Hi everyone, and welcome to Eight Years In. (Or, if you’ve been here before, then welcome back!) Thank you for joining us today, because we’re talking about something pretty important.

I’m no stranger to the vegan anger

Having been vegan for a while now, I’ve gone through lots of phases in my veganism–some emotional, some dietary. And while each of them is unique and holds a special space in my heart, there’s one that never truly goes away for good: the vegan anger.

A lot of vegans have this issue in the beginning, when they first make the decision to go vegan. Then, from what I hear, they start to chill out, more or less. But from what I’ve noticed, these feelings never really go away. The anger at the injustices done to animals, the despair at the apathy of otherwise kind and compassionate people, all of that will cut deep, especially on days when you find yourself more emotionally vulnerable. It’s easy to start feeling down and (to be perfectly honest with you) hopeless about the current state of the world. But as always, I want to remind you, we can only do our best.

Being effective

Some days, you’re not going to be able to do much about the state of the world except for controlling what you put out into it. And that, as much as it is hard to accept, is a truth. However, there is something called a sphere of influence, and everyone has one.

If you want to change the world for the better, then what you must do is a two-point plan. First, control yourself and your own actions. And second, work within your sphere of influence. So, in order to make any change outside of yourself, you must begin to explore this idea, and find out where your own personal sphere of influence lies.

Your sphere of influence

Everyone has different skills and strengths. Your sphere of influence is made up of these things, and the amount of visibility and pull you have with and given set of variables. And when it comes to the vegan anger, (which for the purposes of this post we can consider our own specific term, ) this is the area you must toil in if you’re going see any results or get any sort of fulfillment whatsoever.

Because you’ll get nothing if you only focus on what you can’t do. You’ll get enraged and burn out and the animals won’t benefit from that, either. I’ve seen it over and over again. I’ve been it, from time to time.

In the beginning

I think the sphere of influence is the main reason we think of newer vegans as more militant, in general. And then, with time, they start to “calm down”. (Like I said, this is a portrayal, it’s not a fact and not even necessarily generally accurate.) In the beginning of going vegan, the wound is fresh. You see the injustice being done to animals, you find out that animal agriculture is not only killing animals but also the land and humanity in many cases as well, and it’s angering. Anyone would be angry when they see injustice and destruction. And you mix that with the fact that the way you were taught the world works is a lie, well that’s the cherry on top, isn’t it?

But see, new vegans also have the task of learning how to be vegan. While it’s true that these days it’s becoming less and less of a task, it still is a learning curve, in my opinion. You learn how to buy and make new kinds of food, how to read labels, you start to think about what’s behind your sources of entertainment or consumption before handing over your cash or presence. And all of these actions have to do with your own personal choices. All of them are within your sphere of influence.

When you change yourself, you get to see this change in front of your very own eyes. You can observe it, you can measure it. You are able to affect it. And this makes you feel better, because you see the world moving further away from the use and mistreatment of animals. And to some extent, this never stops. Because we’re vegans living in a nonvegan world, there’s always more to learn and never a way to be a perfect vegan. However, once you’ve pretty much got your veganism underway and it’s more of a habit than anything else, this feeling of satisfaction can start to wane. If this is you right now, you may wonder what happened, just as I did. Why isn’t just being vegan enough anymore?

The weird thing about sphere of influence

It took me a while to figure it out, myself. I mean, for years I preached how you’re only responsible for yourself and your own actions. And I want to stress, this is true. But it stopped feeling true. Now that I’ve had time to observe, investigate and reflect, I’ve found the answer to be quite simple. In the beginning, when I was at the front end of the vegan learning curve, going vegan was the most I could do in order to help the animals’ case. And now that being vegan is just my habit, well, it isn’t my best anymore.

And this is a wall that many long-term vegans hit. You haven’t changed as a person. You still want to do your best to help the animals, but your best has changed. Once you feel comfortable in your veganism, it’s incredibly common to start to look out and go “Man, what more can I do to affect change?” I promise, it doesn’t mean you’ve become nosy or more angry and militant. It just means you’re back at a place with excess effort, and that will get you all bent out of shape emotionally if you’re not channeling it to somewhere you deem worthy.

