Myth #08: “But if I go vegan others will be offended.”
(also heard as “I don’t want to make anyone else uncomfortable.”)
Fair enough … I guess it all boils down to how you define “impolite”. And yet regardless of how you do so, it is fairly easy to see that it is actually far more impolite to inflict other sentient beings with misery, mutilation & murder than to expose someone to the fact that he or she is causing that same suffering. Indeed, it is actually educational, informative and potentially downright enlightening to calmly & respectfully inform others about the behaviors they are engaging that contradict their own values. Yes, some people might take great offense at being so exposed, and yet some will not. Some will actually be eternally grateful for your “wake up call” that allowed them to realign their actions with their core principles.
And please remember as well that purposefully doing nothing about an oppressive injustice is the same as actively supporting the same. You might be able to look away from your own moral cowardice for a time, it is true, and yet you will not be able to escape your conscience forever. And woe to all who awaken too late to atone for what they have done to others … and, just as importantly, to what they have not done for them!
“Tolerance becomes a crime when it is applied to evil.” ~ Thomas Mann
Current status of this Myth: Scoured
Justification it provides for eating animals: NONE
“Since animals can’t speak a language that humans can understand, it is up to us to tell their stories of sorrow & suffering.” ~ inspired by Ari Solomon
“A truly wise person kneels at the feet of all creatures, and is not afraid to endure the mockery of others.” ~ Mechtild of Magdeberg
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