Vegan education is about helping people connect with their values, not forcing them to change their values

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Is vegan education about forcing people to care about something they don't care about? Sometimes I hear people say "you can't force people to care about animal rights" as an argument against vegan education. Or that we should continue eating animals because everyone can care about different things, "so I'll care about humans over here … Continue reading Vegan education is about helping people connect with their values, not forcing them to change their values

6 Thought traps: How the way we think can influence our activism

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"The mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven" - Milton, 2007 How does what we think influence our activism? Have you ever wondered how the thoughts that enter your mind influence your experience of the world? From the way you behave, the emotions you … Continue reading 6 Thought traps: How the way we think can influence our activism

Coping with COVID-19 Distress: A Mental Health Guide for Animal Activists

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There has been a profound shift in the world with the recent arrival of COVID-19. Many people are feeling fear for their health or that of loved ones, the blow of financial uncertainty, anxiety for the future, and in many cases, grief and loss. This global pandemic is placing many of us in a position … Continue reading Coping with COVID-19 Distress: A Mental Health Guide for Animal Activists

You’re allowed to call yourself a vegan even if you don’t have it ‘right’

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Does someone need to be 'perfect' at veganism before they call themselves a vegan?  What if calling yourself vegan leads to learning more about it? Or motivates you to do more to help animals? Or makes you take pride in the title and spread it positively, encouraging more people to look into this whole 'vegan' … Continue reading You’re allowed to call yourself a vegan even if you don’t have it ‘right’

Veganism is not a black or white concept

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It can be easy to see things in black or white - that something is good or bad, right or wrong, perfect or a failure. Termed as 'polarised thinking' in psychology, this type of thought pattern is recognised as unhelpful due to its irrational and simplistic approach. Most of us think in this way from … Continue reading Veganism is not a black or white concept

Responding to the infamous ‘But plants have feelings too’

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During a recent presentation I gave about veganism, I was asked by a member of the audience during Q&A - "plants are living things too, so why eat plants?"   I know many advocates roll their eyes at this question, and fair enough, many people ask it to be deliberately antagonising. But then there are … Continue reading Responding to the infamous ‘But plants have feelings too’

March To Close All Slaughterhouses

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With the 2018 global March to Close All Slaughterhouses around the corner, I thought I would revisit and share with you my words from the Adelaide March in early 2017. As part of the grassroots activist team I co-coordinate (Animal Rights South Australia), we brought the March to Adelaide for the first time last year, … Continue reading March To Close All Slaughterhouses

Eating animals and freedom of choice

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Have you ever thought to yourself, "it's my choice to eat meat, stop forcing your choice on others" when faced with a vegan activist? This is a common thought, and in many respects, it's true. After all, people do have the choice to eat animals or not eat animals. And other than most multi-million dollar … Continue reading Eating animals and freedom of choice

Coping after witnessing animal suffering

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Bearing witness to the suffering of animals can be powerful yet traumatic. Not only are we exposed to violence, but the empathy we feel for the victims can cause us to suffer vicariously. Add to that the vastness of the cruelty, and the knowledge that it is largely unknown or ignored by most of society. … Continue reading Coping after witnessing animal suffering

PTSD and Trauma in Animal Activists

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  There is a very real risk among animal activists of developing a mental health condition that not many are talking about. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) - a mental health condition initially understood predominantly in the context of war veterans, psychology has since come a long way to explain similar experiences in others who have … Continue reading PTSD and Trauma in Animal Activists