Questions from New Vegans

[Vegan Buddies]

At the moment, ARZone are concentrating on recruiting Vegan Buddy mentors as opposed to making the ARZone Vegan Buddies initiative known to potential vegans. For now, I wonder if Vegan Buddies members can think back to when you were first vegan. Had you a resource like Vegan Buddies back then, what would you as a new vegan have asked of the experienced ones?

[Tim Gier]

Thanks Kay!

[Jeanne Kaiser]

Thanks Carolyn,

These are the hardest things I struggled with 22 years ago when I became vegan.  The thing that really helped me through it was that my husband went vegan at the same time I did.  Also we found an AR group to join; we went to many protests and mounted lots of campaigns.  That helped a lot too, to actually do something.  Recently we retired and moved to North Carolina and have started a support and outreach group for vegans, vegetarians and the veg-curious!  Your reply is very much appreciated!

Jeanne

Jea

Carolyn Bailey said:

Hi Jeanne,

I think that's a really important question. When I first started to live vegan, I found the same problems. I couldn't understand why, once I showed people what I had seen, they were at all hesitant to instantly remove any trace of exploitation and commodification of others from their lives. It just didn't make sense to me. It's a little like the quote "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we'd all be vegetarian".

It seems to me, that many humans decide what they want and how they will act, and then find any way they can to justify their actions.

This is the link to the free downloadable (PDF file) book, Plant Peace Daily: Every Day Outreach For People who Care,  from Rae Sikora and JC Corcoran in which they speak about effective activism, communication tools, and loads more! Below that is also the link to their ARZone podcast from yesterday, in which they speak about similar things. 

I hope they are helpful! :) 

Plant Peace Daily: Every Day Outreach For People who Care

 

ARZone Podcast with Rae Sikora and JC Corcoran

Jeanne Kaiser said:

How to survive at work and in other social situations.  I couldn't wait to tell everyone what was happening to the animals, and was so frustrated when others didn't respond the same way I did.  How to handle it when met with the inevitable hostility.

How to stay focused and do what you can and not become so depressed about the animal cruelty.

[grace lorraine]

As i became more educated and aware, i seriously wondered: "How am I ever going to live with "normal" people?" Also, really, i wanted to know "What is 'wrong' with PeTA?" And though the World Peace Diet really explains WHY people are so agitated by MY choice to be vegan, I  wish i had somebody to discuss with me how to handle the attacks/questions/disinterest of family and friends....

I believe i could have benefitted by mentorship with somebody savvy to vivisection--though i did manage also to go "vegan" in my bathroom, maybe within a few months; it just so happened to be that at that time in my life I had a chance to do lots of reading and pursuing the subject on my own. If I had been in more of a "regular" and "busy" period in my life, I imagine it could have taken me years to adopt the entire lifestyle....

I really appreciate what Linda said : "People talked too often and too much about the problems, but in my experience the lightness of being I've achieved by becoming vegan more than makes up for the problems." Hopefully, I can share some of the JOY and FREEDOM of being vegan. Having heard Will Tuttle numerous presentations, one of my very favorite things he says goes !something! like this:

Let us remember that behind all these "no"s we say--"No, no i don't eat chicken, no, i don't drink cow's milk, no, I don't go to the zoo, no, i don't go fishing, no, I don't wear silk, no, i don't .... There is one REALLY big "YES!" We are saying "Yes!" to Life.

We can call it love, peace, any name we want, xxx. But i think it is important for new vegans to feel the truth and power in the statement: "I say 'Yes! to xxx.'"

[Carolyn Bailey]

I agree with you, Grace. I think it's incredibly important to stay positive on a personal level, and I think there are very few people who can be more inspiring and encouraging than Dr. Tuttle. 

 

[Mo Orr]

Hi Natalia, I have never been much of a cook and buying ready made vegan food is near impossible where I live.  Dino's book The Alternative Vegan taught me more about cooking than I have ever known. The recipes are easy to follow and the food is varied. http://www.amazon.com/Alternative-Vegan-International-Straight-Prod...
 
Natalia said:

I haven't been a vegan for that long and I think this is a great idea. I live in Spain, where it is still not too easy being a vegan and I have been thinking of ways to promote veganism, to show people it is not that hard, but it is, if you go to a restaurant that is not vegetarian or vegan there's basically nothing to eat except for maybe potatoes or if you are lucky some grilled veggies, they barely understand the concept a lot of the time.

I am learning how to eat but sometimes am not too sure if I am doing it right and getting everything I need. Especially I would like advice on how to eat using faux meat as little as posible.

[ARZone Vegan Buddies]

Just a quick note to urge new mentors or group members to add their comments.