Hey there everybody,
I'm a long-time reader of this awesome forum, however this is my first post, so nice to meet you all officially!
I'll get straight to the point/question.
After a slow transition (I'm an avid backpacker, outdoorsman, etc, so feeling satiated and physiologically fueled on a vegan diet was initially a challenge, however some experimentation with vitamins has cleared that up!) from being a life-long omnivore, about five months ago I successfully, enthusiastically, and wholeheartedly made the complete transition to a vegan lifestyle, encompassing what I eat, but also things like consumer goods etc. I'm really being vigilant in tracing the sourcing and/or production origins of the products I purchase, as well as the ethical/environmental record of the companies I support which has produced the foreseen result of changing a lot of the things in my pantry/closet/bathroom/kitchen!
I finally made the switch (as I imagine many of you did) after reading Singer, Bekoff, Francione, etc and just being unable to "close the door", so to speak, on the knowledge I had gained. The issue is so clean cut, so obvious, so ethically apparent that making the transition was one I made with pleasure, happiness, and a passionate sense of advocacy.
And that brings me to my question:
How have you guys, as a community, dealt with the issue of having "woken up" while those close around you haven't?
My wife (and our soon-to-be-born son), our friends, and many members of our family aren't, shall we say, fervent carnivores, but they do, however, share a sort of epicurean, culinary approach to eating meat and animal products, and do so regularly. They use all the classic "food chain", "biological naturalism", "species destiny" arguments that so many ill-thought-out defenders of meat eating espouse. They're all politically motivated, liberal, environmentally sensitive, recycling, empathetic, compassionate, quality human beings, but this is clearly a major blind spot for them and, now that I've woken up to the reality of the situation and made life changes accordingly, I find it very difficult to just stand by while a BBQ, dinner party, pizza night, or dining out is happening with seeming abandon. It's so grating now to see people shoving dead flesh into their mouths with a smile on their face.
Love my wife, love my family, love our friends, and don't feel like the "Screaming Evangelist" role is going to convince them to change their ways (and would, most likely, entrench them further), so I'm curious how/if any of you might have solved or approached this issue. I'm sure I'm not alone in having to deal with this problem, so just interested what you all think about how to slowly convert those around you to a more ethically enlightened lifestyle, while also dealing with their complicity in the animal rights issue until/if they do.
Thanks!
I'm a long-time reader of this awesome forum, however this is my first post, so nice to meet you all officially!
I'll get straight to the point/question.
After a slow transition (I'm an avid backpacker, outdoorsman, etc, so feeling satiated and physiologically fueled on a vegan diet was initially a challenge, however some experimentation with vitamins has cleared that up!) from being a life-long omnivore, about five months ago I successfully, enthusiastically, and wholeheartedly made the complete transition to a vegan lifestyle, encompassing what I eat, but also things like consumer goods etc. I'm really being vigilant in tracing the sourcing and/or production origins of the products I purchase, as well as the ethical/environmental record of the companies I support which has produced the foreseen result of changing a lot of the things in my pantry/closet/bathroom/kitchen!
I finally made the switch (as I imagine many of you did) after reading Singer, Bekoff, Francione, etc and just being unable to "close the door", so to speak, on the knowledge I had gained. The issue is so clean cut, so obvious, so ethically apparent that making the transition was one I made with pleasure, happiness, and a passionate sense of advocacy.
And that brings me to my question:
How have you guys, as a community, dealt with the issue of having "woken up" while those close around you haven't?
My wife (and our soon-to-be-born son), our friends, and many members of our family aren't, shall we say, fervent carnivores, but they do, however, share a sort of epicurean, culinary approach to eating meat and animal products, and do so regularly. They use all the classic "food chain", "biological naturalism", "species destiny" arguments that so many ill-thought-out defenders of meat eating espouse. They're all politically motivated, liberal, environmentally sensitive, recycling, empathetic, compassionate, quality human beings, but this is clearly a major blind spot for them and, now that I've woken up to the reality of the situation and made life changes accordingly, I find it very difficult to just stand by while a BBQ, dinner party, pizza night, or dining out is happening with seeming abandon. It's so grating now to see people shoving dead flesh into their mouths with a smile on their face.
Love my wife, love my family, love our friends, and don't feel like the "Screaming Evangelist" role is going to convince them to change their ways (and would, most likely, entrench them further), so I'm curious how/if any of you might have solved or approached this issue. I'm sure I'm not alone in having to deal with this problem, so just interested what you all think about how to slowly convert those around you to a more ethically enlightened lifestyle, while also dealing with their complicity in the animal rights issue until/if they do.
Thanks!
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