To the Vegan Activist by Anna Ferguson
To those that just went vegan
To those that have been vegan since birth
To the undercover vegan slaughterhouse workers exposing the darkness
To the vegan documentary film producers and filmmakers shining the light
To the vegans that share their signs and voices at marches
To the vegans that silently bear witness at vigils
To the vegan chefs changing minds with delicious food
To the vegan cook sharing meals with friends and family
To the vegan recipe sharers inspiring people to try something new
To the compassionate health professionals
To the plant-sourced fitness experts and bodybuilders
To the vegan life coaches
To the body positive vegans
To the high fashion vegans
To the hippy vegans
To the punk vegans
To the minimalist vegans
To the sidewalk chalktivism vegans
To the t-shirt wearing vegans
To the button and sticker wearing vegans
To the tattooed vegans
To the vegan authors
To the vegan bloggers
To the vegan YouTubers and vloggers
To the vegan social media likers and sharers
To the vegan musicians playing and singing from their heart
To the vegan celebrities using their platform for compassion
To the vegan artists painting, drawing, and molding a vision of a more peaceful world
To the vegan entrepreneurs sharing compassionate and innovative products
To the vegans that make a conscious effort to purchase those products
To the vegan-centric schools teaching compassion alongside core academics
To the homeschooling vegans
To the vegans navigating public or private schools
To the vegans passing out pamphlets on college campuses
To the vegan dads that gently remove spiders from their homes
To the single vegan moms shifting and encouraging their teens to share in a newly adopted lifestyle
To the vegan parents that are doing their best to raise their children with values that honor empathy and kindness
To the religious vegans
To the atheist vegans
And to the spiritual vegans living a compassionate lifestyle
To the self-care vegans
To the mindfulness vegans
To the meditating vegan yogis
To the sanctuary starting vegans
To the adopt a cat and dog vegans
To the community building vegans
To the vegans that show up and play a part in building these communities
To the environmental vegans
To the social justice vegans
And to the intersectional vegans guiding us in the understanding of the interconnected nature of all forms of oppression
To the vegans changing laws
To the vegans changing hearts
To the many vegans not mentioned…
To the Vegan Activist…
Those that are actively and consciously working on themselves to embody empathy and compassion and with every word or action taken, ask themselves: “Is what I am saying or doing an extension of my compassionate values?”
May we be united in our compassion—for each other and for any fellow being suffering from exploitation and oppression.
We are all on the front lines. Actually, no…there are no front lines. This is not a military effort. This is a compassion effort. We are all in this together…in this circle of compassion.
Stand in your power. Stand in your peace. Stand in your kindness. Stand in your empathy. Stand in your compassion.
There are many ways to be an activist. What inspires you? Who has inspired you? Comment and tag below.
Anna Ferguson is the author of World Peace Yoga, a companion book to Dr. Will Tuttle’s book The World Peace Diet and co-founder of Heärt Montessori, a school that teaches vegan-centric compassion alongside core academics. Connect with Anna via Instagram @annafergusonpeace or via Facebook.
Image from Anna’s book, World Peace Yoga: Yoga for People Who Breathe.