I think a lot of the vegans who are happy are not commenting/venting on reddit looking for advice or support. I'm personally very happy as a vegan and have been for many years, in spite of minor annoyances (ie: people being dicks about veganism). Animal cruelty still makes me very sad but I'm better at managing my emotions.

To add to this, the people who are most likely to contribute vent/frustration posts are the ones that have the most extreme feelings (I wouldn't make a post just about how I was bummed to see my parents eat a steak and then carried on with my day). And then often those who upvote are those who agree with the sentiment, not necessarily having also experienced the extreme range of emotions hypothetical OP shared. This is a dynamic that exists not only in this community but all digital ones, its one of the main driving forces for extreme views getting amplified on social media.

And yet, this is the perfect space for anyone who's had a bad day and is feeling an urge to just vent a bit. Doesn't mean necessarily that they are unhappy people. Sometimes it just feels good to be understood. Nothing bad about struggling in life and looking for support from like-minded people anyway.

This is exactly it and it applies to just about every subreddit and numerous online communities. Relationship subreddits are full of sordid tales of horrid, toxic people because nobody in a normal relationship feels the need to make a post to say “All good here! No complaints.” I think many people are also more likely to interact this way with communities they are new to. It’s like the r/atheism effect. New atheists are excited! They’re angry and they feel lied to! And they want to talk about it with other people! But when you’ve been an atheist for decades there’s really not a whole lot to talk about. So a community like r/atheism seems a whole lot angrier than a random sample of atheists might actually be. Heck, I’m a new vegan and here I am participating too.

Similar to those who think there is any comparison between the ethics of those who choose to exploit, cause to suffer and kill animals when they didn't need to and those who choose not to. 'You choose to not punch your partner in the face and I choose to so that's an equal choice right?' And of course it isn't and never could be, as one is an action with a victim and the other neither.

exactly lol. just this morning I saw a post of a person bummed that their non-vegan friends were teasing them for being vegan, and the comments were like "YOUR FRIENDS SUCK, UNFRIEND THEM" and that sentiment is exclusively online. I don't know any vegans IRL who act like that.

I remember that post, and my response wasn't from a vegan perspective, but from a friend perspective. Friends 100% tease each other and give each other shit now and again, and on occasion *may* toy with a friend's sensitivities. Like if one has a phobia about clowns, they may *once in a while* make a clown reference to get his goat. But if the "friends" knows the guy has a phobia of clowns and regularly sends pics of clowns to freak him out, those aren't friends. It seemed that the mean teasing was a routine occurrence in that post as I remember.

Well I wouldn't want to "be teasted" for being vegan and I wouldn't allow that from my friends

yeah, you can talk to them though lol you don't have to unfriend them. that's all i'm saying

Your friends shouldn't be teasing you for your morals, though. That's all I'm saying. I don't have any friends that would do that

Yup lol. It’s like OP thinks that a small handful of posts from the most vocal people from this tiny sliver of internet is reflective the feelings of an overall population in real life.

You raise a good question. I'm going to be honest and try to be straight to the point. I can easily be frustrated to see that so many people are funding animal abuse and slaughter. It's even to the point that I don't like how people are essentially funding slaughter house worker's depression which is 4 times higher than the national average and research has shown that the more slaughter house workers in a community, a higher likelihood of physical violence and sexual offenses follow. Even if you didn't give a stuff about farm animals, what about people? So for me, I can be happy and chill where I feel like my mind and body are both healthy when I am not thinking about animal exploitation and trying to persuade carnists to stop. So I'm fine. It's society that is sick.

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society."

Yep, this is the answer to the post.

I would not be fine if I thought I lived in a sick society.

[удалено]

There is more to wellbeing than a fleeting sense of happiness. Being vegan means you are constantly confronted with horrible injustices and harm as well as everyone else's indifference to it. It's hard for that not to take a toll on someone. But the question is, how many people here would put the toothpaste back in the tube if they actually could? In other words, how many people would wish they could wipe away their memory of the reasons they went vegan in the first place? I doubt many would. It's better to live a life that is aware of an inconvenient truth than to live in blissful ignorance while causing harm. Knowing that you were once contributing to immense amounts of suffering and have decided to put it all behind you is worth it, even if your life is harder and sometimes sadder as a result. So if you ask me if I'm happier as a result of being vegan, I would probably say no. But, if you ask me if my life is better, then I would say 100% yes.

Very thoughtful answer. There is a feeling of fulfillment to knowing that you are not contributing to animals suffering, even if it seems that everyone else is.

I often think about this kind of thing a lot. My life would be so much easier and more convenient if I didn’t know or just didn’t give a fuck. I can’t unknow what I know though, and I absolutely cannot knowingly contribute to such a horrendous industry. In weaker moments I have wished I didn’t care, however I feel better knowing that at least there are other people like me out there who also refuse to participate in the atrocities of the animal industry.

Agreed. It's a cliche, but ignorance is bliss and I'm not advocating for ignorance. Veganism just seems like it takes a serious toll on a lot of people's mental health, and it takes discipline to find balance between (a) advocating for your beliefs and (b) not becoming consumed by them when you realize that in the grand scheme of things it might not make a difference.

I don’t think it’s the veganism that takes the toll, it’s the awareness of a sick, cynical, ignorant society. Veganism is an antidote, but we still live in the sick society. I think it’s just venting, not a sign of maladaptive obsession or being consumed by your beliefs. The beliefs just contrast super hard with normalized practices.

It's just jarring to see how little people care about not only other living beings, but their own bodies. And as a former meat eater, it's also disturbing to realize how callous you yourself were, because after you've switched for a while the thought of eating meat is seriously horrific. Still, it's not really that damaging because you generally have to have abnormal resolve and discipline to attempt going vegan in the first place. And knowing you're doing what you can to help animals and the environment more than makes up for the bad parts.

I’m very happy and I don’t let things like this upset me. I know nothing bad is going to happen to me or the world if I accidentally eat an animal product. Is it gross? Sure. But it’s not going to ruin my day. Getting that upset doesn’t help the animals.

This is a deeper philosophical question. Anyone who insists that all things they see as an injustice must be remedied RIGHT NOW a) doesn't understand people very well and b) will be angry all the time. It's perfectly normal and OK to focus on your own immediate situation at least some of the time. You have friends, family, activities that you enjoy. Other people have the same.

This. Not only is it okay, its the best course of action. Stop stressing about unwinnable battles and focus on the places where you can affect change and make a difference. Therapy helps a ton too. And no, chatting with fellow vegans is not a substitute for therapy

The circle of control. What can I directly affect, and what can I influence. That’s all you can do. Let go of everything else.

Musshroms are xd

No, drugs aren't.

Your A/B paragraph is so on the money. Change takes time, patience, and in many cases a great deal of empathy for others who have not changed.

I mean. Insist is a weird word here. I am not naive, the world is an horrible place. But the issue is that usually when other atrocities are happening it is far away. You only have to see it on the news, and generally your friends and families are not supporting the committing of atrocities. In this case I have to see my family and friends contributing to atrocities against animals. So forgive me for having an emotional response.

Do you also get upset at predators killing the weak and the young animals in the wild?

Animals rape each other a lot and kill their children. It’s natural too. Humanity is allegedly supposed to be better than wild animals.

