Like so many people, (most, actually) I always had a looong list of misconceptions and prejudices about veganism. (even though i ate lots of veg food growing up.)
Like, I got vegetarianism, (not killing animals? makes sense. but drinking milk and eating eggs doesn’t even hurt the animals, right?!) wroooong.
Sure I know that now, but back then, I really just didn’t know any better.
For a pretty long time, I actually believed that all vegans ate was raw fruits and vegetables and, in conclusion, always had to be hungry. That sounded like HELL to me. (and honestly, still does. no offense raw vegans, mad respect for you, (and yeah i know theres more to eat than just fruit and veg and you don’t have to starve haha) but still, how????)
I did always have vegetarianism in the back of my mind tho, and I definitely love a challenge, so I dared myself to a meat free month during the absolute peak of my very non-veg, steak-phase (it was intense. I ate soo much meat. bacon and steak and burgers and chicken and fish and.. yeah you get the point. it was a strange time. i was also obsessed with designer shit and gossip girl at the time. who even was i? haha)
I made it through the month, but since I’d gone in with no research and the wrong attitude(I’m missing out on all the food I love!! Why am I doing the to myself! There’s literally nothing I can eat!) I went straight back to eating meat after.(at least for a while)
Somehow, somewhere along the line though, I became a vegetarian again.
It was just my time I guess. No big click or switch or anything happened within me, I was just at that point in my journey. I was ready. Simple.
That’s why I don’t believe you can force anyone to go vegan, or give up on fast fashion, or anything really. The change, especially if you want it to be sustainable and long term, has to come from within; the person has to be ready. That doesn’t at all make spreading the word about causes you believe in pointless, (I firmly believe that that way you’re helping them grow, helping them get to that point in their life where they are actually ready,) it just means that you have to be patient with them. Just like you should be patient with yourself. You simply cant force things like that.
I think my biggest conscious drive behind vegetarianism was macro-economical (the insane amount of grain that we waste on feeding livestock instead of giving it to starving children) (also i know there’s a lot of other factors playing into this but thats a discussion for another time), but anywayys the reason why I eventually decided to go full vegan was my undying love for the environment.
I just love our Mother Earth. She nurtures us and loves us and is us, and she’s just.
so beautiful. And this is how we treat her?! The disrespect? The nerve? The audacity?! I just, whew, I can’t believe. Like, how dare we?? How dare me ?!? (i luv grammar : -))
That question has come up in my life a number of times, (like hundreds?thousands? idk. i’m always kinda thinking about it. ongoing thing ya know.) and it became especially pressing when I watched Rob Steward’s beautiful documentary, ‚Shark Water‘.
I promptly decided that I had to take action right then and there, so I became a Greenpeace volunteer at 14. I was the youngest in the group (like always haha) and it was so fun!
I collected signatures for anti-fishing campaigns, met new people, and learned more and more about veganism (pretty much everyone there was vegan. they didn’t force me at all, but they really helped me get to the ready-for-veganism-point in my life).
It still took me a pretty long time, and another month-long challenge (i just really love daring myself idk haha) to actually make the switch for good tho.
So, as i challenged myself to a month of full veganism, I went in with a totally different attitude than the first one. I had abundance in mind, all the beautiful food I could eat, the new things I’d try, all the good I’d do. I didn’t even have time to get hung up on everything I was missing out on. (and i mean, in comparison to the health of the planet, yourself and the animals, is cheese really that great? okok I knooow it is, close one even for me I admit, but at some point my principles just won that battle I guess hey)
I think I already knew, (not totally consciously, but also not that deep down, somewhere in between I suppose) that veganism was the best option for me, the planet, the animals, all that.
So during my vegan month I did a ton of research (mainly consisting of ‚what i eat in a day‘ videos haha, but also ‚earthlings‘, ‚cowspiracy‘, ‚101 reasons to go vegan‘, you know, the classics) and it was pretty much a given that I was gonna stay vegan after.
And badabing badaboom guess what, I did. And here I am. Not perfect, still learning,(I’ve had soo many slip ups!!!) but doing my best.
I just really believe its important to be gentle and patient and loving with yourself and not beat yourself up about every little mistake. (Veganism, first and foremost, is an act of love after all. Not extending that love to yourself would just not make sense.) That way you’ll have a way better chance of actually staying on track (and you’ll have a way better time as well ; )).
So whether you’re vegan, or considering it, or not considering it at all, thank you for reading this.
Much love,
Mira <3