Managing the emotion

So, I think the first thing about the vegan anger (or despair) is surfing the waves of emotion. You’re going to feel them from time to time. All that means is you’re a human and that you’re not repressing it. (Which actually is a good, healthy thing.)

For me, it’s all about learning to sit with the distress in the moment. Soothing myself enough so the emotion becomes less reactive and more of a motivational fuel to help push me onward. And then, once you’re soothed enough, you’ll find that you’re still on the end of that wave. With that knowledge, those realizations and that energy of “I need to do something about this”. I know it can be unsettling or scary, but I promise you, this motivated “I need to do something” feeling, when paired with a sense of caretaking justice has been responsible for some of the greatest things in history to date. Tentatively, I ask you to step forward, with that emotion, into action.

Turning emotion into action

And so, just like in the beginning of your veganism, you’re going to call upon action when you’re feeling incensed. And you’re probably thinking, “But I’m already vegan. What more is there that I can do?” And the answer is, well actually, there’s quite a bit that you could do still.

Now there are some people who would bring up activism here, and so I guess I will do that briefly. See that’s just the connection there–action, activism. All of it is how you act, being active instead of passive. You cease with the endless ruminating and you move forward, with what information and resources you have.

The thing is, I’m hesitant to talk about activism, because of the pictures it conjures in people’s heads. I know that there are people who feel called to hold up signs in front of corporations and be a kind witness to the end of animal’s lives. And I think these are all lovely things. If this is you, please don’t be discouraged by me saying anything. Do it. But there are other ways of taking action for the cause of veganism. And if you’re not going to be a protester, that doesn’t write you off as someone bound to inaction. To put it another way, this is not the only form of activism. So what can you do, if you’re not comfortable yelling in the streets or going picketing? For me, there are three categories where you can focus your efforts.

Learn

I know, I know. You’re vegan already, what more is there to learn? Well, a lot, truthfully. You don’t know what you don’t know, as the saying goes. And it doesn’t hurt to brush up on your facts and skills. Learning about a new area of veganism can be helpful, even if it’s not entirely relevant to you and your life. People tend to ask vegans a lot of questions. They forget that we’re not experts, we’re just people. So developing greater knowledge around veganism is a helpful thing for everyone.

But it’s not just about stats, either. Learn from other vegans, their ways of getting by, making food, finding entertainment, navigating family holidays and social situations. You can learn about cuisine and culture. Learn about other places animal rights laws, and so on and so forth. In other words, keep expanding your horizons!

Create

And my second area I’d advise you to put your efforts into is creation. This website, for example, was a direct creation built out of the motivating feeling of vegan despair and anger. I wanted a place where I could talk about veganism, where others could do the same. I wanted a place that focused on making the world better, not just what food we put in our mouths (as much as I love to talk about food). And so, I set about creating.

Your creation might not be a website. This is by far, not the only option. you might create recipes or art or research papers. I don’t know. But if you focus your energies on creation, then you’re doing something. You’re making something. Make it the best it can be. Make it touching, make it accurate, make it helpful. Make it into whatever you can possibly manage, and keep adding to it. Only you know what you’re capable of, and only you can give your gifts to this world. And trust me, we need them.

Share

And the last part is sharing. Whether you’ve been learning, creating, or both, start sharing it with the world. If your close social circles are interested, great. Share with them. But often times, it’s easier and you make more headway with those that you’re not so close to. So be open about your veganism, don’t keep it a secret. And be willing to tell people about what you’re up to, if they ask. In these modern times, it’s a lot easier to share your ideas with the world. You can make a website like me or gather a social media following. but when you have a good idea, it does good to share it. And living without using, hurting, and killing animals is, in fact, a good idea. So be willing to share it.

Thank you for reading my thoughts about the vegan anger. This post has been a long time coming, and I hope you found it helpful for your journey. If you want to hear more about veganism, both the external and internal journeys, then consider subscribing to the blog for email updates. And as usual, have an amazing day!