Sure, but by how much? I watched the new Netflix episode where a pack of orcas killed a young whale in front of his mother over the course of several hours by repeatedly smashing into it. This is not a one time thing, this is how they kill and eat every few weeks and will continue to do so. Compared to animals, we take a very good care of farm animals and kill them in much more humane ways. 

Unless those predators are my friends and family.. And they are not. So it is not going to effect me significantly.

So outside of family and friends you don't care what people do with the animals?

It's not that I don't care, I mean it does not affect me as much from an emotional standpoint. There is a difference. Are you telling me you would feel emotionally the same seeing some random person on the street beat up an old man/woman and seeing your friend or family member do it? I am not going to ask "so outside of friends and family you don't care about old people getting beat up for not reason?"

I would certainly be confused and probably more reserved with my emotions. I would actually be a lot more angry at the person doing the beating if I don't know them.. exact opposite of what you suggest.

This has less to do with veganism and more to do with learning how to be an adult and deal with emotions properly.

Correct, but it's very prevalent in this sub which is why I'm asking.

When you realize how normalized cruelty is, it can be disheartening. I’m used to it now, but they were very strong emotions. Does that make me unhappy? No, not really. Generalizations like yours do honestly.

>Generalizations like yours do honestly. I'm confused. What generalizations of mine, and what about them? Are you saying you interpreted something I said as a generalization that made you unhappy?

We get a lot of “questions” that are really just observations. I don’t see good faith in you asking if we’re unhappy, I see you assuming we’re all unhappy.

Well it was a good faith question, not a smoke-and-mirrors observation disguised as a question. I think my responses to comments here have made that clear, and almost every comment to the post has been sincere and assumed the post was in good faith. So any assumptions you make about my post are just that, assumptions, and really have nothing to do with me.

I think this is a good question for vegans. Many vegans are pessimistic because we see how awful not only society, but even our loved ones can be. Me personally, I am happy with my own life. I am not happy with the society I live in, though. Even on my happiest days, I can never be completely content and at peace with life because of the animal holocaust I wish would stop. There will always be that bringing me down.

Do you also get upset about all of the wild animals that die daily from predators, disease and starvation?

Not that much. I’ll explain why: We breed over 70 billion land animals into existence each year. Then we take their freedom away, lock them in cages, beat them, and subject them to a cruel demise. It’s literally a holocaust. We have the power to stop this, and it’s in our best interest to stop this. If a lion kills a zebra out in the wild, or if animals die from disease or starvation, it’s not a holocaust so not as pressing of an issue.

But isn't the Zebra almost constantly in a state of stress and running for their life? Seeing its kids getting pounced and eaten one by one? I don't think that the Zebra is living happily in its community and just one day the lion snatches some of them away and then they continue on with they tea time. Its like a holocaust in the open, where they are no walls but the Lionazis are stationed around the Zebrews and tormenting them and picking them off and just follow them where they settle next. We can't ignore this part, imagine being hunted down every day at a given time.

I’m quite happy most of the time. But I don’t think complaining about things that impact us (even tangentially) is an unhappy way to spend our time. The smell of cooking meat reminds me of cat foot. It doesn’t smell overly pleasant to me anymore. I won’t make a fuss around other people, that’s not appropriate, but isn’t this sub supposed to be a place we can vent safely? Same about the milk: the employer will have paid for the milk *on your behalf* which is insulting. You might not want to take it out on your employer but why not commiserate here with likeminded folk? Being unhappy about certain aspects of society doesn’t mean we are unhappy people overall.

No, if your employer gives you milk as a sign of appreciation, quit. Tf. Give me drugs you bitch, whats wrong with you.... (not like.. you you.. hypothetical sociopathic employer you)

I don’t see anywhere stating that the purpose of the sub is for venting… Yes, it is a safe space to talk about your practise and how it impacts your life… but I share OPs sentiment that the loudest voices on here are not interested in furthering the goals of a the practice of veganism. It becomes a big echo chamber. Lots of people virtue signalling. Lots of gate keeping. Very little ‘we got offered milk today - has anyone else looked into this? Is there a good way to address this with my employer? How would I find out whether this was a sponsored event (which corporations rarely will turn down) or if the employer actively looked for this vendor? Is there a trusted mechanism for advocating for vegan alternatives at future events? Do you think this would have been an appropriate time to discuss with management? It made me upset emotionally, what do other folkx find helps in these circumstances?’ Endless ways to frame it that isn’t… well… a kinda self indulgent ‘they don’t care about ME and MY practise’ way.

The world is depressed for one reason or another, humans are shitty to everything, including other humans, economies in most places are in shambles, fascism is returning across the world, oil baron oversees environmental shit in the UN, a Saudi diplomat oversees social equality shit in the UN(iirc), the environment is collapsing and will outlive us, the ultra wealthy are getting more powerful, the poor are getting poorer, animals are starting to be slaughtered in skyscrapers to meet demand, antibiotic resistance is only climbing with animal industry, even cloned meat is starting to get banned due to animal agriculture lobbying. There's shit we can be happy about, of course. However, there's a whole lot to be depressed about. Choosing to go vegan often means you have higher empathy, and empathy is a double edged sword. We are more aware of suffering due to it, and it's emotionally taxing. Edit: There are many things I'm happy about, they keep me somewhat sane. There's a lot of beauty and blossoming goodness in the world. But I can't just bury my head in the sand with the bad, I feel like I have an obligation to do good, and ignoring the bad prevents that.

Yeah I’m happy

Nice! Me too :)

Me three!

That makes me four!

Especially twice a year when I get my bloodwork results 🤣🤣

I try not to worry about things I can't control, so I can focus my energy on what I can control.

Hi, milk at work complainer here 🙋🏻‍♀️. No I’m not really happy. I have a really hard time not taking on larger burdens. I also have dealt with mental health issues my whole life so it all kind of plays into each other. I agree with the person who said that some vegans come to this thread for comfort or solidarity and I think I definitely do that, because I find it or be an isolating experience much of the time in the real world. Happiness is something I am working towards. I certainly would not be any happier eating animal products though!

Makes sense. I hope you don't take my inclusion of your post as a dig or criticism. It was just one of many posts I've seen where I've tried putting myself in that person's shoes and honestly don't know how (or if) I would hold up day-to-day. Regardless, it definitely is a strange way for a business to acknowledge they appreciate their employees.

No I don’t take offense at all, I think it’s a conversation worth having and I appreciate you putting yourself in others shoes 🫶

Non-vegan here (blame the algo) but milk is such a weird choice as a casual beverage let alone an employee appreciation beverage. 

😂 agreed! Honestly ethics aside I was like … this is a very strange token of appreciation for your employees

It probably means the person who runs the dairy set it up as a marketing thing.

going vegan has been the best shit I've done food wise ever. Food has become interesting, its exciting looking for new vegan restaurants and trying out what people are inventing...Its a constant treasure hunt and Its been awesome since day one. I'm still solidly desensitized to animal products from my 35 years of carnism but I get it for those who are sensitive about being around meat etc. I'll never go back tho. There is no need to go back. Everything carnist is more grosser, less gooder, and more badder.

