A Little Love Goes A Long Way
The people I care about are not all vegans.
But they have hearts and know how to use them. I trust them to use good judgment, compassion, and logic to do the right thing when they’re ready.
So I wrote a letter. And I sent this email to some of the people I love:
Dear Friends,
During a visit to Los Angeles a few days ago I talked with a couple of people I like very much. But the comments they made when they learned that I am a vegan were, to me, nearly shocking. They dismissed it as some sort of aberration, saying, “Well, I like meat!” and laughing, as it is isn’t even worth discussing. Delayed adolescence. My veganism has nothing to do with liking or not liking meat. It has to do with caring about the way animals are treated. It isn’t complicated.
To be fair, though, many people don’t really know how animals are raised for meat and eggs and milk. They have visions, propagated by things like the California milk commercials, that all’s right in that world. And it isn’t.
I care about people in my world whether or not they share my views about animals. I don’t believe, though, that anyone I care about is going to think that the conditions of factory farming are okay, once they know about it. That’s because the people I care about have hearts and know how to use them.
If you take a look at this short video you will know one big reason I am a vegan:
Of course I would love it if everyone suddenly went vegan along with me. That isn’t going to happen, for many reasons. I will ask all of you who eat meat, eggs, and dairy products, though, if you might consider cutting back on those products. If everyone ate less of them there would be less cruelty like what you see in that video. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to support those who are trying to change the laws that let things like this happen, too.
love,
Judy
I sent that letter to my friends and family. Maybe you could send a letter too.
This is a move I haven’t considered, but right now I’m thinking it might be an excellent one to make, because this is exactly what I want to say to my friends and family.
Jens last blog post.."Real" or faux - what does our choice suggest?
I love this idea, especially if it’s done just every now and then as a reminder (not over and over again). And the addition of a video makes it much more compelling.
You’re so brave! May I ask what kind of reactions you received from your friends and family? Even the people I care about are really offended when I talk about veganism. They seem to ignore the fact that they offend me in the process! I have tried to politely state my reasons and tell them heartily that I’m not trying to push anyone into anything, but even my boyfriend (who is really supportive of me being vegan, though he is a meat-eater) listens to me talk about the cruelty of the chicken business and then orders an omelette! It saddens me to no end that they can’t internalize the message, and instead get touchy about it. Any tips?
Well, nobody responded to me, except my vegan daughter. I don’t know if it made any difference but it made me feel better.
I don’t hit people with my near-veganism (I’ve written about my slips here) on a regular basis. I wrote that because I was feeling so deeply misunderstood and needed, in some way, to let my feelings out. I don’t know if this approach had any effect because I suspect the recipients glanced at the subject and didn’t read the whole thing. Which makes me want to try again.
I think you should try again. Every now and then drop another little note. You know, just remind them of your position. People tend to forget whatever they don’t see or hear about regularly.