Why don’t people become vegan right away when their choices contribute directly to animal suffering?

My dad in this photo was 97 when he first heard the word 'Vystopia'.

He taught me to be kind to all living beings. Yet I wasn't brought up to be vegan and at the time of this photo, he wasn't vegan. If he was here today, I am sure he would himself have become vegan.

Let's examine what's going on when good people do bad things - often without realising!

Almost 100% of vegans tell me this!

“The biggest shock to me was when I tell people about hidden animal cruelty everywhere is that they don’t become vegan immediately!”

So what’s going on?

I smile when I hear this as I felt the same when I became vegan 16 years ago.

I thought that as soon as I tell people about sow crates, animal testing, the dairy industry and more, they’d be horrified and stop eating bacon, seek out cruelty-free cosmetics and switch to soy latte!.

When they didn’t I thought, “Are people just selfish and ‘out of sight is out of mind?”

Luckily as a psychologist, I know a bit more about the complexity of human behaviour and that it’s possible for “Good people to do bad things!”

We all want to feel that we are basically good people.

When something comes along revealing that maybe our choices cause suffering, we feel uncomfortable and struggle to accept that we’ve been lied to, duped and say, “It’s just bad practice, a few bad apples and not the norm”.

Like discovering our favourite t-shirts come from child labour, our quinoa comes from countries where locals can’t afford what used to be their food staple or that cheese comes from grieving mothers.

Given that nearly 100% vegans also say, “If I wish I knew 20 years ago what I know now. I’d be vegan on the spot!’ we have to help people make real informed choices so their actions truly align with what we all want – to feel we’re not bad and doing the right thing.

What can we do?

• Accept that most people aren’t bad; we’re all learning and, “when we know better we do better”.
• We have powerful psychic defences to fend off uncomfortable feelings, and criticising, undermining or ridiculing the messenger is an attempt to not feel bad.
• No-one likes being shamed. vegans are so distressed by animal suffering, it can come across as if we’re blaming people for now knowing. Partner with people with phrases like: “We’ve all been lied to here! Can you believe the truth that’s been hidden from us?”
• Reach people where they’re at. If they ask, “Where do you get your protein?” don’t roll your eyes and tell them about the abattoir. Address their concerns and then gently extend the hidden costs of our food choices.
• Play the long game. Share information, give people time to think about things and ask questions. Challenge people’s assumptions and remember that people come to veganism in different ways.
• Never stop advocating. One day they’ll join the 100% of vegans who say: “Why don’t people become vegan on the spot?”

Then you’ll know how to help them on their journey to become calmer and more influential in their outreach.

Because after all…..

I have never met a vegan (not someone who just changed to a plant-based diet) but one whose life is now underpinned by a philosophy of the non-use and non-exploitation of animals, who didn’t say….

“If I knew what I knew now, I would have been vegan years ago!”

JOIN me for my FREE 3-Day Vystopia Recovery Masterclass (1 hour per day) and discover how to transmute your vystopia into influential action using your own unique skills, creativity and ideas.

https://veganpsychologist.com/master-class-register