The Path Ahead – Enjoying Your Vegetarian Lifestyle for the Rest of Your Life

Posted by admin in Becoming Vegetarian on Mar 1st, 2010 | 0 comments

Congratulations! If you’ve followed all the steps and taken the advice presented to you in this book, you’re a vegetarian! Now you have one more decision to make: whether or not you want to use your knowledge to reach out to other vegetarians and educate nonvegetarians about the vegetarian lifestyle. You don’t have to do this, of course. You can live your vegetarian life quietly and on your own, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But now that you know what you do about vegetarianism’s value to individuals and the world, you may find you want to become a bit more active.

You don’t have to do it right this minute, of course. But many, many vegetarians find that it’s easier to maintain their lifestyle if they have the support of others who share the same values. As you now know, there are many reasons for becoming vegetarian, and people have all sorts of different reasons for making the switch; and you may find that there’s a lot to learn by discovering the viewpoint of other vegetarians.

Even if you choose to travel this path alone, you’re an ambassador for vegetarianism. Your family, friends, co-workers, and even strangers will see you as an example of meatless living, and as you meet more people and have more unique experiences of your own, your outlook, appearance, and behavior will—for better or worse—be seen as that of a vegetarian person. So, why not become the best vegetarian that you can be?

First Impressions

Whether we like it or not, our appearance and actions are judged by others. If you’re telling a co-worker about the barbaric treatment of cows in factory farms while eating a cheese sandwich or discussing karma and you’re wearing leather shoes, your audience may see you as a hypocrite. That’s not to say that you can’t be a good vegetarian and eat cheese or wear leather, but that you need to be aware of when your actions and your words aren’t in alignment.

Always practice good hygiene and dress neatly. Don’t play into society’s prejudices by exemplifying the stereotype of the dirty hippy. If you’re clean, neat, and appropriately dressed, the people that you deal with will think, “Hey, you’re just like me!” They’ll hear your message because they relate to you, rather than being turned off due to their own preconceptions.

Making the Connection

If you live in a small town, it may be difficult for you to find other vegetarians to talk to about the lifestyle. But don’t give up! If you have a college or university in your town, there’s probably a vegetarian group on campus—higher education and vegetarianism often go hand-in-hand. Watch for notices of vegetarian group meetings posted on bulletin boards at colleges, schools, and community centers, as well as libraries, supermarkets, and other public places. Check out the ads in your local newspaper and look for natural food stores, bookstores, or other shops that support alternative lifestyles. Visit them, and ask questions; in a small town, word of mouth is invaluable.

The Internet is also a great resource for vegetarians. There are hundreds of online groups, including message boards and recipe-swap sites, geared toward vegetarians. Not only are they a good source of discussion and community, they may be able to connect you with vegetarians in your own area. If you aren’t aware of it, Seventh-Day Adventists are vegetarian, so if there’s a vegetarian group in your area, the church probably knows about it.

If you still find yourself coming up short, take the initiative and start your own group! It’s highly unlikely that you’re the only vegetarian where you live, even in a rural area or a very small town. Take out a newspaper ad and throw a potluck at your home or local community center. You may be pleasantly surprised by how many people show up! Once you’ve got a group together, start a regular event where you all eat out at local restaurants. You’ll not only help your community by supporting restaurants that cater to vegetarian diners, you may also encourage other local businesses to take vegetarians into consideration when planning their menus.

As a newcomer to vegetarianism, you’ll probably find it helpful to socialize with others who share your point of view. Even the most well-meaning friends can be less than supportive of a lifestyle change, because they think they already know who you are and what you like. But by making connections with others who feel the same way, you’ll not only broaden your own social network, you’ll have a valuable resource for asking questions, sharing ideas, and learning about other approaches to vegetarian eating.

Getting Active

As you’ve learned more about the ethical reasons for becoming a vegetarian, you may find yourself wanting to do something a bit more proactive—like joining an animal rights organization or working to promote meat-free eating in your community. The fist step is to assess how you’ll fit this into your already busy life. If you have a full-time job and a family, you’re already struggling to make time for your partner, your friends, your work, and your leisure activities. Do you have time to devote to activism? Take a hard look at all the responsibilities you juggle, and figure out how much of your day-to-day chores you can shift to your spouse, co-workers, and others to allow you time for activism.

One way to manage this is to try and incorporate activist activities into the existing areas of your life. You can share a video on factory farming practices with your church group, for example, or ask your employer if they would consider supporting an animal rights organization at a local event.