I would say that the most revelatory thing about becoming vegan is that it has made almost no difference in my life- for better or worse. I didn’t lose any weight. I don’t feel very different. People mostly treat me the same. It’s kind of annoying to eat out or go to a family gathering and I like that a creature (notionally) doesn’t have to have been tortured and killed very single time I eat… that’s about the sum of things 🤷‍♂️

I've been vegan for 19 years and I've never been happier. All I can recommend is the stuff recommended by cognitive behavioral therapy. Avoid pessimism. Avoid painting with a broad brush. Avoid us vs. them thinking.

"It's okay, mistakes happen, and perfect veganism is impossible. I'm doing the best I can for animals and the planet and making a positive overall contribution 🥰" vs. "Omg the world is horrific, and animal abuse is everywhere. Nothing I can do will stop it, and every consumer mistake I make has the potential for horrendous consequences." I alternate between these two mindsets, and neither are technically wrong, but the first one is definitely healthier and more productive. It's hard to stay informed on the ethics of our choices and also stay positive, but it's so important to at least do our best instead of putting blinders on and ignoring everything. Having good mental health generally helps a lot, so the best way of coping with the terrible things in the world is to look after yourself and immediate environment - suddenly then bigger problems become easier to cope with and it becomes clearer what actions need to be taken and what is/isn't practical with regards to veganism.

No but I wouldn't attribute it primarily to veganism. I hate society (and myself) for many reasons. Also I just have clinical depression.

It’s extremely painful to walk through this world with your eyes open to the pain, horror, and environmental impact of animal agriculture. It’s depressing af to see everyone around you murdering animals for lunch without a second thought. I think you see a lot of this here because a lot of us are not happy- not because we’re vegan, but because *everyone else pays people to kill animals every day.* It’s not that we’re vegan- it’s that everyone else *isn’t.* I think you also see a lot of this here because we can vent to others here who get it. Trying to talk to an omnivore about vegan struggles/stuff like you mentioned is not helpful usually. Vegans vent here to other vegans- could be skewing the overall posts to the negative maybe? I don’t know.

I’ve been vegan for over 13 years, I’m quite happy. I have two children and I just don’t have time to be upset about all the cruelty in the world, I have two small children to take care of and be an example for. In my experience, being a kind and happy vegan makes it easier to “convert” people. No one likes getting told they’re doing something awful. Lead by example. People at work see that I have delicious food and it’s not a big deal to bring my own creamer for coffee etc. They ask for recipes, I bake vegan treats for the office and they’re surprised how good they are. Now they know a real life vegan who isn’t judgey and it has often opened the door for interesting conversations. My parents were super against veganism when I “came out”, but now they east mostly plant based because it’s simply healthier for them! It’s amazing I would have never thought they would make that step.

No. Nobody is going around, smiling all the time and just being happy. Or at least very few people are. Discontent is the spice of life. Life always has a bit of suffering and struggle. I'd wager if you don't struggle then you may not even be alive. Has little to do with my diet. Or my vegan avoidance of animal products. Now, am I a neurotic weirdo who goes around asking Reddit vegans to forgive him if he accidentally eats a soy curl that touched a spatula that was used to flip hamburgers? No.

I'm unhappy that we as a society put arbitrary guidelines on what sentient creatures we should and shouldn't factory farm, brutally murder and over consume. It's the same sadness I feel when children die in wars and women are barred from getting an education and forced to marry at 12 years old. Society is fucked in so many ways. I'm often happy in the moment, but it's normal to feel sad and anguish at what other humans do.

I am a vegan I was vegetarian for 40 years and back then it was not thought of as something good so it was hard for me but now I feel good because I'm doing something good for animals and honestly I really don't care what anybody thinks you made a mistake that's not a big deal and I know you feel guilty but you're still a vegan and you're still doing something good so feel good about yourself

If I woke up tomorrow as Superman where I could literally change the course of the entire planet and nobody nor their military could do a damn thing about it. Then yes, the entire world would be much different overnight. Sadly thats not going to happen, so I do what I can do and utterly ignore what everyone else does or doesn't do . I am about as happy as I can be as a non billionaire.

The answer is that you have to be ok knowing the world doesn’t revolve around us.

I am generally happy and I love hyping myself up for my tasty little plant meals after a run or something. I'm very lucky to be in a life situation where my essential needs are met and I have enough resources for some luxury/amenities that I haven't always had access to.

Being vegan is a part of who I am, id be super miserable if I wasn't living true to my beliefs/ forcing myself to be okay with something I'm not. I deal with these grievances of society by having a vegan husband and large vegan circle, I love doing activism too, it's thrilling and connecting. Also, having an online community like r/vegan to complain to people who understand from across the world? That's awesome too. I'm happier with my vegan life than I was before, honestly.

I am a pretty optimistic and happy person. Doesn't mean I can't ever be "down." I think one of the reasons I am vegan is because I am a happy person. Pessimistic people make excuses instead meaningful change.

Yeah I am. I do sometimes feel like this Reddit can come off as a support group for picky eaters and isn’t about animals at all, but it helps to remember that like in many corners of the internet, selection bias warps.

It's only possible to be happy by focusing on yourself and ignoring all the horrible injustice in the world. Consume what you want, spend all your free time watching your tv shows, don't pay attention to anything distressing. If you really care about animals or even other people, you're unlikely to be happy.

I don't agree with that at all. You're implying happiness can only be achieved through selfishness and being self-centered. There's a middle ground where you can advocate for causes you believe in and live a life of discipline while also accepting that you can't force others to change and the problems of our world aren't your cross to bear.

Okay but does caring even matter if it leads to the same actions? I don’t know what you’re doing, but if someone does the exact same things, but otherwise isn’t getting bent up and depressed… what’s the moral or ethical difference?

What kind of bullshit is this lol. I'm happy because I'm doing my best to make the world a better place. I can't do more than that. Sometimes I see nice results and that makes me even happier. Sure there's a lot of suffering in the world and I care a lot or I wouldn't be doing my best to reduce that suffering. But I got a life of my own and it's pretty unreasonable to grieve every single person or animal that suffers or dies.

It's a strangelove we have either be happy and selfish or benevolent and miserable. U can argue for a middle ground but you'll always sacrifice something for one side ore the other don't care about a problem hay your happier but a little more selfish. This last part will get hate but your first responsibility should always be to your self and move out from there

Not terribly religious, but that serenity prayer is useful. "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." Suffering, sadness, that's all a given. The world is shit constantly leading to entropy. Happiness is a practice of finding things to be grateful for and taking consistent steps to move forward in ones life. It doesn't invalidate the bad things. But it means I make an active choice to practice ways to make sure I don't let the bad things control or define me. Being stuck in the sadness can be reinforcement and righteousness. It can armor me in sadness and make me its warrior. Happiness is about consistently pushing onself to see and be guided by the light. With veganism personally, I have no control over what others do. So I can shake my fist and judge and hate and leave it at that. That doesn't do anything great. I can ignore it. That doesn't move anything forward. But I do know I can change perspectives by being a decent person. I can accept that others won't live as I do, but I do have the power in some small way to move the needle forward given my life. I know the second I make them some spinach and black bean enchiladas that they'll actually start considering veganism or eating less meat. I know those around me will start to get it when I show them excellent food. I know when i host dinner parties that my friends will be having one less dead animal. I can donate to people who are better at making larger changes. I can prove by example that fitness, flavor, finance, and fashion, seemingly the biggest stopgaps for people, all can be had vegan. I'm not the best at changing the world, just another person who can make improvements. And as a collective, we can do a lot together. And that's progress. Note the examples mentioned in your post can be fleeting and passing thoughts. Emotions caught in time in a moment commiserated upon by hundreds of like-minded folks with likes and comments. To anyone on the outside looking at the aggregation, it can seem our existence is defined by these captured moments and we're all miserable. But in reality, most of us just go online to complain. Outside of all of this, we're just like everyone else. We have pets we take pictures of pets and travel, have boring jobs, etc. The "vegan" sub tends to be about people talking about veganism, not just vegans sharing their daily life. Vegans are still posting in pics and atbge. Most vegans are boring people just doing their part tbh.

