The Voracious (Formerly) Vegan
The internet is such an Alice-In-Wonderland strange place. Aren't we all more open-minded online than we are in real life?
I've been following The Voracious Vegan's blog for more than a year now. I myself am not vegan, but I like to follow bloggers whose lives are drastically (for lack of a better word) different from mine. The only thing we had in common was the fact that we both lived in Saudi Arabia.
She (Tasha) is now no longer vegan, after 3.5 years of being a hardcore one, due to some health problems and deficiencies. Read more on her struggle here.
When I first read her post "A Vegan No More", my first thought was how she would be attacked by so many anti-veganism individuals, or even by other hardcore vegans like she used to be, for making this so public. How much mocking she would endure. That's why I felt it was important for me to post this, to show my support for her, and for her decision.
We all have our own beliefs. We do things that we think are right, and we stand up for these beliefs. I support my vegan and vegetarian friends because I respect them and their beliefs, even though I don't share them.
I have an uncle who is vegan. In the beginning, it was a bit difficult to understand why he was "doing this". Fortunately, he is a very patient man, very intelligent, and very compassionate, as most vegans and vegetarians I know are, and he continued to answer all of our questions. He has been vegan for about 5 years now. A few months ago, however, he had some health problems and was hospitalized, and the doctors advised him to change his diet to non-vegan. This is something he has been struggling with, not only because of his convictions and his commitment to maintain a healthy lifestyle, to help make the world a better place to live in, but also because he has been exclusively vegan for so long that his body could not "take" non-vegan food.
It is so easy to mock him for these statements. There are so many arguments that can be made, so many debates that can rage on (and in fact, have taken place in our house), but at the heart of his veganism is really compassion not only for human life, for himself, for his own health and his children's health, but for all creation, and ultimately, open-mindedness.
Vegan or not, we have to keep our minds open. We have to continue to re-assess our goals, constantly, and the things we do. Are we "doing it rong"? Is there a better way to reach our goals? Are we hurting ourselves in the process? Are we doing more harm than good?
I don't know Tasha personally, but I support her. It was very brave of her to speak openly about her struggle. Not only has she learned a lot from her experience, she has also shared them and now hopefully, so will a lot of people.
I support anyone who has the balls to talk about change.
And no, I haven't changed my mind about veganism (or vegetarianism). If anything, I support vegans more, but only the ones who are open-minded.
I have a handful of friends who will continue to get my support, because they are compassionate, open-minded, intelligent, healthy human beings who have bottomless pits for patience.
(NOW do you love me, Soumz? :)
I've been following The Voracious Vegan's blog for more than a year now. I myself am not vegan, but I like to follow bloggers whose lives are drastically (for lack of a better word) different from mine. The only thing we had in common was the fact that we both lived in Saudi Arabia.
She (Tasha) is now no longer vegan, after 3.5 years of being a hardcore one, due to some health problems and deficiencies. Read more on her struggle here.
When I first read her post "A Vegan No More", my first thought was how she would be attacked by so many anti-veganism individuals, or even by other hardcore vegans like she used to be, for making this so public. How much mocking she would endure. That's why I felt it was important for me to post this, to show my support for her, and for her decision.
We all have our own beliefs. We do things that we think are right, and we stand up for these beliefs. I support my vegan and vegetarian friends because I respect them and their beliefs, even though I don't share them.
I have an uncle who is vegan. In the beginning, it was a bit difficult to understand why he was "doing this". Fortunately, he is a very patient man, very intelligent, and very compassionate, as most vegans and vegetarians I know are, and he continued to answer all of our questions. He has been vegan for about 5 years now. A few months ago, however, he had some health problems and was hospitalized, and the doctors advised him to change his diet to non-vegan. This is something he has been struggling with, not only because of his convictions and his commitment to maintain a healthy lifestyle, to help make the world a better place to live in, but also because he has been exclusively vegan for so long that his body could not "take" non-vegan food.
It is so easy to mock him for these statements. There are so many arguments that can be made, so many debates that can rage on (and in fact, have taken place in our house), but at the heart of his veganism is really compassion not only for human life, for himself, for his own health and his children's health, but for all creation, and ultimately, open-mindedness.
Vegan or not, we have to keep our minds open. We have to continue to re-assess our goals, constantly, and the things we do. Are we "doing it rong"? Is there a better way to reach our goals? Are we hurting ourselves in the process? Are we doing more harm than good?
I don't know Tasha personally, but I support her. It was very brave of her to speak openly about her struggle. Not only has she learned a lot from her experience, she has also shared them and now hopefully, so will a lot of people.
I support anyone who has the balls to talk about change.
And no, I haven't changed my mind about veganism (or vegetarianism). If anything, I support vegans more, but only the ones who are open-minded.
I have a handful of friends who will continue to get my support, because they are compassionate, open-minded, intelligent, healthy human beings who have bottomless pits for patience.
(NOW do you love me, Soumz? :)
LOL the whole time while I was reading this Asmaa kept popping in my head.
ReplyDeleteI agree with every single word you said.