fellowship group forming for veg*ns/aspiring veg*ns/animal rights activists

[Guest guest]

Thea & All, I'm with Thea in that being vegan feels great to me and is a joy 99% of the time. I also think it's helpful to be sometimes be around people who feel as you do. Even if there wasn't another vegan in the world, I'd stay happily vegan, but I really enjoy giving and receiving support and brainstorming with others who feel as I do about vegan/ar issues. Lisa

 

In a message dated 8/13/06 2:46:11 PM, thea_langsam writes:

 

 

Hi all,

 

I've been reading the various e-mails about how folks stay veg despite non-veg friends and family, and I think it's great that Melissa and Mat are forming a veg fellowship group.  I just wanted to say, though, that for me personally, being vegan is a pleasure 99.9% of the time...you should know that being vegan really can be an absolute joy.  It is to me!

 

Thea

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

Regarding the discussion on the BAV list about the need for social support for aspiring veg*ns, maybe this could be of help:

Mat Thomas (www.AnimalRighter.org) a writer for In Defense of Animals and VegNews, and I have been discussing the idea of getting a group together as sort of a support/venting/strategizing group for veg*ns as well as aspiring veg*ns and animal rights activists. Although, I've been vegetarian and vegan now for about 17 years and Mat for about 10, we still feel we could benefit from something like this and thought others out there would too.

Basically, the premise is: how to live as a vegan/vegetarian in a non-veg*n/speciesist world.

 

I know a lot of us deal with the frustrations of our non-veg friends and family thinking we are wierd, not " getting " us, making fun of us, asking the annoying questions, getting defensive with us, refusing to listen to us and learn about the issues etc, etc.

 

Not to mention how hard it is seeing animal cruelty/speciesism on a daily basis anywhere and everywhere you go, such as seeing your coworkers excitingly devouring their dead animals, the family member who breeds dogs and sees nothing wrong with it, the friend you've had for 27 years who happily loves to tell you at every opportunity she gets how animals were put on this earth for us to use, or the other friend who tells you she can "get" why you became vegan but it doesn't have to become your "identity," (yes my wonderful friends), etc.

So, we thought we might try to get people together to talk about the issues. We would like this to be a productive group and one that will enable us to help one another in a supportive way.

Mat has a background in psychology and I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). However, I thought I might add that this would, in NO way be a "formal" support group or "therapy" group. Though, Mat and I will, in a way, be co-facilitating it (as well as being a part of the group) neither he nor I will be doing any sort of "therapy."

 

We were thinking of meeting in San Francisco one time per month or every 6 weeks or so, possibly on a Sunday afternoon. I'm in the South Bay, but we thought SF would be a good centralized location for people in the South Bay, North Bay, East Bay, etc. We could meet at a restaurant, at someone's house if they are willing to offer or maybe even in Golden Gate Park.

Does this interest anyone? Let us know. After we get some feedback from folks, we'll pick the first date as well as where it will be.

You can reply to me at this email,

vegan4animals, or write to Mat at: ma.

Thanks!

Melissa

 

[Guest guest]

Hi all, I've been reading the various e-mails about how folks stay veg despite non-veg friends and family, and I think it's great that Melissa and Mat are forming a veg fellowship group. I just wanted to say, though, that for me personally, being vegan is a pleasure 99.9% of the time. Sure, every once in awhile, family and friends say something annoying & I let it get to me. And maybe I should be bothered more by the fact that other people eat and wear animal products around me on a regular basis. But I feel good that I've made the decision not to do that and that I take some affirmative action to help animals as well. My point is that if you're considering whether to go or stay veg and are worried that it's too difficult to maintain (and what we expect is often what we get), you should know that being vegan really can be an absolute joy. It is to me! Thea

Everyone is raving about the all-new Mail Beta.

[Guest guest]

On 8/13/06, Thea Langsam <thea_langsam wrote:

 

 

 

I've been reading the various e-mails about how folks stay veg despite non-veg friends and family, and I think it's great that Melissa and Mat are forming a veg fellowship group. I just wanted to say, though, that for me personally, being vegan is a pleasure 99.9% of the time. you should know that being vegan really can be an absolute joy. It is to me!

 

Thank you, Thea for pointing out what a "joy" it is to be vegan. Mat and I couldn't agree more that the majority of the time it is.

 

 

We realized that our post about the group sounded as if it would be a forum to just bring up negative aspects of being veg*n. On the contrary. We have every intention of discussing how great it is to be vegan. For both Mat and I going vegan was the best decisions we ever made and we both wish we had done it sooner.

 

 

We just want to have a private forum to discuss and find solutions to the frustrations we face living in a world that exploits animals, so that we can then continue to go out into that world with our friends, family members and coworkers and be "shiny happy vegans" (as I believe Julia Butterfly Hill once said.)

 

 

We both agree that you do not help animals by looking like a miserable deprived veg*n, which of course you do not have to be (and as the folks at the BAV Vegetarian House dinner last night know, we are not deprived when we get to eat deep-fried vegan ice cream!)

 

So, again the group we are proposing will be both a forum to privately discuss your frustrations and sometimes anger at the speciesist world we live in, amongst people who support you, while also discussing how wonderful it is to be veg*n and how great it feels to know that you are not contributing to the exploitation of animals as others in our society do. Because that is the reason a lot of us become veg*n and stay veg*n. That feeling is worth so much.

 

 

We definitely want to encourage those of you who are trying to transition to veg*nism and hope that this group can help.

 

For the animals,

 

Melissa and Mat

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone,

 

Mat & Melissa, thanks for organizing this. Please stay in touch as plans develop, and let me know if you need any help.

 

Bay Area Veg has a couple of forthcoming events that specifically address this need.

 

What: Presentation by Nora Kramer: Effective Communication for Veg*n Advocacy, Family & Friends When: 9/17/06 Sunday, 2:30 pmLocation: SF - The Women's Building, 3543 18th St.Full Details: http://www.bayareaveg.org/events.php?EID=1088#1088What: Book Discussion: Living Among Meat Eaters : The Vegetarian's Survival Handbook by Carol AdamsWhen: 11/12/06 Sunday, 3:00 pmFull Details: http://www.bayareaveg.org/events.php?EID=1090#1090For folks on the other lists, you can find details on our website above and if you're on one of our mailing lists, you'll get an email about it as the date draws closer. You can sign up for our mailing lists at

http://bayareaveg.org/join.htm

Cheers,Tammy

 

 

 

Bay Area Vegetarianswww.BayAreaVeg.org