Teaching compassion
Even though I’m not a specialist in child psychology, the nature of my business invites me everyday into the lives of people who share their vegan and non-vegan experiences with me.
Controversial confession: I personally believe we are all born vegan, we are all naturally compassionate.
I’ve heard so much about people recalling distress at witnessing the family dog, or farm animals being killed, some begging their parents to spare their lives. The response of ‘Dry your tears and man up’ is not an atypical response in some families, leaving the child with huge internal conflict.
The teaching of compassion to little people is so important for our future: I’ve also heard people teaching their kids that compassion or empathy is a sign of weakness, so there is a greater probability that they will deny or bury those feelings deep in their unconscious selves. They are more likely to avoid any reactions that make them feel weak…. What is the likelihood of these children developing compassion towards people and animals?
On the other hand, we vegans are often bewildered at people who appear indifferent to animal cruelty and blame them for being unfeeling. We vegans can be very judgmental to people for lacking compassion without understanding that many people’s childhood experiences could have been traumatic and their responses developed in order to avoid rejection and pain.
...Vegans and non-vegans, we all have so much to learn. At the end, Veganism is about love and compassion, to ALL BEINGS.
Veganism is NOT:
- being hateful
- condemning those who are in a different stage of their journey
- taking it personally when others don’t think like you
- trying to force others to go vegan rather than educating and helping them
WE ARE A CALL FOR CHANGE! You can join V on Wheels in feeling compassion for our fellow sentient beings 💚🐣
It’s possible to change the system. We can all try veganism.
Ask for help:
https://www.vonwheels.co.nz
https://www.nzavs.org.nz
https://veganuary.com
https://www.peta.org
.
📝 sources: veganpsychologist.com + “Eat animals” 2009 Safran Foer