Welcome to the Vegan Theory Club Weekly Megathread!
Question of the week:
How has becoming vegan improved your life?
Feel free to talk about anything, whether itâs vegan-related or not. This is a chill space for connecting, sharing ideas, and supporting each other.
Looking forward to hearing what everyoneâs up to!
For me this is an easy one to answer because there are so many ways. Standing up for what I actually believed in and sticking to something that is important to me helped me stay more confident in other aspects of my life. I realize that no one is going to live my life the way I want for me and making this change and standing up for myself and my beliefs has had ripple effects throughout my life including my relationships and job. On top of this my health improved tremendously, granted veganism is not a diet and you can be an unhealthy vegan but I decided I wanted to not only stand up for animal rights but learn how to do it in a way that will be long lasting so I learned about whole food plant based eating. My health did a 180, in my 30s I was obese and in my 40s I look and feel better than I did at any point in my life.
How has becoming vegan improved your life?
Oh god so many ways. Iâm healthier, I feel less guilty, I feel a deeper connection and joy to the food I make. Itâs a confidence booster that while Iâm a disaster of a human being in a lot of ways I am at least genuinely able to try and fight injustice and critically examine my own behaviour.
As to whatâs been going on, Iâve been digging for treasure! Finding sapphire at a low grade field near me. Itâs nice to vibe in the forest and get some exercise. Pics related
This is so cool! Iâm really inspired seeing something like this, just going out in to the woods and finding something special, a literal jewel. I understand they arenât highly monetarily valued but who cares what other people value, it must have tremendous personal value when you pulled it out with your own hands.
Iâm pretty much the coolest person I know (ââ _â )
Nah but Iâm always after more reasons to spend time in the bush and countryside. Something about solitude in scenic places + working up a sweat rejuvenates me. After a week or two without a day in the bush I feel myself getting misanthropic and depressed, but even a casual stroll and I remember that there is actually a staggering amount of beauty in the world.
Considering I no longer get out of breath when I walk, deal with indigestion, or have rough skin Iâd say life has improved significantly since I went vegan.
Though, as Iâve mentioned previously, I sometimes feel a lot more lonely and isolated from the rest of the world. I live in a pretty big and diverse city so itâs genuinely nonsensical to me how few vegans Iâve actually come across in real life (Iâve met, like, four other vegans, one of whom âisnât veganâ anymore.)
As for what Iâm up to, Iâm moving to a different house so I can finally start my garden up again. Itâs been way too long lol.
Yeah, it is isolating when you realize that youâre the vanguard of something. Even though online Iâm mean to carnists and get out my aggression in vegan spaces in real life Iâve learned to be a little more patient, not much, but a little more.
It has helped me to realize though that if I tell someone Iâm vegan and they get defensive and start being mean about it that Iâm glad because I just saved myself time from having to figure out if the person is worthwhile to be friends with or not. Most people are not mean about it once they get passed the first layer of defense.
Iâm having the most difficult and stressful year of my life and yet my blood pressure is down, my physical fitness is the best it has been in a decade and my junk food consumption is almost non-existent.
No longer feeling any dissonance when interacting with animals and sharing my love for them is a huge relief as well.
How has becoming vegan improved your life?
I can look animals in the eyes without guilt.
With respect to the social isolation veganism can cause, I moved to a way less vegan friendly place about 4 years ago. I donât really have any IRL friends here and itâs wild how much more peaceful I feel than I donât need to navigate eating with carnists. I had a family member visit a while back and she got a burger when we were out for lunch (it was a food court, otherwise we took her to vegan places or cooked at home) and I thought to myself âI havenât felt this feeling in a long time!â. Once and a while I find myself forgetting carnist options exist lol.
Iâm not saying this is healthy or good for everyone and I really feel for people who have people they love and live with who are not vegan. Being someone who is truly happy when alone helps a lot.
