Maybe you're listening to your body when you should be talking with your mind.

Originally, I was going to continue with my FAQ posts but the past week's ex-vegan announcements have inspired me to take a break from this series.

As I mentioned above, recently two ex-vegans announced their departure from the vegan world citing, "I need to listen to my body" as a reason to abandon veganism.  Well, guess who your body listens to?  Your mind!  If you think that veganism is bad for you, your body will follow suit.  If we want anything to change, be it our health, the rights of others, or the world, we need to start with our minds, and we need to be self-critical.  We need to ask ourselves questions like, are we just deflecting responsibility, following others, being lazy, or a combination of all of the above?

I know self-criticism isn't fun.  I posted my own self-criticisms earlier this week and I'm not proud of what I confessed.  I am not happy with the mistakes that I have made and I am not happy with the time that I have lost, but with these realizations I have made up my mind to fix what I have been doing wrong.  In this certainty, I know that good things will happen. 

When thinking about this old idea of mind over matter, I am reminded of an experience from when I first went vegan.  Upon my first trip home as a vegan, my genuinely concerned dad said, "You lost weight."  I argued but I thought nothing of it.  Or so I thought.

That night when I looked in the mirror, I saw a skeleton.  At my apartment, I only have a mirror that shows me my neck and up.  So when I looked at my vegan body for the first time (post-"You lost weight" comment), I grimaced at my all-too-obvious-collarbone.  My ribs protruded through my torso so much that I could feel them through my skin.  I was sure that I had lost some curves and I was just as sure that I had gotten paler.

I thought, "First thing tomorrow I'm weighing myself to see how much weight I've lost."

Morning came and I stepped on the scale.  117.  I was 114 before I went vegan!

I remember strutting up the stairs, trying, though failing, to contain my pride as I told my dad, "I gained 3 pounds!"

He replied, "Good!"  

That night when I looked in the mirror, I looked just as I always remembered.  My bones were properly concealed and my curves still curved.  My skin was the same shade and my hair and eyes were shiny.

From this experience I considered the following: 

1. The way the world (i.e. the media) narrowly defines "health" and "beauty" and the way this affects how millions of people see, think, and ultimately feel about themselves.  
2. I am lucky to feel "acceptable" when faced with ridiculous standards just like I was lucky to be presented with a clear vegan message before being asked to contribute too much time and money to an unclear one. 
3. How we perceive things depends almost entirely on what goes on in our minds.  This includes our health.  We are all responsible for the ideas and actions that result from our perceptions.  

So, should a person tell me they tried veganism but they got sick, I will aspire to respond with "I'm sorry to hear that", and the usual list of questions and suggestions.  Regardless, my brain will always tell me that the only deficiency is in the person's mind.  This isn't meant to be judgmental or in any way unkind, but I believe this to be true.    

My honest suggestion to those interested in health, animal rights, human rights, global issues, and a more peaceful world, is to educate yourself on The Abolitionist Approach.  With a clear message, your mind can be clear as well, and there is nothing in the world healthier than that.