I'm just one person…
23 February 2005

...how can I make a difference?

This is the most common thing that I hear when I talk to people about being vegan, and ultimately, it is one of their main reasons for not going vegan. Even good-hearted people who understand that factory farming is horrible and who want to respect the rights of animals sometimes challenge me with this defeatist point, and frankly, it bothers me. It assumes that nothing will ever change, and it completely removes our actions from being our responsibility. A couple of things bother me about this line of thinking:

First, it ignores what veganism affirms. For me, veganism isn’t a rejection, it is an affirmation of the way I wan to live, the way I want things to be. That in and of itself makes a massive difference in my own life, in me being true to what I see as my ethical choices. This is vital if I’m going to live a life that’s ethically consistent.

Second, this defeatism seems to assume that nothing will ever change—period. The problem is that if one never does anything to change the system, yeah, it probably won’t change. But if many individuals together decide to do something, it can make a huge difference.

Third, this idea also ignores the fact that any reduction in animal suffering is significant. If I had the choice between saving zero animals a year or 100 animals a year by doing something as simple as changing my diet, I’d clearly choose to save 100 animals. Are the 100 or so animals that I save every year the end of animal agriculture? Of course not. But that’s 100 fewer animals that have suffered through the despicable conditions of factory farming. I’ve removed my support for the system, and if millions or tens of millions or even hundreds of millions more people do the same, the system of animal exploitation suddenly loses out.

In the end, no single person can accomplish everything on their own. Only through conscious social action can we ever make a difference, but that fact alone does not absolve people of the duty to do what they see as right.

  Posted by Bob Torres    Permalink    Filed under:
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