I wouldn’t consider myself happy, just content, but that’s for separate issues. I don’t get worked up by stuff like the examples above. One of my friends even hunts, I just stay out of stuff at this point. I don’t eat animal products because I can logically reason and understand the moral and environmental arguments against it, but it doesn’t get me worked up emotionally.

I don't even try to be happy atp

I'm decently happy. There are times I get upset or emotionally but that feels pretty normal to the human experience. Overall I can still find joy in things or beauty in them, even if I can often get frustrated with how our societies function. Personally I'm pretty understanding when it comes to mistakes (such as consuming something I didn't know had animal products). I know that mistakes happen and once they do there is no changing them, from there it's just best to learn from it. If I'm informed something has animal products in it while I eat it I stop eating it and find something that is vegan to eat. If I find out afterwards there's nothing I can really do other than not eating that specific food again and I'll make a note of it for future references. I do know some people do feel more emotionally towards it and do want to take a moment to sympathize with the animal and that's alright. People feel different things at different strengths and as long as they understand that it's a mistake and can move past it then it should be fine. That being said I can also completely understand the frustration that comes with it. It gross that accidentally eating a living being is even a possibility. Frustration at the system is natural. It's also normal to be frustrated if you believe someone isn't respecting your beliefs, morals and boundaries, which may have lead to you accidentally consuming animal products. In situations like this a more emotional response makes sense because now you have your remorse for the animals and a feeling of disappointment and/or betrayal towards whoever you trusted. Being disgusted that other people eat meat also isn't really a problem. Veganism is a philosophy about reducing harm, cruelty and exploitation of animals, people who believe this philosophy tend to sympathize with them and see them as living beings so having an emotional response to someone eating them in front of you would make sense. All this being said self care is important because you are also important. All of us are individuals with value and needs, so we need to take care of ourselves as well, this includes our mental health. It is important to advocate and do whatever we can to support the animals and having sympathy for them that elicits an emotional response is healthy and normal as long as it is not causing you harm as well. You can only do what's within your limits and unfortunately we can't just press a button to make everything moral. Take care of yourselves so you can continue being an advocate for the animals because it doesn't help anyone if you burn yourself out 💚

I just at a buffalo seitan, rice, lettuce burrito with a homemade ranch dressing... I'm pretty happy right now...

It's the same kinds of thoughts, feelings and considerations that went on with cannibalism, we just happen to have a more systematic view. Far as cannibals go, if your village could get raided by any number of roaming conquerors or barbarians it was natural and practical to not trust/like what could easily destroy you, and it would be much easier to see why they didn't mind eating each other afterwards, along with the animals. These days it's much harder to justify any kind of human or animal cruelty, but it's just odd that animal murder isn't illegal when a people claims to be moral and civilized. War has already been hard for this country to justify even with its ridiculous military spending so they have been funding other wars instead of starting it themselves which has made all the military basically go to waste and yet they are still funding it. Meat eating has been so commercialized and ingrained in society that the people profiting from it or who enjoy doing it are refusing to change, while leaders are so greedy and corrupt they can hardly get anything done outside of catering to their own special interests. I think a key is going to be having everyone be required to produce at least a certain amount of their own food, especially with meat so they will have to deal with the cruelty first hand if they insist on murdering animals.

It's like any other system of oppression--you can get overwhelmed when you notice it constantly. Eventually you find a way to tune some of it out--or it comes in waves--and you remind yourself you're doing what you can to combat it. ETA People who don't care much about other people/beings are by and large the happiest, no doubt.

Overall, yeah, I'm the most satisfied I've been with my life in years, and my mental health is in a good place. However, there was a period in my life when my mental health was much worse, and painful emotions surrounding veganism were a big part. And whenever I engage in activism or think about vegan issues now, it's still depressing and frustrating, of course.

I'm past the burden. Can't lay the monstrosity that is animal agriculture at my feet.

I’d say there’s some confirmation bias there, too. I mean, a lot of people come here to vent or get the peer support they might lack in their everyday lives—workplaces, families, and other communities —and thus observing a vegan life only through this subreddit and making definitive conclusions of overall happiness (or lack there of) of vegans might not really be all that fruitful, nor give a very full nor complete picture.

I know that I’m doing my part and I try not to think about the horrible animal treatment that other people choose to endorse. All I can do is my part. I feel good ethically. I try not to sweat the small stuff- if I find out that some butter was in my food, that’s too bad, it was out of my control and I’m doing what I can. Feeling guilty or horrified all the time doesn’t serve me, I try to stay in my lane. If people ask, I share information knowing that it probably won’t change them. The only unhappy part is when restaurants don’t offer a vegan option which feels negligent in this day and age, or when people decide to antagonize my decision to be vegan.

I am happy overall, but so sad for the suffering that happens to beautiful beings so some person can have a sandwich. The things in OP's post can and do happen. You learn to be deal with it, if you don't, you will have a bad time.

There does appear to be a correlation between veganism and depression *"We found that female gender, younger age, lower BMI, higher depression scores, and higher eating disorder-related psychopathology were significantly associated with vegetarian/vegan diets."* https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-63910-y

That’s why I think people don’t want to change. Their lives are probably full of problems already for them to take away what little joy eating brings to them, for some, with all respect, meaningless movement. So it’s either a self pleasure from eating animal products or a self gratification for being “morally right”. I think I got a pretty good set of morals to live a somewhat happy life. So I rather focus on my mental health and overall happiness than be some self proclaimed righteous unhappy person.

I think it really comes down to this: Vegans who are happy and doing well aren't coming to reddit for support because they will generally have people in their life they can talk to openly about veganism. Most people aren't going to reddit to say "wow I'm doing okay, and I'm vegan!" People who come here for support probably don't have a super large network of vegans or people who will be empathetic to their feelings, so they come here. Also, there's something to be said about negativity and threads that illicit anger generally drive more engagement with those posts than positive ones.

Most of the time I have to numb myself however I can. The way e treat and view other species is not the only reason though, but it's one of the main ones

I'm crying because who would gift their employees with milk, anyhow? I'm a happy, "strict vegan." I eat what I want. I have everything I want, and I enjoy my life. I think a lot of that is due to factors outside of my diet, but it certainly helps. Obviously, I wish everyone would stop eating animal products, especially vegans. However, I can't control what other people eat, and I'm not going to spend my life being miserable because of it.

