Among the reasons we started this site was to be a resource for other vegans, a window into veganism for non-vegans and a way to let the world see who vegans really are. That’s what all those tabs under the title are about. Events, Food, Humor, Resources, The People Project – are intended to address those things. One thing we haven’t addressed – and didn’t think to in the beginning was our personal inspiration. We are all inspired in some way by something. There is a tremendous amount of resistance to our way of life. We need to have good reasons to go against the grain. We don’t commit to something that much of the rest of the world finds inscrutable for nothing. Something leads us here. It’s almost always knowledge. Many of us feel that once we learn the facts there is no other choice. Then why when we share the facts with others do they not come around and see things our way? They have a multitude of “reasons” I suppose, but none that ring true any longer to us. So it appears sometimes the facts aren’t always enough. We can also use our experiences to inspire others, and telling them what we experienced often strikes just the cord someone else needs to take the next step, or to keep going.
My husband Ed and I came from very different places, but we each arrived here together. Our paths crossed as the paths of so many do. He came from a conservative background, and I from a more liberal family.
Many of my relatives embraced vegetarianism early on and I too became vegetarian at 14, but my lack of knowledge and need to fit in combined, led me to resist becoming vegan for many years. His transition was instantaneous. Ironic that the more “liberal” of us spent more years fitting in than the “conservative”. Ed’s strong sense of right and wrong and his tremendous intellect allowed him to make a choice overnight, that I had wavered on for years. Those years I now regret, but as my journey inspired him, his too inspired me.
That is in part why we added the Personal Stories section under Vegan Voices, on the right side column. Please consider telling your story as a way to inspire others to choose vegan. Even when we know it’s the right thing, sometimes we need someone else to help show us the way.
Have a Happy, Healthy & Compassionate New Year.
Amanda (& Ed)