Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Giving up on veganism

So I recently checked in to one of my favorite vegan cooking blogs to discover that the author is no longer vegan. Several life changes brought them to their current path including a new relationship, working around animal products and of course, the love of cheese.  Also, another reason(probably the main one) cited for giving up the vegan life was just coming to a point of being jaded about life on this planet.
There's so much suffering around that apparently it became too overwhelming to think that they could really do anything about it by continuing to refuse the consumption of animal products.


This really got me thinking.  I wonder how the abolitionists of the nineteenth century felt when they saw around them what appeared to be the irreversible suffering of slavery. Or the men and women in the Suffrage movement who fought for women's right to vote?  Or those in the modern civil rights movement like Martin Luther King Jr and others?  Or Mildred and Richard Loving?   I wonder what my life would be like today if they had given up? 


If they(heroes and agents of God in my opinion) had grown weary of the fight, where would I be today?  Would I still be a slave on some plantation in Georgia somewhere? Maybe.  And I most assuredly wouldn't be voting in the next election or married to my husband of almost 9 years.  And speaking of voting..  
Would we ever have had a black(or biracial) president in the White House right now?  Or possibly a woman in the near future?


I admit, I felt a bit sad when I read that blog post. Especially when I just came off the heels of watching a new documentary that shows family farmers, not big impersonal agribusiness, coming to a point of no longer wanting to participate in the cruelty and suffering that is inherent in animal production.  


But I do understand feeling overwhelmed, so I'm not judging my fellow blogger. I will not unsubscribe from their blog  or Facebook page as some have posted. (after making all kinds of declarations of how selfish they feel the blogger is now)   That's something I have noticed in this vegan world online.

When you "leave the fold" so to speak, there is sometimes quite a backlash. And it can get nasty.   But I think I understand that too.  I mean, if we were living in nineteenth century America and someone who was once a fierce abolitionist, fought tooth and nail for freedom for blacks and then decided that it was just too overwhelming and decided to give up and in fact buy themselves a few people to work their farm and as a bonus satisfy their "night time needs" , I would imagine others in the movement would feel a bit betrayed, including their new slaves.


Do I hope the blogger becomes vegan again?  By all means yes!   I honestly hope this is a temporary season in their life and at some point the eyes of their heart will open again and believe that they indeed can make a difference.  


Just like the social justice struggles of the past and present, they depend on enough of us to care and never give up.




What do you think?




29 comments:

  1. Nice post, Valerie. I appreciate how you weave in abolition/ slavery, veganism, and Christianity ( giving up on veganism as parallel with 'leaving the fold' of Christ). *I am glad you will not 'unlike' her page. I bet she'll miss all those great vegan goodies...and come back 'round. :)

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  2. I love the way that you wrote this. The message is clear: Be kind anyway. I've seen many vegans get nasty with each other or with ex-vegans, which to me kind of misses the entire point of "compassion". Be blessed!

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    1. Thanks so much Laviyah! Blessings to you as well.

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  3. What a beautiful post! I love the way you state your opinions and feelings without being judgmental or attacking the person who gave up veganism (and not throwing them to the wolves by identifying them).

    The world needs more kind people like you. Thank you for this!

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  4. I've often flirted with giving up myself. I struggle with avoiding cheese, though milk itself I do not miss at all. I prefer rice milk all things said and done. The hardest part is being in a non-vegan household, and trying to remain vegan. I hope to get better in the future and lose those thoughts of selfish desire that cause me to consider eating animal products at the expense of God's creation.

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  5. Dropped 38 points in 45days off my cholesteol (218 to 180). Granted I'm not a vegan but just cut out meat. Can't drop the cheese and yogurt.....yet. Don't give up b/c if a gun toting, republican voting, anti vegetarian like me can see the light -others can too. Great article!

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    1. Thanks! Hey, is this my cousin-in-law Adam?
      Good for you. That is a great achievement! Every step along the way helps. Keep up the good work and if you can, check out the film I referenced above. Peaceable Kingdom.

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  6. Thanks for your comment Brian. Yes, living as the only vegan in a household can be difficult. Films like the one I referenced above really help me to remember why I live this way. If people who made their very livelyhood off of raising animals for food can have a change of heart, I can continue as well and not give up. I'm fortunate in that my husband supports us having a vegan home. He eats vegan and sometimes vegetarian if we're out.
    Do you have any local vegan groups around? Getting together with others who share your values helps SO much.

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  7. Wonderful post (and thank you, Rhea Parsons, for steering me to this blog). It's so easy to give-in and give-up. But you are absolutely right, and it sounds like the writer was merely justifying her right to cheese and a new relationship's whims with what seems like a valid reason.

