1 00:00:03,520 --> 00:00:05,420 For anyone who isn't yet Vegan, 2 00:00:05,938 --> 00:00:08,468 it can seem like an unnattainable lifestyle 3 00:00:10,187 --> 00:00:14,027 We've been raised to eat animals and most of us become addicted to their taste 4 00:00:15,137 --> 00:00:19,487 When an action has been repeatedly normalised, it can feel impossible changing to something else 5 00:00:20,605 --> 00:00:22,845 But being Vegan in itself is easy 6 00:00:23,550 --> 00:00:27,120 Veganism is just about not exploiting and consuming animals 7 00:00:28,833 --> 00:00:33,783 After a few weeks of experimenting with new foods and products, new habits form and it becomes effortless 8 00:00:34,897 --> 00:00:39,247 We discover new tastes and recipes we hadn't tried before, find Vegan versions of our favourite meals 9 00:00:39,247 --> 00:00:44,517 and most of the time we find a whole new appreciation for food and nutrition and love it more than we ever had before 10 00:00:45,772 --> 00:00:48,722 The real difficulty in being Vegan doesn't involve food 11 00:00:49,487 --> 00:00:53,417 The hardest part about being Vegan is coming face to face with a darker side of humanity 12 00:00:53,417 --> 00:00:55,117 and trying to remain hopeful 13 00:00:55,543 --> 00:01:01,643 It's trying to understand why otherwise good and caring people continue to participate in needless violence against animals 14 00:01:01,643 --> 00:01:04,183 just for the sake of their pleasure or convenience 15 00:01:05,489 --> 00:01:09,959 When you first discover Veganism, you have to deal with the fact that you've been lied to most of your life 16 00:01:10,749 --> 00:01:14,889 You have to accept that as you were growing up, the people you thought you could trust, stole your compassion 17 00:01:14,889 --> 00:01:17,259 and taught you that it was okay to harm others 18 00:01:19,070 --> 00:01:24,310 They corrupted your mind without you realising and gave you justifications to stop you from thinking about it 19 00:01:26,136 --> 00:01:31,186 And you have to realise that the adverts that made you smile and laugh were just tricking you into giving the money for products 20 00:01:31,186 --> 00:01:33,546 that make you sick and destroy the planet 21 00:01:33,932 --> 00:01:40,022 You have to deal with the fact that they used happy cartoons and loving slogans to sell tortured, slaughtered animals 22 00:01:41,008 --> 00:01:42,278 And you fell for it 23 00:01:43,716 --> 00:01:48,757 And when you start to realise this, you naively think that you've discovered a secret that the world needs to hear 24 00:01:48,757 --> 00:01:52,087 so you do everything you can to share the new truths you've learned 25 00:01:52,227 --> 00:01:54,317 You tell everyone you know about Veganism 26 00:01:54,432 --> 00:01:58,252 hoping they'll understand and change like you did when you made the connection 27 00:01:59,427 --> 00:02:00,427 But they don't 28 00:02:01,220 --> 00:02:04,880 They give you excuses that don't make sense and refuse to listen to reason 29 00:02:05,236 --> 00:02:10,226 You find your family and closest friends defending animal abuse because they're too scared to change 30 00:02:11,070 --> 00:02:13,810 And you don't know how to react to their indifference 31 00:02:14,596 --> 00:02:18,426 You're trying to help them and help innocent animals but they accuse you of attacking them 32 00:02:18,426 --> 00:02:21,316 and become defensive everytime you talk about Veganism 33 00:02:22,269 --> 00:02:25,849 You have arguments and start to lose respect for those you love the most 34 00:02:26,482 --> 00:02:27,982 And you become isolated 35 00:02:28,752 --> 00:02:33,422 You can't stop thinking about the images of animals being queued up to be systematically slaughtered 36 00:02:33,787 --> 00:02:36,947 You feel so powerless and just wish people would listen 37 00:02:37,373 --> 00:02:41,373 And at the same time the people around you start to mock you and ridicule you for being different 38 00:02:43,045 --> 00:02:47,045 They make insensitive jokes and you do your best to see the funny side of what they're saying 39 00:02:48,773 --> 00:02:52,893 then come home and realise that they were laughing about animal abuse as if it was acceptable 40 00:02:56,572 --> 00:02:58,912 It's been said that enlightenment is bittersweet 41 00:02:59,137 --> 00:03:03,227 because in one hand it is wonderful to know the truth, live the truth and share the truth 42 00:03:04,065 --> 00:03:07,845 But it is also maddening to realise how cruel and ignorant our species can be 43 00:03:09,486 --> 00:03:12,176 But that's not a reason to shy away from doing what's right 44 00:03:12,532 --> 00:03:16,532 All throughout time the ones on the right side of justice have always faced resistance 45 00:03:17,312 --> 00:03:18,952 But it's always been worth it 46 00:03:19,363 --> 00:03:23,363 Becuase what is the hardest part about being Vegan is also the most rewarding part 47 00:03:24,561 --> 00:03:29,521 The longer you're Vegan, you find better ways of explaining to others and sooner or later someone will listen 48 00:03:29,744 --> 00:03:32,744 And more people will open up and listen to what you have to say 49 00:03:32,974 --> 00:03:36,974 And people you thought you'd never get through to will thank you for changing their life 50 00:03:37,221 --> 00:03:42,791 The seeds you planted from the beginning will start to grow and you'll understand the importance of patience and persistance 51 00:03:43,746 --> 00:03:46,626 You find other Vegans and learn to love humanity again 52 00:03:46,814 --> 00:03:49,284 realising that there are good people out there 53 00:03:49,863 --> 00:03:55,493 But through the process of letting go you welcome so many beautiful people into your life who share more in common with you 54 00:03:56,403 --> 00:03:58,843 And as hard as it is to move on from the past, 55 00:03:59,358 --> 00:04:01,308 you become happier in the long run 56 00:04:01,773 --> 00:04:04,053 And it gives you a reason to get up everday 57 00:04:04,270 --> 00:04:06,190 It's no longer just about you 58 00:04:06,381 --> 00:04:10,131 Veganism teaches you to look beyond yourself and think about others 59 00:04:10,437 --> 00:04:14,177 And through your activism you learn to never apologise for speaking up 60 00:04:14,447 --> 00:04:16,327 Because if you're right and you know it, 61 00:04:16,559 --> 00:04:18,119 you have to speak up 62 00:04:19,231 --> 00:04:23,351 Even if you're just one person against the whole world, the truth is still the truth 63 00:04:24,203 --> 00:04:27,423 Exposing the lies and injustice becomes your purpose 64 00:04:27,654 --> 00:04:32,584 And you become such a shining version of yourself that you inspire others arouund you without even trying 65 00:04:33,005 --> 00:04:38,585 You inspire compassion through your fearlessness and uncompromising passion to make the world less selfish 66 00:04:38,942 --> 00:04:43,482 And the best lesson you'll ever learn is that life's not about feeling amazing all the time 67 00:04:44,982 --> 00:04:47,302 It's about accepting the pain and fear 68 00:04:48,436 --> 00:04:50,276 And doing something anyway 69 00:04:51,692 --> 00:04:53,342 not because you want to 70 00:04:54,155 --> 00:04:55,745 but because you have to 71 00:04:57,200 --> 00:04:59,360 There's so much evil on this planet 72 00:04:59,743 --> 00:05:01,433 But that shouldn't make us sad 73 00:05:02,286 --> 00:05:04,476 It should make us desperate to help 74 00:05:05,370 --> 00:05:09,370 ”Because this is not some mundane diet choice 75 00:05:09,370 --> 00:05:12,990 This is the difference between enslavement and freedom 76 00:05:13,408 --> 00:05:15,548 Between torture and peace 77 00:05:16,004 --> 00:05:19,424 Between death and life 78 00:05:19,981 --> 00:05:21,261 This is serious 79 00:05:21,261 --> 00:05:24,811 And you understand it and you are part of this revolution ” 80 00:05:24,931 --> 00:05:28,691 ”The people that think Veganism is hard are thinking about themselves 81 00:05:28,691 --> 00:05:32,181 And the people that think Veganism is easy are thinking about the animals 82 00:05:32,842 --> 00:05:37,402 So if you think it's hard to not eat meat, think how hard it is for them that you do eat meat”