Activism at the Dentist

Vegan activism feels like you’re being tugged in two different directions. On one hand, you want to speak unapologetically for the animals and hold people accountable. On the other, we have research that shows that empathy and compassion are the way to break through defensiveness.

How can we be fiercely compassionate, while remaining honest about the atrocity that’s happening to animals?

I recently experienced this dichotomy in an unexpected setting: the dentist. We were talking about restaurants and I mentioned I was vegan right before the dentist started cleaning my teeth. He was genuinely curious about veganism, but felt that he lacked the self control to manage it. The dental assistant agreed and they chatted about their favorite foods.

Usually when people have these discussions, I hop in with “it’s actually super easy and I’m lazy af so clearly being vegan doesn’t take self control.”

Since my mouth was occupied by metal picks and spray tools, I was unable to respond until 10 minutes later. 

The extra time spent listening allowed me to fully empathize with their concerns, in a way that I typically don’t. Since I know what happens to animals, I tend to minimize meat eaters’ desires to keep consuming them because it’s so trivial compared with animals’ lives. However, when you allow someone to express their emotions fully, you create the bond necessary to change their minds. 

When I finally had the chance, I mentioned some of the foods I miss now that I’m vegan (chicken wings, sushi, Raising Cane’s sauce) and emphasized that although I miss them, I don’t actually feel like I’m missing out. I told them about my favorite restaurant  and how much I love vegan soul food. 

After that, they asked me if I felt better (I do) and they said “you know, you’re right, we should probably go vegan too.” I don’t think they actually will, but I do think there's a higher chance than if I had initially  jumped in to tell them why they were wrong.

Moving forward, I’m going to bring more empathy into my conversations and see if it makes a difference. 

What I’m watching: Malcolm X

In honor of black history month, HBO Max recommended this movie, and I’m glad they did. I had been feeling really down about the animals, and powerless to change anything, but watching this put things into perspective.

Malcolm X was a fascinating character and I loved getting a glimpse into his life. His dedication to change and the way he spoke was inspiring. We’ve all heard that he was dangerous and extreme, but he had good reason to be that way.

It was difficult to watch how black people were treated back then, and reminded me how insane humans can be. The way we’ve used slight differences to justify oppression is baffling.

Give it a watch! 

What I’m Reading: The Art of Impossible: A Peak Performance Primer

As animal advocates, we’re trying to achieve the Impossible: animal liberation. This book provides a glimpse into the day to day reality of achieving impossible feats. One of the main themes is getting into flow. 

If you haven’t heard of “flow,” it’s essentially the state where time doesn’t exist, you’re completely absorbed in your task, and your performance is higher than you thought possible. I’ve experienced this many times during vegan outreach, but this book inspired me to look for more flow opportunities throughout the day. 

Can I get into flow while I’m editing videos? How about when I’m writing scripts? Moving forward, I’m going to be more intentional about creating space for flow. 

If you missed the Vegan Outreach Starter Guide, you can get it here.

Audio version here.

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Thank you!

Natalie