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52 Posts
Hello wonderful people!<br><br><br><br>
I am new to VB and I have been reading voraciosly the past few days. I need the advice of those who have 'been there'. Here's the situation... bear with me, it's long as a unicorn's tail but I neeeeeeeed to get this out to sympathetic ears...<br><br><br><br>
I have been a vegetarian for over five years, and one of those years early on was vegan (but not well-planned). After avoiding animal abuse issues all these years (I love animals and couldn't stand it), I came across Meet Your Meat earlier this week and BAM! - instant vegan. I've been reading about all the nutrition perspectives, vitamins, animal ingredients to avoid, etc. so I can know how to do it right. I always took a very passive approach to the veg issue, answering questions if asked but not bringing it up, and now I feel guilty about choosing ignorance all those years (just the way the guilty meat eaters do). Now I am dealing with the fact that <b>I know in the root of my being that this is my path and few things in my life have ever reflected my values so strongly</b>, therefore I no longer feel passive or forgiving about eating meat (or other products, but we can probably agree that meat should be the first to go). I feel <b>so angry</b> that people put taste buds above living beings. I know I was once an omnivore but after seeing Meet Your Meat and all I've read in the subsequent mad search for facts <b>I DON'T UNDERSTAND</b> how anyone would choose to eat a dead thing when <b><i>THERE'S NO GOOD REASON!</i></b> What's making this worse is that my boyfriend is a transitioning omni (he's open to veg and basically stopped eating meat this past week when I started talking about what I'm learning) and his family (who we just moved in with) all eat meat! Both he and I are worried about how this could alienate from his family somewhat. It took long enough for them to understand/remember I was vegetarian, and they still would keep bringing it up in seemingly benign ways (like how my constant eating was likened to <b>'a hooved herbivore grazing all day because I don't get enough protein'</b> instead of the fact that I have been a stress eater since the age of six when my parents divorced). I would stand up for myself and vegetarianism in those situations but this is taking it to a whole new level of complicated communication. I don't want to be 'one of those negative, preachy vegans' that give veggies a bad name so I need to know how the work through this in my mind before I have to 'come out' to the family. We've been in the house alone for months but now the bf's parents are coming back from their vacation and it's about to get awkward. <b><span style="text-decoration:underline;">How do I forgive them for eating meat (in my own head)???</span></b> I feel so alienated from the world right now (other than you guys - how can their be so many of us yet so far apart?) because I am in a household of meateaters that I'm feeling a very uncomfortable anger toward (their actions at least) along with anger toward the rest of the meat eating population. Ceasing meat consumption is the VERY LEAST a human being can do to live more compassionately. Adding to this is the fact that I don't know a single vegetarian or vegan other than myself, period (other than in veg forums). I vent to my boyfriend but that just adds to his worry over whether he can handle his own transition (that he's pondered since before he met me 2 years ago) and wondering <b>how the hell he's going to break it to his parents and get through the meaty holidays</b>. I told him that Meet Yor Meat will make the decision so crystal clear and it's a difficult bit necessary learning experience, but I know he's nervous about what I'll think if he sees the video then eats turkey, etc this month (frankly I would be <i>apalled</i> but I can't say that). I can't let my sudden overwhelming rage toward cruelty propagators to inhibit my support of my boyfriend's transition or the enjoyment of my own positive life path development. Most importantly, <b>I need to be reminded how to see the god/good in all humans, not just in the other living beings</b>. I think guilt and shock and rage and a little post traumatic stress are catching me all at one. I know I'm not the only one who's felt this way! <span style="text-decoration:underline;"><b>Advice on loving thy neighbor regardless of what's on his plate sorely needed!</b></span>
I am new to VB and I have been reading voraciosly the past few days. I need the advice of those who have 'been there'. Here's the situation... bear with me, it's long as a unicorn's tail but I neeeeeeeed to get this out to sympathetic ears...<br><br><br><br>
I have been a vegetarian for over five years, and one of those years early on was vegan (but not well-planned). After avoiding animal abuse issues all these years (I love animals and couldn't stand it), I came across Meet Your Meat earlier this week and BAM! - instant vegan. I've been reading about all the nutrition perspectives, vitamins, animal ingredients to avoid, etc. so I can know how to do it right. I always took a very passive approach to the veg issue, answering questions if asked but not bringing it up, and now I feel guilty about choosing ignorance all those years (just the way the guilty meat eaters do). Now I am dealing with the fact that <b>I know in the root of my being that this is my path and few things in my life have ever reflected my values so strongly</b>, therefore I no longer feel passive or forgiving about eating meat (or other products, but we can probably agree that meat should be the first to go). I feel <b>so angry</b> that people put taste buds above living beings. I know I was once an omnivore but after seeing Meet Your Meat and all I've read in the subsequent mad search for facts <b>I DON'T UNDERSTAND</b> how anyone would choose to eat a dead thing when <b><i>THERE'S NO GOOD REASON!</i></b> What's making this worse is that my boyfriend is a transitioning omni (he's open to veg and basically stopped eating meat this past week when I started talking about what I'm learning) and his family (who we just moved in with) all eat meat! Both he and I are worried about how this could alienate from his family somewhat. It took long enough for them to understand/remember I was vegetarian, and they still would keep bringing it up in seemingly benign ways (like how my constant eating was likened to <b>'a hooved herbivore grazing all day because I don't get enough protein'</b> instead of the fact that I have been a stress eater since the age of six when my parents divorced). I would stand up for myself and vegetarianism in those situations but this is taking it to a whole new level of complicated communication. I don't want to be 'one of those negative, preachy vegans' that give veggies a bad name so I need to know how the work through this in my mind before I have to 'come out' to the family. We've been in the house alone for months but now the bf's parents are coming back from their vacation and it's about to get awkward. <b><span style="text-decoration:underline;">How do I forgive them for eating meat (in my own head)???</span></b> I feel so alienated from the world right now (other than you guys - how can their be so many of us yet so far apart?) because I am in a household of meateaters that I'm feeling a very uncomfortable anger toward (their actions at least) along with anger toward the rest of the meat eating population. Ceasing meat consumption is the VERY LEAST a human being can do to live more compassionately. Adding to this is the fact that I don't know a single vegetarian or vegan other than myself, period (other than in veg forums). I vent to my boyfriend but that just adds to his worry over whether he can handle his own transition (that he's pondered since before he met me 2 years ago) and wondering <b>how the hell he's going to break it to his parents and get through the meaty holidays</b>. I told him that Meet Yor Meat will make the decision so crystal clear and it's a difficult bit necessary learning experience, but I know he's nervous about what I'll think if he sees the video then eats turkey, etc this month (frankly I would be <i>apalled</i> but I can't say that). I can't let my sudden overwhelming rage toward cruelty propagators to inhibit my support of my boyfriend's transition or the enjoyment of my own positive life path development. Most importantly, <b>I need to be reminded how to see the god/good in all humans, not just in the other living beings</b>. I think guilt and shock and rage and a little post traumatic stress are catching me all at one. I know I'm not the only one who's felt this way! <span style="text-decoration:underline;"><b>Advice on loving thy neighbor regardless of what's on his plate sorely needed!</b></span>
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