It’s A Process
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“I don’t personally know anyone who read a book or a pamphlet one day, became a vegan the next, and is still a vegan. I do know people who became vegan (also after watching “Earthlings”) who are now vegetarians, pescetarians and run-of-the-mill omnivores.” [...] “Vegan education, in my experience, is a multi-pronged, multi-year effort if it’s going to be sustainable.”
Mary Martin explained in her latest post. Similarly, I only know one vegan who went vegan “overnight” after watching I Am An Animal. I know lots of vegans and vegetarians, but only one went veg immediately. Like Mary, I believe that vegan education requires many approaches and lots of perseverance. It’s a process. And each person has their own process.
Whenever we do any kind of vegan education, we can’t judge it by the immediate outcomes. We must have a longer view. We must see how our work fits into the larger scheme.
When we do vegan education – leafleting at a college, giving a presentation, or even just having a conversation with a friend – we are planting seeds. Some seeds will grow and some won’t. But if we spread seeds, then check back the next day and don’t notice any growth, that doesn’t mean we haven’t been effective. The seeds just need a little water, that’s all.
So go plant seeds. Or… go water someone else’s seeds.
Just last night one person at our veggie meetup said she didn’t know anything about factory farming until she saw a video – I believe it was a PETA video – and she said she cried for a week and went vegan. It changed her life dramatically.
Every now and then we hear these stories, but I think many people resist their own instincts, particularly resist feeling the hurt and pain inside themselves.
I am one of those people who became an instant vegan after watching earthlings – and i know of 2 others as well. but unfortunately not everyone gets the connection straight away. i think everyone is different and it depends on how firmly the blinkers are on before the said individual is willing to face the truth and discard everything they have been lied to about their whole lives… its big