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Anna_Lou

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Hello everyone 🤗 I am new to this forum but have been vegan for 6 years now! I joined because recently I have been struggling with a feeling of disconnect from people in my life who aren’t vegan and don’t support my lifestyle/ Who don’t have any care for animal wellbeing. More than ever I am feeling so much anger towards these people(my loved ones) and also losing hope in seeing changes in our society with regards to the treatment of animals. So I guess I’m looking to be part of a community who shares my love for animals and why being vegan is so important. Has anyone else experienced this? I would really appreciate some advice. 💚
 
welcome to the forum Anna Lou and to our very supportive community

You will find lots of loving advice here!

Emma JC
 
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I do not feel anger towards people, more like despair, sadness etc. It has been almost 4 years for me and, as I am much older than you likely are, that means that most of my life was spent eating animal products at some level or another so I can't be angry with others without being angry with myself. That is not useful for me so I choose to just be as good an example as I can and encourage others (here) that are just starting out or wishing to learn or are just looking for support and advice. I so admire people like Earthling Ed and other activists who have a platform and use it so wisely yet we can't all be that person. So my advice would be "try not to be angry because that anger may show through and no one likes to be confronted by an angry person". It is one thing that I admire so much about Earthling Ed is that he never loses his cool when talking to non-vegans because he knows his facts he knows those facts are true and he lives and breathes it every day.

Even the health part of it is uninteresting to most people, including my family, and yet there are things in my life (wine, lack of exercise etc) that they would likely advise me about so it really is true that all of us are at different stages in life and on different journeys and so we just all have to be patient with each other and with ourselves. I believe the tide is turning quicker than ever towards veganism for all three reasons, for the animals, for health and for the environment and that brings me joy.

Emma JC
 
Not so much anger or sadness. More in the category of disappointment. And I've mostly gotten over that. But it still crops up from time to time.

One vegan advocate that has some good advice that might work for you is Dr. Melanie Joy. She has written books that you might be able to buy or borrow. She has given Ted Talks and she has made some YouTubes, too.

This video is a great place to start. It addresses your issues and is really short.
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M42nwvIpOLA

I think this video is a good introduction to Dr. Joy and where she is coming from. It probably isn't as relevant to your issues as some of her others but I like it because it's personal and animated.
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao2GL3NAWQU

Another good clip is when Earthling Ed interviews her.
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-vyFKvlus8

Maybe the most relevant video to your issues is the one that was done at an animal rights conference. ( I thought I saw her do a Ted conference once, but I can't find that one). This one is also very long so I didn't put it on the top of my list.
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVnGqibEWVQ&t=54s
 
I do not feel anger towards people, more like despair, sadness etc. It has been almost 4 years for me and, as I am much older than you likely are, that means that most of my life was spent eating animal products at some level or another so I can't be angry with others without being angry with myself. That is not useful for me so I choose to just be as good an example as I can and encourage others (here) that are just starting out or wishing to learn or are just looking for support and advice. I so admire people like Earthling Ed and other activists who have a platform and use it so wisely yet we can't all be that person. So my advice would be "try not to be angry because that anger may show through and no one likes to be confronted by an angry person". It is one thing that I admire so much about Earthling Ed is that he never loses his cool when talking to non-vegans because he knows his facts he knows those facts are true and he lives and breathes it every day.

Even the health part of it is uninteresting to most people, including my family, and yet there are things in my life (wine, lack of exercise etc) that they would likely advise me about so it really is true that all of us are at different stages in life and on different journeys and so we just all have to be patient with each other and with ourselves. I believe the tide is turning quicker than ever towards veganism for all three reasons, for the animals, for health and for the environment and that brings me joy.
Thank you for this Emma. It has definitely given me a different perspective. I looked up Earthling Ed and he seems great so have followed him on Instagram. Thank you for your support, very k
 
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Not so much anger or sadness. More in the category of disappointment. And I've mostly gotten over that. But it still crops up from time to time.

One vegan advocate that has some good advice that might work for you is Dr. Melanie Joy. She has written books that you might be able to buy or borrow. She has given Ted Talks and she has made some YouTubes, too.

This video is a great place to start. It addresses your issues and is really short.
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M42nwvIpOLA

I think this video is a good introduction to Dr. Joy and where she is coming from. It probably isn't as relevant to your issues as some of her others but I like it because it's personal and animated.
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ao2GL3NAWQU

Another good clip is when Earthling Ed interviews her.
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-vyFKvlus8

Maybe the most relevant video to your issues is the one that was done at an animal rights conference. ( I thought I saw her do a Ted conference once, but I can't find that one). This one is also very long so I didn't put it on the top of my list.
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVnGqibEWVQ&t=54s

Hey Lou,

Thank you so much for replying and sharing all these links- very kind of you! I will work my way through them. I haven’t heard or Dr Joy so am excited to watch her talks 💚
 
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Welcome, Anna_Lou!

