Every so often I find myself pausing to think about what choosing veganism actually means.
When you live this way for a long time it can start to feel ordinary, even mundane. You shop, you eat, you live your life and it all feels normal. But the decision itself is anything but small.
Read more below.
Choosing not to eat animals, not to wear animals, and not to watch animals being used for sport or entertainment is a powerful form of direct action. It is a daily refusal to participate in systems built on exploitation. No placards, no slogans, no grand gestures required. Just a quiet and consistent decision to opt out.
On its own, one person making that choice is meaningful. Collectively, it is transformative. When thousands and then millions of people make the same compassionate decision, industries are forced to respond. Supermarkets expand their plant-based ranges. Restaurants change their menus. Fashion houses ditch animal materials. Entire sectors start to shift because demand has changed.
We see it everywhere now. Plant-based food is no longer hidden in a dusty corner of the shop. Major brands are investing in alternatives. Laws are being challenged. Language is changing. Conversations that once felt fringe are now mainstream. None of this happened by accident. It happened because people chose compassion again and again.
After two and a half decades of being vegan, minimising my contribution to the exploitation of animals feels simple and obvious to me. It is just how I live. But every now and then I remind myself of the bigger picture. I remind myself that this simplicity is built on something powerful. A collective movement of people who decided that kindness mattered more than convenience.
Veganism is not just a personal choice. It is a shared act of resistance and care. We have already changed the world in meaningful ways and we will continue to do so. Every animal spared, every life respected, and every time the system is challenged matters.
This movement is growing and it’s making the world better.
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