Always pick your battles carefully. There are a lot of terrible things going on in the world, and you’re just one person. It’s better to make a real difference on one issue than to spread yourself so thin that you’re ineffective at all of them. Your activism could be as simple as starting a vegetarian support group or helping out at an animals rescue group, or as intensive as becoming a full-time PETA volunteer. But choose your fight, and devote yourself fully to it.

The important thing is to think carefully about how you can realistically work activism into your life. You’re going to be a vegetarian for years, and excited as you may be right now to jump into serious activism, if you burn yourself out by adding even more activities to a busy life, you’ll be shortchanging yourself and everyone else. You have a lot of time; do what you can, when you can, and you’re still doing a lot more to help the world than most people!

Consider Other Ways You Can Go Green

Once you start eating ethically, it’s a short hop to thinking about your other habits that harm the earth. You may not want to adopt a 100 percent sustainable lifestyle—and, frankly, in today’s world, it’s almost impossible to do so—but there are a number of ways that you can lessen your impact on the environment in addition to your vegetarian lifestyle:

Reduce, reuse, recycle. When you buy new products, ask yourself: Do I really need this? Is there another product which would do the same thing but with less impact on the environment? Will this last a long time? Are the materials used to make this renewable? Buy items that are durable, maintain them, and have them repaired if possible. If you don’t need something that’s taking up space in your home, give it to someone who does! And recycle whenever possible to cut down on matter going to landfills.

Treasure your resources, and cut back on waste. Fix your leaky faucets, toilets, or water pipes, and install water-saving faucets. Conserve fuel by turning down the heat at night and when you’re away from your home, or install a programmable thermostat. Insulate your home against heat loss, and periodically check insulation. Avoid driving; walk, cycle, or use public transportation whenever possible. Use recycled batteries for appliances that require them. Buy locally; it’s good for the local economy, and it saves energy because it hasn’t traveled far to get to you.

Use less toxic substances in your home. Use nontoxic cleaning alternatives in your home. Buy furniture made from natural fibers, wood, metal, and glass. Avoid the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in your home, including shower curtains, flooring, and children’s toys. Avoid the use of aerosol sprays.

Be responsible with your waste. Don’t put toxic household wastes such as paint, paint thinner, and antifreeze in the garbage or down the drain. Check with your local waste facility for proper disposal. Take your own bags to the grocery store, and use plastic bags until they’re completely worn out. Avoid excess packaging, and always use reusable products rather than disposable ones—plates, napkins, mugs, lunch containers, batteries, pens, and razors.

Go green at work. Print on both sides of the paper you use, and reduce the number of copies you print. Buy recycled, chlorine-free paper, and have a recycling box under your desk for used paper goods. Buy a permanent mesh coffee filter instead of buying disposable paper filters. Encourage your workplace to use alternative cleaning materials. Use refillable pens and pencils rather than disposable ones. Walk, ride a bike, use public transit, or carpool to work.

Conserve in the kitchen. Your refrigerator uses more energy than any other appliance in your home, so try to keep energy use to a minimum. Keep the temperature of the main body between 38–42°F and that of the freezer at 0–5°F. Open the refrigerator door less frequently, and clean the condenser coils at least once a year. Use electric kettles to boil water—they use half the energy as boiling water on the stove. Avoid storing food in plastic; use reusable glass containers for storing food in the refrigerator. Never microwave food in a plastic container; even microwavable plastics can leech chemicals into your food when heated. Buy food in bulk whenever possible, as it’s cheaper and uses less packaging. Look for products made from recycled materials, and use cloth instead of paper napkins and towels.

You’re On Your Way!

Thomas Edison once said, “Nonviolence leads to the highest ethics, which is the goal of all evolution. Until we stop harming all other living beings, we are still savages.”

You’ve made a wise decision by choosing a vegetarian lifestyle. Enjoy the new world of interesting foods that you’ll discover, and be proud of yourself for taking an ethical, responsible path through life’s great journey. It will be a fulfilling and healthful adventure that you’ll enjoy for years to come. You will look back at this decision and be glad that you made it!

You realize that instead of spending your money on hospital bills, you can enjoy your golden years with your loved ones with great vitality! Not so many people are this fortunate!

You realize that the planet is in better shape because of your decision. You can look at younger generations in the eyes, without saying, “I’m sorry I made this mess.”

You realize that more food and water is available for humans because of your decision. And they’re grateful for it. So are the animals!

You just know that you made a really good decision. And you can’t hold your smiles every time this comes to your mind. It’s a victory for you, your loved ones, the planet, and the animals. And I want to congratulate you for that.

Congratulations, my friend!

Sincerely,

Rudy Hadisentosa