written by Silvi Burden, Germany
I had been a vegetarian myself for only two and a half years, and didn’t have much in my mind about vegans, except that I thought veganism a very fundamentalist and strict way to live. And, to be honest, I always thought it was a little bit exaggerated. I mean, I was a vegetarian because I loved animals, and I thought that should be enough.
But it didn’t take long for me to come around and see the point. On the one hand, the decision seemed pretty easy, but on the other hand, my parents own a farm. They raise animals for meat, and my mum milks cows for a living. So, I had a big identity crisis on my hands, about how to bring those alternative points of view in line.
How would I live with parents who are so different from me if I really went through with veganism? How would I be able to stand that the livelihood of my parents was grounded in murder? I couldn’t find any real solution to that problem, but I realized that the only thing that counts at first is me, because that‘s all I can take care of in the moment. And I realized that I would still be able to love my parents even as a vegan.
And here I am now, more than two and a half years later, still a vegan and still happy with my decision. I must admit that I do miss being ignorant sometimes (don‘t get me wrong – I know it‘s pretty self-centered – but sometimes I wish I didn’t know about all the horrible things that happen to animals everywhere). But I try to use all my anger and emotion to actually make a change. For instance, we have a vegan group at my university, and we have managed to get vegan options in the cafeteria on a regular basis, as well as soy milk for coffee.
Half a year ago, I moved to Berlin, and I think it is the best German city to live in as a Vegan. We have vegan junk food, great cafés with cakes you would not believe, and vegan takeaways. Three weeks ago, a completely vegan supermarket opened up (right around the corner from where I live). They sell lots of great stuff.
But a lot has changed with my point of view about veganism in the last two years. When I first learned about animal exploitation, I couldn’t help but see every non-vegan as an enemy and a bad person. But that really drove me crazy, so I had to do something about it. With all my missionary enthusiasm, I had to realize that most people do not want to be lectured to. So, I started explaining everything to people who really wanted to know. But when people just want to fight, I stop the discussion immediately, because it just hurts us both.
