.html
The Vegan Society (n.d.). Definition of veganism. Retrieved from https://www.vegansociety.com/go-vegan/definition-veganism