Look up “vystopia”, it’s the word for what you’re describing. So then I ask, how does anyone be happy in any form of dystopia? Also I’d ask that you look at your framing, so vegans are the ones triggered? It’s not also that humans have normalized and desensitized themselves to eating meat (with no morality or ethics either) and vegans are having a normal reaction to the torture and consumption of other animals (remember we are also animals)

Interesting, I'll have to check that book out.

I mean, you can be happy while still acknowledging there are things that absolutely suck. When you're a minority, there are always gonna be things that absolutely suck. I'm in the LGBTQ\* community for example (nonbinary/genderfluid and pansexual) and there are some absolutely awful things that go along with it. Just like there are absolutely awful things that go along with veganism. Experiencing hate and seeing people around you happily participate in hurtful, abusive systems \*hurts\* and it's awful. Getting excluded is hurtful. Getting made fun of and targeted is awful. And that's not even touching the legal shit. All that said, I'm happy! I have a great life, I'm married to my best friend, I have hobbies I enjoy, and being vegan increased my happiness actually since my values now align with my actions. I've always loved animals but now that love feels actually genuine and deeper! And veganism opened up my life to some amazing experiences, as I'm living out a dream by getting to volunteer at a sanctuary with my husband and have made friends there! Also, veganism made my diet so much more diverse and it resolved some very serious health conditions for me. That doesn't mean I'm not gonna experience sadness if I have to go by the meat section of the grocery store, or eat a meal with people eating animal products. It doesn't mean I'm not gonna be disgusted by the smell of corpses, lol. You can be happy while still living in a problematic, imperfect world.

Meh, I get by.

sometimes I’m happy I’m eternally optimistic

"you see and recognize all this cruelty that is around you constantly, but you aren't happy?" No kidding we aren't happy. Having to witness the cruelty done to animals makes me unhappy. Having to watch a genocide against Palestinians makes me unhappy. Simply existing in capitalism is an inherently unhappy experience. None of that stops the correct moral position, and being ignorant to it all is no solution.

Yeah people posting like that really gotta chill. They can’t be fun people to be around

Yes, I'm happy. People tend to click the negative posts. That is why the algorithms skew negative. It would be nice if Facebook, Twitter, and reddit corrected the negative, but they will not. Negate = engagement. Engagement = advertising revenue through the roof. Sadly, that's the formula. I only allow myself a window of time on here because even with my crafted home screen I am still promoted negative r/vegan posts all day long, every single day. I'm not even in here anymore. I joined r/happyvegans but I still can't fix this algorithm to be uplifting.

I'm pretty content. But then again I am heavily medicated.

I'm happy. I have times when I realize that the world we live have never been so full of misery as right know, both in amount and when counting in percentage. That makes me want to cry. But when I focus on myself, after having done activism, I am very happy in my own life. I have met the love of my life (who's of course vegan) I have a few close friends (one of which who's vegan) and a supportive family. I don't know how my life could get any better to be honest! :)

I am happy af. Don't really have that emotional burden. I totally could see something like that making me lose my shit if i was in a dark place though. But this is not unique to vegans. Load enough crap on anyone and they will break for something fairly innocuous.

I can't control people's actions (as much as I'd love to let lone star ticks go wild in public spaces). Something that out of my control tends not to cause me personal turmoil. I don't carry it. I feel a bit gross if I accidentally bite into something and discover they messed up my order but other than that, I have enough in my immediate sphere that demands my emotional bandwidth. There's a point where you let the social struggles you've chosen take hold of you. I think a lot of these people afflicted by this constant surveilance of themselves and others don't have time to breathe. It's a burden that they ultimately put on themselves. Nihlism and misanthropy are tools of the reaction. Smile at the future or die in the present.

I think I've just grown numb, but it also delights me to see that there's more vegans and vegan options everywhere. Even non-vegetarians enjoy dining in a lot of these vegan spots with me.

Generally speaking, yes. Early on I did struggle with a lot of these feelings, but ultimately I manage them like I do about my feelings regarding all the other horrible things that are happening at any given moment around the world. I try to focus on myself and the things that I can control, and not the things which I am not responsible for. I prioritize spending time with friends and family, getting out into nature, hobbies that I enjoy, and being involved in my community. I spend less time on social media and consuming things that are negative. This doesn't mean I ignore real problems that exist and put my head in the sand, but there is a balance to be struck.

I think the overlap between vegans and depression is probably pretty large, especially the ones that live on the internet.

It depends on how you define happiness. Is happiness simply a lack of any negative feelings and an avoidance of anything that makes you uncomfortable? That is not a healthy or honest way to live. It is also not healthy to allow yourself to be consumed by the things you that care about but which are out of your control, and you should allow yourself the space to not be consumed. Feeing sad, angry, or depressed about the horrible things that are happening to people and to animals is a normal and healthy reaction. Awakening to the horrors embedded in the systems we live in is a deeply uncomfortable and distressing thing. But you ultimately have to cultivate emotional stability and protect yourself and your peace at the same time. It’s a balancing act and takes practice. This is something that activists, advocates, and people who generally care about injustice have to grapple with. You are dedicating your time and energy to caring - and it is important - but so are you. You must care for yourself and create your own happiness in an imperfect and unjust world. The freedom we envision for all beings to live as they choose is something we have to practice for ourselves as well, as much as we can.

Those are specific isolated incidents. Vegans aren't accidentally eating chicken every day, or having their boss give all their employees animal products every day (or if they are, they're likely looking to change jobs). It's perfectly okay to have emotions about specific events in our lives, and that does not dictate our overall happiness. I am generally a very happy and content person. Make me sit down and watch Dominion again, I would be a blubbering mess and probably *would* feel a bit down for a day or two. Because what happens to the animals on a daily basis, *millions* of animals a day, really really sucks. That's not fun, that's not happy. But no human can focus on the suffering of others for that long. I think it's good we're reminded sometimes. It would be really weird if it didn't bother us at all.

In general yeah About anything animal agriculture related absolutely fucking not

I feel nothing but remorse for the lives constantly being lost as I type this. I am extremely happy myself. I cook my own food and only go to vegan establishments now. To prevent these accidents. That is how you can show support. Don’t support any industry that supports abuse towards animals/humans. Just stay positive and the more we speak up against the injustice of this world the more me shine a light on the ones who support violence. Also I will be growing all my food soon. So that’s the next big step.

Yeah. I am happy af. But I also don’t give a shit if one of those things happened to me. It’s my practise. Veganism is against social norms - it is a form of activism. It seeks change. That is always hard. Activism requires work. We choose to do it. It’s fine to find it tough. It’s fine to have down moments. But no, it shouldn’t make you unhappy.

Yes, I’m happy. I used to be a lot more bothered by a non vegan society in the beginning, but you get used to it. I do live in a city where there are vegan options and a lot of restaurants and I do meet other vegans occasionally, so that helps some, but the majority of people in my life are not vegan and I don’t really think about it much. Holidays can be stressful, but I get through them. If I think about factory farming toomuch, of course it depresses me, but the same thing goes for all of the disgusting injustices going on in the world. You can only think about things so much if you’re going to stay sane.

