Over the past few years of being vegan, I have naturally tried to pass on this message to many, only to be greeted with some good, bad or ugly responses. And all this by perfectly ‘good’ people! This got me perplexed and led to the article that you all are reading now.
So most of my family, friends and acquaintances range from - common folks, to social workers/animal welfare activists/environmentalists, etc. And all of them are generalised here as ‘good’ people ie people who would generally not do any harm to anyone and would think about the good of the people and planet in general. However, many of them are yet to embrace veganism and now I’ll try and explore why.
I think basically it stems from our fixation to familiarity. We all gravitate towards familiar people, surroundings, foods, cultures, languages, groups, habits, mindsets and addictions. We keep on following the same patterns in life as we see the others around us following, because of the comfort that familiarity provides. Those who follow a different lifestyle from the mainstream are thus termed different, rebellious, outcaste, etc. This is scary for most people. I have been fortunate to be ‘a born rebel’, I mean being a rebel/different is not even my second nature, its my first! So it does not require strength for me to be vegan, be different, be cruelty-free in a world where cruelty is blindly accepted. However I can understand why it is not so easy for many others to break away from deathly patterns. But just because I can understand, doesn’t mean I sanction it or that it is right. All it takes to do the right thing is heart, its that simple. So why not stop being scared and just do it.
Second is our resistance to change. All of us resist any kind of change in life, lifestyles, foods, habits, etc. Try asking someone to develop a new habit say like exercising and they would resist. We just resist anything that comes from outside to change us. Everyone changes only when something within them tells them to. However for vegans, understandably it is difficult to accept how people dont want to change even after knowing the truth or resist knowing the truth in the first place. Take for instance morning tea or coffee, I know many people for whom this is the first thought that deters them from veganism. People think being vegan means you cannot have your tea or coffee tasting the same when actually you can, because vegans have found the exact replacements for the tastes of everything! Change is overwhelming because we fear the unknown. Initially we dont know how we could go vegan, in the primarily non-vegan world of today. So all we need to so is ‘google’ it. Let’s stop being scared of change, and try and embrace it. For a change, try change!
Thirdly, being self-centered ie thinking of ourselves or our own families only, not the world at large. We are all conditioned this way by the society, by our education and by what goes on around us. I used to get surprised by this, but over time I’ve seen so many people who just dont care beyond themselves and their families, that I dont get surprised anymore. However, thankfully veganism has something for these people as well, because being vegan is extremely good for health. And self-centered people do care a lot about ‘their’ health, just like most people do. So if you care about yourself, or your families or other beings or the world at large, why not try vegan? Dont be scared to increase your circle of love, and care about others and the planet, and embrace veganism.
Another reason, fixation to taste or addiction to tastes and lifestyles, which is just a result of ignorance or refusal to open up our ears to information, because believe it or not taste is the LAST thing a vegan compromises on! We are clever humans, so we’ve replicated every taste, every non-vegan dish can be made with vegan ingredients with exactly the same taste! All one has to do is to ‘google’ for the options or ask other vegans around. I’ve found Facebook to be a good tool to connect with people and find information on veganism from relevant groups. So dont be scared to experiment with new dishes or new tastes for that matter. Life is short, try to explore all aspects of it. Try veganism, its all about life after all!
Animal products of various kinds are so ingrained in our cultures that it becomes difficult to go vegan, without upsetting the status quo. We fear - what will others say, what about the society, will I get alienated from others, will my family accept it? All change has been created after moving away from the norm, isn’t that the definition of change itself. It is said that truth goes through three stages – ridicule, violent opposition and acceptance. So just understand that this is a phase which you have to pass through, in order to walk the talk and live by your beliefs. Support groups help a lot in this case, so search online for the one in your city/town and join it. Dont be scared to experience a whole new world, it is a beautiful journey.
Ignorance is bliss or people think so. And now I’m getting into the spiritual realm here. People think that if they commit a sin out of ignorance, then there is less of bad karma associated with it. So they do not even wish to listen about the horrific cruel facts associated with non-veganism. However, if they know about it and still continue to do it, they will accrue more bad karma. That is the sub-conscious thought behind closing up to vegan information or ousting vegan people from their lives, I think. Dont be scared of vegans or veganism, and dont oust them from your life, instead oust the cruelty ie the non-veganism.
