It should come as no surprise that I spend a lot of time reading vegan blogs.  You wouldn’t even believe the amount of vegan things that I read in just one day.  The articles or posts are interesting, but I find myself in the comments more often than not.  I mean, the comments are some of the most absurd things posted online.  There is a staggering amount of mean, uninformed, callous comments – a sheer hatred towards vegans- on some of those articles.  I’m baffled.

And just to clarify, I know that there are blogs out there that have and encourage intelligent discourse in the comments.  But those are few compared to the gazillions of … junk that is out there right now.

In retrospect, I suppose I shouldn’t be shocked about that at all, since that is the way of the Animal Rights Movement in general.  We are in the minority.  But, the positive side is that you can make a difference in the lives of animals today.  It’s that simple.  You have the ability to save a life today.  You don’t need to be able to fly, have super human strength, shoot lasers out of your eyes or grow blades out of your knuckles.  All you need is a conscience.  That’s it.  Your choices every day in what you eat, wear, or buy either takes away lives or it saves them.  It really is that simple.  Does it matter that those lives aren’t human?  Should it?

One person is all it takes to make a difference in the lives of animals.  Just one person can save an average of 100 lives per year.  One hundred lives.  That is a lot of lives.  That pretty much makes you a hero, doesn’t it?  Don’t we honor people who save human lives?  I don’t think we wait until someone saves 100 lives either, you save one life and you get honored.  Life shouldn’t be just for humans to enjoy.  And right now it is.

This one person, this hero, could be you.  Think about the very basic idea of life and what it means to you to live, what your life is worth.  Would you deny another living thing the same right to life as you?

I rarely tell people that they should just shut up and go vegan.  Although, I admit that sometimes I’d like to.  I am a vegan because I believe that the animals have the same right to life as humans.  I do not discriminate due to species.  My veganism is a direct product of my compassion towards those animals imprisoned and killed to satisfy humans taste buds.  I cannot imagine consuming an animal product and I am baffled by those who choose to.

Still, I try to listen to the other side’s comments or opinions.  My thoughts about veganism rarely used to come out in conversation.  I probably thought, at one time, that it was best if I just didn’t talk about it so that people wouldn’t think I’m pushing my beliefs onto them.  The last thing I wanted is to have people think I’m one of those “radical-liberal-vegans” and stop listening to what I had to say.  Because, when people get offended by your method of conversing, you cease to have a conversation.  It becomes a lecture and no one wants to be lectured.  And for a long time I advocated veganism quietly, in my own way, to people I came in contact with.

But now I think about my veganism and activism in a different way.  I realize that, while it is important to be respectful to others, it is okay to have an opinion.  It is okay to talk about your veganism.  It is okay to be unapologetic for your beliefs.  Just remember that you represent what veganism is to non-vegans every time you talk about it with them.  Most likely you are the only vegan that they know.  Use intelligence and respect to debate your points and not offensive comments.  There is too much anger in the blogs already by the non-vegans, we don’t need to add to it.  Veganism came along because people evolved in their beliefs about sentient life.  Use that same evolution when dealing with the negativity towards your ideas and beliefs.

Just don’t let the ton of mean, uninformed, callous comments – that sheer hatred towards vegans – keep you from commenting back.  Every conversation you have is vegan activism.  You, one person, can make a difference every day just by doing something you probably already do.  Read articles, but instead of just reading them, comment on them.  Start a conversation.  You never know who you will inspire today, that’s all I’m saying.