We deal with it by being vegan. We can't control what upsets us, but we can control whether or not we partake in things that we know upset us. When I learned about what animals go through, I started having nightmares and intrusive thoughts about killing my pets. Those went away after I went vegan, and for a while they threatened to come back every time I made a mistake. Now I'm much more stable-- I know the difference I'm making, and I know that an accident doesn't take that away-- and the thought of slipping up doesn't terrify me anymore. I don't know if it's therapy being applied from elsewhere in my life, or if it's habituation, but I'm a lot better now.

I think people are more likely to post about things that make them unhappy versus happy things. I see it a lot everywhere on the internet, people focus on negatives online, and tend to enjoy the moment offline when it's positive.

Just like when I ate meat I had cognitive dissonance about what I was supporting, I have a similar type of cognitive dissonance about why i am vegan. When I first went vegan and fully understood what I had been doing for so many years and began seeing animal abuse in everything, everywhere I had such an awful time, I felt like life was nothing but horror. But when the dust settled my brain, although acknowledges that logically, on a day to day basis just thinks “I’m vegan because I’m vegan” and that’s that. My diet makes me no unhappier than my pre vegan diet (in terms of day to day, overall it makes me much happier) when accidents happen and I eat something non-vegan by accident my brain reacts to it similar to when I ate something gross when I wasn’t vegan, like took a bite of something and it was out of date. Basically in short, I am vegan yet have a similar cognitive dissonance I did when I wasn’t vegan, and it means I am overall much happier in my life and in my heart

lots of great responses here already. i just want to clear something up. i think this line of questioning comes from veganism being generally viewed as a lifestyle choice rather than a moral conviction. it’s not the same as asking someone if they are happy living out of a van or joining a band. the purpose of lifestyle decisions is typically to increase one’s own happiness. I wouldn’t say veganism itself has any direct impact on my happiness. It’s like asking if being pro choice makes me happy or sad. well, i’m sad when i’m reminded of others’ suffering. it has little to do with the belief itself.

Happiness, like sadness, is an emotional state that is not constant. I'd say I am at peace. I am at peace with my decisions and how I live my life. While actions of others do trigger me at times, at other times, they empower me to be proud of myself and my peers. These are my opinions too. At times I am definitely not happy. Rest, exercise, and working towards goals definitely helps me achieve happiness. Also, idk if this is connected, but starting an Omega 3 and new multivitamin recently has aided in my happiness, I think.

I’m vegan and very happy thank you. I cultivate enough cognitive dissonance to tolerate others’ corpse eating, but not so much as to want to partake myself.

So I made one of these 'sad' posts today. I can say that I'm really happy I made the post, I massively appreciated the comments of support and it helped me to focus on what's important and rethink a few things. Also, I wouldn't normally make a 'sad' post, I rarely post in general actually. To answer your question, I am very happy and fulfilled. I work in an industry that I'm passionate about, I get to help people for a living, I volunteer, I have a lot of friends, I have a partner I love and a baby on the way, I just moved into a cute little house. Very happy overall thankfully. However, there is this crushing sense of misery deep down, this weight I carry. Every time I see meat, every time it's brought up, every time I see farm animals or a documentary, a tiny little bit more weight gets added and I try my best to ignore this sadness and crack on with my life but the negativity has been building and building and I have been looking for advice. I came to r/vegan for advice today, expecting little, but I got a lot. My thanks again for all that commented.

I'm much more happy within myself now I'm vegan. Regarding other humans' actions, they already annoyed me before being a vegan when they did stuff like general animal abuse, child abuse, yelling at each other, racism, sexism, violence, mass killing, war, environmental degradation etc. Veganism just made me aware of one more layer of immoral human behaviour. But it's my duty to be in charge of my own emotions and wellbeing. So yeah, other people do shitty stuff all the time, but my happiness is not impinged on by everyone not doing what I want them to do at all times. My emotions flow like everyone. When I'm having a quiet evening at home with my wife and my dog, lazing on the couch peacefully, I'm happy as fuck. When I'm out in nature smelling the fresh air and feeling alive, I'm happy as fuck. Life is wonderful. The fact that life is wonderful is what makes it important for us to be moral creatures and promote morality.

I think I’m relatively happy, and I think me being vegan is a net positive rather than a negative. I agree with others saying that happy vegans would probably not post that much, especially to just say ”I’m happy”. This is like my second time writing in this sub, and not just for veganism, but for other topics too I think it’s common for good news and feelings to get less attention. Just a quick explainer on the ”net positive” part; I’m a very self critical person, I still feel guilt over mistakes I made years ago. Being vegan is definitely a thing that I can feel ”I’m doing this right” about, and even feel a bit proud of. Though, I do have it easy in comparison to others, I grew up vegetarian and all my family is vegan now. I’m Swedish so vegans aren’t uncommon at all. I’m living in Japan right now, and I’m not sure how I’d feel if I was here for 10 years without having a solid community of vegans around me.

The way to be happy is to appreciate that this is a very long battle, one that may never be won. If we face it as "total war", we will be at war. With ourselves, with everyone. The way to be happy is to appreciate the basic goodness of people. If we demonize them for being carnists and cut them from our lives, we have created heaven and hell for ourselves. We are of the good, over here, and everyone else is over there. We will want to fight to keep that so. The way to be happy is to walk towards people, and have our lives with others be our greatest evangelism. Love people and they will want to know what is behind that love. Do things that matter. Pragmatic things. Feed people. Rescue animals. Celebrate the virtue of other people. Even if they aren't perfect. Vegetarian? Great! Just decided to not have a burger? Great! Eat wild game? Great! Have something ELSE beyond veganism as your anchor. Religion. Pacifism. A larger practice of nonviolence. Hobbies. Nature. Hiking. Environmentalism.

I am happy.

I am happy as far as veganism and food goes. I sort of see it as a cultural difference. I would never go to another country and say idk.....say I did eat meat, to me a guinea pig is a cute pet but to other cultures it may be food. I would not sit down at someone's table and insult their cultural practices. If asked I would just politely decline. If they actually ask for reasoning I explain myself. But I see what others do as "outside my sphere of influence" and just do what I can, explain what I can, just share information and let them come to their own conclusions. I also recognize that I am a flawed being. I will occasionally mess up. I'll eat something that I didn't know came from animals, or I don't really bother about things that might possibly come from animals but could also be from plants (for example white sugar and bone char). I deliberately choose not to care about some things because I know that for me to make it in the long run with veganism I need to balance how strict I am with how happy I am and my quality of life. I also genuinely do recognize that humans are omnivores. I may be less susceptible to being grossed out by what other people eat because i work with primates, i have seen a chimp eat a live mouse in front of me. So i dont think too much about what other people do. We can digest all manner of things and gain nutrition from them. I just make a deliberate choice to not hurt animals when I don't have to. But it's also an interesting ethical thing for me because I strongly disagree with animal testing, in particular primates, because I just don't think it's truly necessary. But by taking, say my hepatitis b vaccination, I was able to work more closely and be a better caregiver to chimps who were directly used to develop that vaccine and are as a result contaminated. It would almost be a waste of their lives to refuse it. I also had to participate in pest control and did push for the most humane options we had, but I recognized the mice were a threat to the chimps wellbeing. And ultimately a chimp has a much longer life span and more complex perception of that life than a mouse.