Like Emma said, it's hard to be so angry with others without being angry with myself, mainly for my taking so long to go vegan (I was vegetarian for years before I went vegan), and I try to remember that I was once like those around me. I think it's good to focus on what you are doing to change things and to just lead by example.

I've been vegan since 2007, and my family was not happy with my decision, but they've slowly come around and they now will try anything I make. It's good to share your tasty dishes with those you love, as it's a great way to win them over, albeit slowly, haha. Some of the changes my family has made: They all now drink mostly nondairy milk, they regularly use vegan butter, they eat a lot more plant-based burgers and patties, they focus a lot more on veggies and they make an effort (most of them) to make sure there are vegan options when I visit. My mom, who lamented my decision the most because she loves to cook and bake, was all worried about how things would change. But now she regularly tracks down all sorts of vegan recipes to try and shares them with me as well.
 
Hello everyone 🤗 I am new to this forum but have been vegan for 6 years now! I joined because recently I have been struggling with a feeling of disconnect from people in my life who aren’t vegan and don’t support my lifestyle/ Who don’t have any care for animal wellbeing. More than ever I am feeling so much anger towards these people(my loved ones) and also losing hope in seeing changes in our society with regards to the treatment of animals. So I guess I’m looking to be part of a community who shares my love for animals and why being vegan is so important. Has anyone else experienced this? I would really appreciate some advice. 💚

I’ve been feeling the exact same way, thats why i joined here as well to try and become part of a vegan community! 🌿🐷

its just so draining sometimes as meal times are such a social/bonding event to be with people that are just like ‘but bacon tho’ gets real tiring really fast. I mostly try and avoid the convo altogether 🤦🏼‍♀️
 
I think that a lot of people resist veganism because they see it as a loss rather than a gain. All they can think is that they won't be able to eat their favorite foods. They see vegans as thieves who are trying to take away their favorite things. The reality, of course, is that veganism is not a loss but a gain. By avoiding the default foods and other items one used to turn to without thought, one is exposed to many wonderful things one didn't even know existed. Non-vegans get so defensive, though, that it's difficult to get them to see things from this perspective.

I went vegan for the animals, but years after going vegan, I learned about the health effects of being vegan. I now think that the health aspect is the one that is most likely to turn the world vegan. People are suffering and dying from easily preventable diseases just because of what they choose to put in their mouths every day. Instead of attacking those who go vegan for health reasons and insisting that they not call themselves "vegan", it would be wiser for vegans to embrace the health aspect and inform themselves of all the health reasons to go vegan. The sad reality is that the world is not going to go vegan for the animals. But they will go vegan for health reasons, and that will be great for animals and the environment. The meat, dairy, egg, and pharmaceutical industries are spending enormous sums of money to create doubt, sow confusion, and prevent people from learning the truth about what animal flesh and secretions do to the human body. By rejecting two out of the three reasons people go vegan, the vegan community is ensuring that we will forever remain a marginal movement. Your loved ones are probably doing a lot of damage to their health by refusing to accept veganism. Do you think there is any chance they would be more open to the health reasons for veganism? I imagine that at the very least, they might have a harder time criticizing your choices.
 
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Hello everyone 🤗 I am new to this forum but have been vegan for 6 years now! I joined because recently I have been struggling with a feeling of disconnect from people in my life who aren’t vegan and don’t support my lifestyle/ Who don’t have any care for animal wellbeing. More than ever I am feeling so much anger towards these people(my loved ones) and also losing hope in seeing changes in our society with regards to the treatment of animals. So I guess I’m looking to be part of a community who shares my love for animals and why being vegan is so important. Has anyone else experienced this? I would really appreciate some advice. 💚
Hello Anna_Lou, I share your feelings and despair. Progress seems to be one step forward two steps back. I used to be a therapist but became so tired of whinging carnists that I decided to quit and work with animals instead. 🙂
 
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Hello everyone 🤗 I am new to this forum but have been vegan for 6 years now! I joined because recently I have been struggling with a feeling of disconnect from people in my life who aren’t vegan and don’t support my lifestyle/ Who don’t have any care for animal wellbeing. More than ever I am feeling so much anger towards these people(my loved ones) and also losing hope in seeing changes in our society with regards to the treatment of animals. So I guess I’m looking to be part of a community who shares my love for animals and why being vegan is so important. Has anyone else experienced this? I would really appreciate some advice. 💚
You’ve summed up part of my reasons for being here. You are not alone!
Ross
 
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