Veganism - 1. a lifestyle committed to minimizing the exploitation of all animals resulting from human activity, including but not limited to: agriculture, clothing production, entertainment, and eating preference.
2. often operates under the assumption that humans are animals among other sentient beings.
if you aren't vegan (yet), it may seem like there's a lot of pressure from the advocates you know who support the lifestyle. this tends to be more of a defensive mechanism for them rather than an attack coming from a place of hostility.
vegans are constantly exposed to perspectives that alienate or ridicule their way of living. It oftentimes isn't easy to become vegan, not because its difficult to maintain a plant-based lifestyle, but because of all the institutionalized opposition (milk, fast food, and cheese ads) and lack of support. we find comfort in feeling that there are individuals who think similarly. We're motivated by the possibility that others may enjoy many of the benefits that come with a deeper understanding of their impact on themselves and their environment.
Sure, its better to eat plants. There's a ton of research and resources supporting the notion that human consumption of animals and their derivatives has negative impacts on many different parts of the world, ranging from your own personal health to the number of species of parrots in existence, to the frequency of unnatural disasters we experience due to a changing climate.
not everyone's cut out to be a peta-vegan or wants to worry about massive scale systematic issues at play.
fortunately, there's a way for anyone who wants to play.
one of the most important aspects of veganism is plasticity of mind. learning to think of the world you live in from a different perspective, inclusive of other perspectives in existence around you.
practicing adaptation to a given situation trains your mind to become more comfortable accepting challenges and teaches the practice of creating a world that you're happiest to live in.
vegans oftentimes become motivated to uncover the truths of other social phenomenons that we are less likely to call into question.
the evolving concept of intersectional veganism has climbed its way into helping understand the way we think of human rights and environmental policy. this has all come without much nod to the internal changes in the mind's of people instigating social change.
happiness is the driving motivator we hope to share.
We don't have extremely effective means by which to quantify happiness, but much can be said to the impact of having an adaptive mind.
the ability to perceive something a new way is half the step to living the life you want to live. when you allow yourself to grow, you'll have new places to go.