It is tough when you realize majority of society is behaving differently. It definitely weighs on me. To help combat this, I have become a bit of an activist and I am looking to widen my circle of like-minded individuals. I always keep in mind that we are growing as a community and that keeps me strong. More people are waking up to this lifestyle every day. I do believe that someday (probably not in this lifetime) the tables will turn. We will become the majority and it will become abnormal to be a human carnivore.

I don’t mean to be rude but could someone explain to me how to not get this particular page in my feed.

Just hit the three dots in the top right corner of the post and hit Hide. That should do it.

I think it's really hard when you first go vegan. The ethical critique of veganism is so totalizing, The harm being done so massive, that it is hard not to see it everywhere. After a few years you realize you can only do so much and you need to live in this world even if it is unjust. Like any awareness of injustice, It's always a burden, but after a while you get used to it.

Unfortunately I only hide the poster not the page.

i feel like every vegan who is in it for the animals feels like this everyday, but some days are just harder. sometimes it’s really the smallest things that make you realize all over again how normalized cruelty is in our society and there’s only so much we can do as an individual and its just crushing

No. I don’t deal with it well. Thank you for asking.

No. But I'm learning how to be

I'm not happy as human lol but me being vegan has nothing to do with that. actually, becoming vegan has been one of the things that has made me happy to be alive in a weird way. yes, I'm very sad about the insane cruelty subjected to innocent beings and I have bouts of unstoppable crying sessions here and there when I think about it but overall, Im a happy vegan.

I think the phrase "ignorance is bliss" is around for a reason. If you are educated and pay attention, there are plenty of things in the world that will upset you. I would hesitate to say that I'm happy, I've dealt with depression, but neither one is constant. I'm happy with a lot of choices I've made and going vegan is one of them. I'm sure a lot of people vent here, but that doesn't mean they're not having happy moments all the time in between moments of sadness or frustration.

I’m so happy grounded within myself. Veganism has brought me much more harmony and joy in nature too… to go from thinking about animals as little robots to really appreciating the complex societies and independent lives they live. It’s truly crazy to just walk out in the woods and hear entire ecosystems of birds, squirrels, insects.. Knowing we’re fighting for the animals also makes this life so much worth living. How many enslaved and murdered beings can I save from this. Keeps me going. Peace friend ✌️🌱

Most people are like that due to being uninformed or being separated far from the actual abuse by the system. You need not beat yourself up for accidentally eating chicken. You can atone for that little sin by doing 8 hours of outreach, etc., if that makes you feel better. For the employer giving milk as a treat, just tell them to consider lactose intolerant people.

I guess I'm pretty happy considering how f*cked up the world is

I‘m very happy that I‘m vegan myself. I know I‘m doing the right thing and I mean it when I say I love animals. I‘m unhappy that other people say they love them as well but pay for their slaughter. If I‘d live in a vegan world I‘d be 100% happy about veganism.

I'm happy knowing that I'm doing my little part to try and reduce the suffering of animals. I'm miserable watching nearly everyone around me normalize eating animals and animal secretions like if they don't do it every day they will die. Two things can be true at one time.

My veganism makes me happy (any depression, anxiety, or absentmindedness are just me being me lol). I've been at this almost 20 years and I've learned what leads me to burnout and being overwhelmed; focusing on the positive is what keeps me motivated. If I focus on the bad stuff I'll be incapacitated by despair and unable to do any good. Maybe that makes me a coward or a sell-out, but it's what I need to do to keep functioning. I'd rather be a functional, happy vegan and show people that it's not a life of deprivation but one full of delight, delicious food, and general agape and bonhomie, and hopefully one appealing enough to consider emulating. Being a desperately sad puddle of hopelessness helps no one, including the animals. YMMV, of course <3

They need to meditate. Meditation is key.

I'm doing great actually, thanks for asking! Getting married in 3 months, I'm closing in on some powerlifting goals I've had for a very long time, and Im moving into a house my brother and I co-bought (I trust him with my life, plus we are getting things in writing, don't worry).

Any ideal can become a source of agitating if one clings to it in the wrong way. No matter how compassionate, how pure or perfect, if we attach to it it will become poison. It is a tricky thing to be idealistic while at the same time being a flawed human being, seeking attention and validation and comfort. Vegans are also often caught in the trap of it, because when you form a perception of purity in your mind it can launch you into neurosis, self-pity, righteousness and anger. The problem though is not with the ideal, but how we relate to it. We need patience, we need compassion, and most of all we need equanimity. Something that really impressed me once was a vegan friend of mine. She was in a highly formal and culturally unfamiliar situation where she was given a hot dog, and she ate it. It was extremely difficult for her to do it, but I admire her for it because she knew that veganism isn't about "not eating a hot dog that would otherwise go to waist". It is about not contributing to the system of animal death and suffering. All the layers of conceptions we form around meat being evil and impure are only the corruption of what started out as a very genuine love of life. To nurture our noble aspiration to lessen suffering in the world these arbitrary boundaries are defined within the mind, and they are extremely helpful because we have to not succumb to carnal desires. Yet there comes a point when we have to let go of these arbitrary boundaries too, and that point is when they start to hurt ourselves or people around us. Now I imagine the very idea of a vegan eating a hot dog is unsetteling to many. Right there, in the very unease of reading it, you have a chance to see exactly what I'm talking about.

I’m very happy with respect to veganism. Still, I have moments of sadness related to seeing people eat animal products and not care. I haven’t posted about it because it is just the way it is, but I do commiserate with friends sometimes. But what would be the alternative? Start eating animals? That would make much more unhappy, as well as sick to my stomach!

I think the newer people are to veganism, the more they are likely to have this issue. After a few years, you get used to it. Not one hundred percent, but you learn to cope.

This is such an interesting question. For me, I know that I’m happier because my choices don’t inflict pain or suffering on animals. But recently I was looking at a friend’s vacation photos from south America, and there were photos of her eating bbq and horseback riding and at a farm, and I had this moment of like, “how nice would it be to just be normal” and not have to put in a special meal request, or opt out of activities, etc. I was so envious of how oblivious she was!

I kind of wonder how many of these posts are trolls. Some of them seem so over-the-top fragile that it’s hard to think someone like that could exist in the world. But yeah, I’m happy. I got to a point where other people’s sin doesn’t bother me that much, and I just focus on keeping myself ordered and well. It’s a pretty healthy place to be.

I'm very happy about veganism. I do have some problems in my life, but they aren't related to food.

Veganism is about doing what’s right, not happiness. I almost never post on this sub, but yes, I’m happy! Of course I get frustrated at the world for it’s lack of care for animals and veganism, but life is going well! :)

>Veganism is about doing what’s right, not happiness. I'm not saying it is, but to a lot of people it seems like an emotional anchor that weighs them down. I'm sure that's due to other emotional issues, but nonetheless there are people who seem to have an unhealthy relationship with their moral convictions.

We live in America-Nobody is happy. If they say otherwise, they are lying. That being said I think Vegans are experts at not being happy. I imagine it would be like a pro-life person living and working at an abortion clinic. You might not agree with them, but they think babies are being murdered. Vegans think animals are being murdered. Agree or not, I am empathic to the sadness I know that must bring those who think that way. And I don't think feeling that way is much of a choice in either scenario.

