Never revealed to anyone that I am vegan. Not many people here know what even that means. They think that I avoid meat and the like because of health reason(s) or religious belief(s).
Definitely. I was genuinely surprised at how few people here
on a vegan forum don't know what veganism means or refuse to acknowledge what it means because it threatens their personal interpretation. It seems to me that they would like to call themselves vegan to feel good about themselves, but aren't actually prepared to do the work or make the sacrifices required to actually be vegan.
I think labels and definittions are helpful. I could probably, by some peoples' standards, say I've been vegan my whole life, but I know I've really only been vegan for three years.
From birth, I was raised plant based. We only regularly consumed honey and tuna, and only had them a couple times a month. We didn't keep any other meat, dairy, or eggs in the house. Outside of the home, we were allowed to eat meat if we chose to. This ended up amounting to meat consumption once a month or so. We did, however, wear and craft with animal products. We used a lot of wool and beeswax. We used leather and fur. We went to the zoo, rode horses, and our dogs and cats were from breeders. Although we sometimes called ourselves vegan, we were not.
At age 10, I started transitioning to becoming fully vegetarian. I went from eating non-fish meat monthly, to three times a year, although I ate seafood more frequently. By age 14, I'd become vegetarian. Although I also ate little dairy or eggs (due to allergies), I still was not vegan. I had not changed my behaviour for ethical reasons. I still supported wool, leather, beeswax, etc.
As an adult, I went fully plant based for health reasons. As my dairy intolerance had reduced, I started eating a lot more of it to the point that it was causing severe eczema. I stopped consuming dairy and eggs completely (I was already vegetarian). I still did not consider myself vegan. I had no ethical connction to these choices. I still supported animal abuse and exploitation in clothing, cosmetics, and entertainment. I had no ethical quandary with others supporting meat, dairy, or eggs, even though I no longer partook in them.
It wasn't until several months after going plant based that I finally aligned with veganism. The ethical connection clicked. I finally understood why it was wrong to support industries which exploited and abused animals. I started to care about taking the time to learn where my products came from and how they were made. I started to care about what others supported. It was painful to witness loved ones supporting animal abuse and exploitation. I cared more about another animal's life than my own pleasure or convenience. That makes all the difference in the world.