The next problem is that no one wants to make the effort to change. An apt quote to convey my message here is (I read this somewhere) – ‘Everyone wants to change the world, but no one wants to change’. Change always requires some ‘effort’ and that requires some time and energy, which people do not ‘want’ to devote. Its never that we ‘cant’ make an effort, its just that we dont ‘want’ to. So dont be scared to make an effort to go vegan. This effort is worth many lives, including yours.
So people say they dont have the time to understand veganism and make the change. This one’s quite a frivolous argument, because we easily make time for leisure activities or to do what we really want to do, or we make time to treat or tend to illness, so how come we cant make time for understanding and adopting a cruelty-free, healthy and environment and people-friendly lifestyle? Its not time, its just intention. If one intends to do something, they make the requisite time and effort and if they dont intend to do it, they make excuses. Dont be scared to explore veganism, its totally worth your time and energy.
A very ‘bad’ reason is the fear or pretence of fear for our health, due to the brainwashing by our educational system. Since childhood we have been taught that milk & meat are integral for our health, so much so that if we tell an American that meat is bad or an Indian that animal milk is bad, they may look at us as if we have come from the planet ‘vegas’! So many ignorant ones truly fear for their health, and for them I’d suggest getting informed. Those who ‘pretend’ to fear for their health are the ones who know about the health benefits of veganism, but are too weak (lack courage) to change due to their addictions. Thus these excusitarians come up with novel excuses like ‘my doctor has asked me to drink animal milk’ or ‘I need animal protein for body-building’. Hmm, to them I can only say – get a backbone, of your own of course. Dont be a pawn in the hands of your addictions and dont fear for your health because it is going to improve dramatically once you cut out the toxins from your diet. Try and find your courage, you’ll love yourself for it and so will the numerous animals whose lives you spare.
Habit, is another major reason. But there’s a good news here as well! Habits take 21 days to change, scientifically. Thus if we adopt a new habit for at least 21 days, we can keep up with it easily. Food is a matter of habit ie Indians are habituated to Indian food, Chinese to Chinese food, Americans to American food. All we now need to do is introduce ourselves to newer foods like vegan alternatives to non-vegan foods, and slowly we will be able to form new habits! Similarly, we are habituated to goto a mall and buy a lot of non-vegan items off the shelves, without reading labels and understanding what goes into them. Thus we will need to form new habits of reading labels or asking questions or doing some research on what goes into making these products. And thus we will be able to make kind, consencious choices! Dont be scared to discard mundane habits and acquire new ones. I promise you will love what you get out of it!
‘I cant do it, I am not as strong-willed as you.’ Hmm ok, you know what, most of the vegans I know also did not know what they were capable off initially. Once they decided, the path got paved got smoother on its own. So it is not about will power at all here, it is just about WILLINGNESS. Once you wholeheartedly want to do something, you just do it and the way is paved for you on its own. In this day and age of the internet, there is no dearth of free-information on everything related to veganism. Thus, dont be scared to make a commitment to an ethical way of life. Be willing to get out of your comfort zone and do something about the issues that you feel for, rather than just talking about them. Be vegan and live your principles.
If someone told us that having carrots or cucumbers was extremely bad for our health, would cause us lifestyle diseases, is killing the planet by being the main cause of global warming and climate change, we would immediately stop eating them. But when told the same thing about animal products, we try and find all possible excuses. This is because we are habituated, addicted, it is ingrained in our cultures, and we find it unbelievable initially due to our education, etc. Now what is required is that, instead of becoming excusitarians, we proactively make an effort to find out more, and eventually become vegans. And now that we know of almost all the possible excusitarian behaviours and also the ways to change them (hopefully I’ve been able to incorporate solutions to the excuses, instead of just talking about the problems), WHEN ARE WE MAKING THE CHANGE? This is the best that we can possibly do - present forth all the info - but to listen to it, understand it and adopt it is what is required for you to do. Vegans like me are always willing to help people in transitioning, so feel free to contact us via the world wide web. Veganism isn’t fearful, instead its fun, fulfilling and fantabulous! Go for it!
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| Pic taken from the internet |