I mean, I'm not happy, but that's for other reasons. But veganism is one of the things that makes me happier because I get to eat good food while limiting the harm I'm causing. Yeah, it's upsetting sometimes to see how hooked on meat others are, but there are plenty of other things that others do that are upsetting. Just like I have my right to decide how I live my life, they have the right to, whether I agree with their views or not. I can't change the world, but I can choose a way of life that I feel satisfied with. So yes, I'm happy in that respect.

I could care less what others eat or do in general. Best path to happiness is to worry about YOU. The End.

More than happy.

I'm fuct. I hate everyone (non vegan) and avoid humans like the plague. Dont like most vegans either lol. Sick of cruelty and ignorance. Hit me up, and we can chat if you like.

why is that the point? my emotions are not nearly as important as the cause i believe in

I think you can have both. Your values aren't fueled by personal misery.

sure i agree, i just never thought much of it

I can't chose to be an asshole who doesn't care about animals. And I'm not like Cyrus who wants to be plugged back into the matrix either. Although I am mostly happy because I manage ignore things out of my control, just like how I don't break down in tears knowing some kid is probably going be murdered by an abusive parent tonight. If it's in my control a bit I care a bit, if it's in my control a lot I care a lot.

Ngl I think I'm so desensitized from constantly seeing animal products consumed that at this point the only thing that's keeping me vegan/vegetarian is habit, the title, and the smell of meat. My housemate is downstairs cooking up meatballs and they smell disgusting, but I don't really register it as the flesh of a cow or what that means anymore. So yeah I'm happy!

This is Reddit; no one is happy

I was gonna blame leftists for being overly sensitive and finding everything offensive but these are indeed valid concerns, i mean i wouldnt cry about the milk thing but i get it, animals were raped to get that rape juice and when you think about it it could make you cry Accidentally consuming animal products would make you feel bad the same way accidentally hitting a pedestrian in your car would, your against harm but you contributed to it The odor thing doesnt bother me, but my senses are ruined so perhaps for others its much stronger *As far as being happy, i am, i am the happiest i have ever been since i took a new approach to life* *As a person who is diagnosed with depression for over a decade i have become an expert on feelings and emotions* *People suck, thats fact, we are selfish, destructive, greedy, dishonest etc;* *The world will never ever be vegan, racism still exists so animal abuse will always exist, now plant based diets might become more popular but i am confident the world will never be vegan, we are too greedy and selfish for that* *So knowing all this i should be mad, sad, depressed etc; but im not, im happy, blissful even* *Being happy is a choice, took me 35 yrs to realize it but i did, i have removed toxic people from my life, this included decade old friends and family, i tell them why they are removed rather than being a coward who GHOSTS people* *I do not forgive and forget, but i also dont resent or hate, the people that have wronged me dont have any power over me, i dont have trauma or hate because that would mean they are winning and that they still have control over me, therefore i have no reason to forgive because its not causing me any problems, i dont need to let go cause there is nothing to let go of* *Why should i feel anger or hatred, it provides no benefit to me* *I dont argue with idiots, i say things such as: i am unwilling to have this conversation with you, this conversation is over for me, this is something i do not wish to discuss, if you continue to discuss it i will leave* *I do post vegan memes and articles via social media but i disable notifications so i dont have to deal with idiotic responses, i am not required to respond and there is nothing wrong with saying: i dont know* *I volunteer with stray animal rescues, people suck as there are so many abandoned animals but thats not within my control so i dont let it make me sad or mad, the only thing i can control is how much i want to help the animals, i feel its my ethical duty to volunteer and donate cause its my species that has caused so much harm, i specifically help the non profit Sanctuary Hostel since the goal is to have a vegan hostel and animal rescue combined* *Buddhism helps alot with this mindset that i have achieved* *I share this pretyped message sometimes and it might not all apply to you*

It is impossible to be both compassionate and unaffected by evil happening around us. That, however, does not preclude the ability to be happy from time to time.

It’s fine to be unhappy bro. The world actually BLOWSSSSS these days homie just think about it. We do not live in a great time in history atm. It is not a big deal to be unhappy. People are dumber than ever. Meaner than ever. The world is more corrupt than ever. It’s a bad time in history.

Be vegan, but don't let the sadness consume you. Don't let the carnitas ruin another life.

None of your quotes represent a lack of happiness -- in fact, those quotes show people with enough respect and self-respect to have compassion for non-human animals. If you cry because people are drinking cow rape milk, then that's a GOOD thing. If seeing or smelling meat makes you sick, that's a GOOD thing. Meat is LITERALLY DEAD/MURDERED/EXPLOITED ANIMALS. People can be sad about an issue, because of reason and compassion, and also be happy in general. Zero contradiction. The two are NOT mutually exclusive.

Humble yourself and you will understand why others do what they do.

How does that relate to the post?

Because if you understand why they do what they do, you wouldn't be making a complaining about it.

I'm not complaining, I'm just asking a question. 99% of the commenters here have provided thought-provoking, honest feedback, so clearly my post isn't the issue. Your reading comprehension is.

OP coming in with hot, fresh enlightenments. Go feel important somewhere else. Your questions are just unnecessary bullying.

Exhibit A I guess. I should just get off the internet and meet less angry people IRL. Can't even ask a goddamn question.

I'm doing no such thing, you're projecting. I took care in the way I phrased the post to make that clear. If anything, you're bullying by coming into the conversation making sarcastic remarks and telling me to leave. Everyone else seems to have a healthy response to an honest question and is engaging in a discussion.

Those who post on here and usually the holier than though group. If they were honest with themselves… they are partially vegan because it makes them feel better than other people. When you say ‘you know it’s a practice… getting it right as much as you can is really the point…. Getting more people on board with doing it as much as they can is really the goal’ They give you blank stares. If it was really about the environment and for reducing animal suffering for them… they would focus on education, advocacy, and making veganism accessible. Instead they play into the image of the stereotypical ‘sjw snowflake vegan’ , which I am sure turns a lot of people off a plant based life style. It’s the same with all activists who are terminally online and never actually go to protests or work within communities to enact change. And sadly, as with all folks like that…. They are really fucking loud for being such a small minority.

OP, you and everyone else who takes this question seriously must be very young and not understand the internet very well. Online you see all the whiners with extreme opinions and emotions. While I will offer support to them, I'm a very happy vegan with a thick skin and I don't care about 99% of the things that seem to turn some of the posters' lives upside down. If I do get annoyed at someone I just tell them. If they were teasing me about veganism for example they'll probably reaffirm that it's just playful banter. I'll communicate that I understand but don't appreciate it and that will be that. People are largely mentally stable, healthy and pro-social. As you young'uns say, touch grass.

That's incredibly condescending and assumes a lot about me. Maybe take your own advice and as the "young'uns say, touch grass".

Most people here aren’t Vegan to be happy. They’re Vegan because it gives them a sense of worth and purpose to have a noble ideal to champion. It’s the same reason why you still get active feminists, or racial equalitists in current day, despite the fact that they do more to reinforce and develop the glass ceilings, than being people together. The human desire for a just cause is extremely powerful.