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    1. Thanks Miyoko!
      I really think it's more about the feeling of being overwhelmed at all the suffering around them. They,like you have created some awesome vegan cheeses. And btw, I can't wait to get your new Artisan Vegan Cheese cookbook! You can bet I'll be talking about it when I get my copy. :-)

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  8. Perfect comparison, Val! I admire your compassion and patience with fellow human beings who have "gone astray", even if we, The Vegans, wish they would stay. :)

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    1. Thanks Jennifer. I have hope that they would come back to veganism as well. But I have no doubt that harsh words and judgement will do little to persuade them.

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  9. Excellently done! The parallels you draw are nothing less than powerful.

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  10. I know whose blog you're referring to. :) The same can be said for me, though I don't have a blog. I'm a white. male. Christian. Former vegan.

    Veganism never worked for me. I was at my heaviest when I was vegan. I don't think there's any one diet for everyone. I believe we all have to keep searching until we find something that works for us. For me, it's low carb. I stay away from wheat and other grains. I eat some meat, a lot of fat, and more vegetables than I did when I was actually vegetarian. And I feel great. Way better than I ever did when I was vegan.

    That's not to say a vegan diet is "bad." It just didn't work for me.

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    1. Thanks for sharing your experience Art. Congrats on your weightloss! I do find it interesting that you said that you're eating more vegetables now then when you were vegan/vegetarian. Why do you think that is?

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  11. I think it is good to respect convictions of other people, it is sort of a good way of testing your own.

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  12. Veganism is not just about a diet, it's about extending our compassion to the billions of non-human animals being murdered every year for no better reason that we want to eat them, wear them and use them. It is a cause of social justice for which we all share the responsability.

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  13. I am a strong supporter of my vegan friends, but it is not the choice for me. Slavery is not the choice for me and I am a Secular Humanist. An atheist and proud of my choice. These are all apples and oranges, no pun intended you compare. So what I hear is that if you leave veganism, Christianity or slave owner people will throw stones at you and your beliefs. You need to give others latitude on what they choose.

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    1. Thanks so much for your perspective "anonymous".

      Actually, I'm not saying that I support people throwing stones as it were at those who leave various lifestyles or beliefs. That's kind of the point of my post, to NOT throw stones and to be more understanding. Just because I reference the negative responses of others, does not mean that I agree with them. I in fact do give others that latitude of which you speak.

      I strive for complete acceptance and compassion for everyone regardless of where they are in life, religious or not. I just choose to extend that circle to include animals as well.

      Thanks again for stopping by. :-)

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  14. Fantastic, fantastic blog, Valerie. Just wonderful.

    And Laviyah's right, way to show compassion, huh?

    I am glad to see you writing more, Valerie--and what you have to say is so valuable. What I love the most, however, is how supportive, loving, and accepting you are of people who don't share your views--even though your particular worldview is one of compassion, love, and kindness.

    Keep writing! We need more compassionate, tolerant voices out there to help drown out the intolerance and disdain we're bombarded with.

    You rock! :) Love to you and the family!

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    1. Thanks so much. That means a lot to me, coming from you. :-) I think you guys rock too!

      Love you!!

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  15. Thank you for a well written, positive, hopeful post. I am no longer following or reposting recipes from the person you are speaking of here.. and was sad to read her reasons for giving up on what i consider to be one of the most important choices a human animal can make- but was equally disapointed in some of the responses from my "compassion lifestyle community"..

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by! I understand your decision. Although I think they only still post vegan recipes. I have gotten some amazing ones from their blog and will continue following to see how things develop over time. But yeah, the responses of some who are supposed to be manifesting compassion, leave much to be desired.
      Love your site, btw! Please tell me you have online ordering. I don't know if I'll ever get to Washington any time soon. :-)

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  16. I really am not sure what I would do. I think of other comparisons, too. I unlearned speciesism by comparing situations involving other animals to human-similar situations. I use that formula a lot. What would I do if a "reformed" pedophile fell off the wagon, and went back to abducting kids to use for sex? What would I do if my husband promised he would never beat me again, but after a short while he did it again.

    I feel angry that this person knows what it knows, but is consciously choosing to harm others and kill them. Still, to attack that person will not bring them back "into the fold" (were they ever really in the fold? Living vegan is living in a way that seeks to exclude ALL forms of animal exploitation, but this person does not seem to have unlearned speciesism; a necessary component), so I guess the right thing to do is keep working on them. I am no longer Christian, but Jesus was more concerned about the lost sheep than the flock, right? So, this lost sheep needs help.

    I am very interested in your diagnosis of the causes and it is useful to prevent others from "leaving the fold" as well.

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  17. To me it is a loss of hope. Hope for a better world, a better and all inclusive community. Hope for true justice and peace.

    You are right, we are called to be the agents of change and that only happens when our hand is out stretched and our hearts open.

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