Philosophical Vegan Forum

In my house of 6 (inducing me) I am the only vegan. I have began to get irritated with all the meat, eggs, milk, ect. Sometimes I get pretty depressed, feeling like a joke sometimes. My family have already showed their distant towards going vegan. They still except me and are okay with me being vegan but, it is starting to get hard not to talk about veganism to them. I have started to avoid them when they eat meat cause it just makes my stomach feel like it is spinning. I am going to a vegan expo in April which I am looking forward to more than my own birthday. I hope being able to talk to other vegans will boost myself esteem. Do any of you know of any

perhaps I am not the best of help, as I don't have the same reasoning as most vegans, but here it goes. Why get irritated? Didn't you used to eat the same stuff as they did? the only way I do get (somewhat) irritated is if someone (specially old people) annoys me with some sort of complaint of pain, illness, etc... I usually go on a rant (and not everytime) about how they just should quit eating animal products, but as they just won't listen, I try not to make a big mess out of it anyways. So for the most part, I even cook for them if needed. Anyway, they care for me not eating those stuff and cook for me too (some of them) so I just try to treat them witht the same respect. I did have some stomach-spinning sensations when I first began as a vegan, and smelled flesh being cooked or cheese, but that is a thing of the past. I just don't care about it anymore.

_Doc wrote:In my house of 6 (inducing me) I am the only vegan. I have began to get irritated with all the meat, eggs, milk, ect. Sometimes I get pretty depressed, feeling like a joke sometimes. My family have already showed their distant towards going vegan. They still except me and are okay with me being vegan but, it is starting to get hard not to talk about veganism to them. I have started to avoid them when they eat meat cause it just makes my stomach feel like it is spinning. I am going to a vegan expo in April which I am looking forward to more than my own birthday. I hope being able to talk to other vegans will boost myself esteem. Do any of you know of any

Well, if they're accepting of your veganism, then you don't have to talk to them about it. Unless they're reasonable, you're probably not going to convince them, so why be frustrated for no reason?

I don't think you should be that angry because they are eating non-vegan things. You can't just except them to go vegan because you are.
Did you explain why you're vegan to them? If you did, and they won't go vegan, then that's frustrating, but they're unreasonable so there's not really anything you can do.

Do any of us know of any what?

EquALLity wrote:Do any of us know of any what?

Sorry about that. Do any of you know how to deter my negative emotions towards my family that they still eat meat.

EquALLity wrote:Unless they're reasonable, you're probably not going to convince them, so why be frustrated for no reason?

Well that is why I get irritated. Because they are unreasonable. I explained why I went vegan, the benefits of going vegan and nothing they just laugh at me(well mainly my mom laughs my dad gives me a little encouragement and the rest of my family are just selfish in the sense of eating). My Mom mocks me a lot about being vegan. I guess it is just starting to build up.

vegan81vzla wrote: Why get irritated? Didn't you used to eat the same stuff as they did?

Yes i used to eat meat and i guess with my large imagination thought i could change their minds. And since i failed (or so far I hope) reality hit me.

_Doc wrote: Sorry about that. Do any of you know how to deter my negative emotions towards my family that they still eat meat.

Ah, ok, hm...
I dont know, can't pick your family, right?

_Doc wrote: Well that is why I get irritated. Because they are unreasonable. I explained why I went vegan, the benefits of going vegan and nothing they just laugh at me(well mainly my mom laughs my dad gives me a little encouragement and the rest of my family are just selfish in the sense of eating). My Mom mocks me a lot about being vegan. I guess it is just starting to build up.

If your mom mocks you all the time it doesn't sound like she accepts your veganism.
How long have you been vegan?

I can understand your siblings mocking you since that's usually fair game among peers, but a mother mocking her own child is the pinnacle of immaturity. Sadly, many parents are emotionally abusive. It's good that you get some support from your dad at least.

It's only natural to be frustrated with people who either can't grasp or don't care why you became vegan, especially if they are your family. I am frustrated with almost everyone I meet. But I got used to dealing with this frustration and in time you may too. Depending on how badly you're being treated, you may need to set some boundaries and let your family know when they cross them. Even something as great as veganism can feel like a burden if met with disrespect at every turn.

You'll definitely feel better if you have a circle of vegan friends. The need to belong is strong in humans - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belongingness