Going Vegan, Tip #1
Do Your Research On The Animals First, Not Veganism.
Most people don’t know that much about farmed animals outside of what they look like, what sounds they make, what they generally do, and what they’re raised for. That’s pretty much it, and that’s not any sort of failing on our part. It’s just the result of living in a society where meat, dairy, egg, etc consumption is the norm and going against it out of compassion for the animals is seen as extreme behaviour.
So pick any species of farmed animal and go from there. Look up how they show affection to each other, what their sounds and body language mean, what kind of enrichment toys they like, what foods they like to eat, what their skills are; jumping, swimming, climbing, flying, etc and if they do it often when given the chance. Look up pretty much anything that helps you get to know them as sentient animals that can experience and enjoy life rather than just animals that are raised for food.
It’s so much easier to go vegan when you start out with a better understanding of these animals and give yourself more than enough positive reasons why to stick with it. Especially since that research is going to be stuff you can keep coming back to without having to put your own mental health at risk.
And that’s not to say watching slaughterhouse footage and reading about abuse on farms isn’t a good idea, it is necessary information and I think everyone should look into it at some point, I just think that it can’t be the foundation of your activism because it’ll eventually burn you out.
