Ask A Nice Vegan

I’m Sad About Animals All The Time

I am a committed animal rights activist, but the feeling of hopelessness I have about this cause is starting to get to me…

Photo by Elmira Gokoryan on Unsplash

Dear Nice Vegan,

I’m a committed animal rights activist. I stopped eating meat when I was seven — moments after my mom explained that chicken was actually, well, chickens — and never looked back, going fully vegan when I was 16. I have attended protests, vigils, and I have an Instagram account devoted to vegan activism (and occasionally a delicious vegan donut). I don’t work full-time for animal rights, but I spend many nights and weekends volunteering for animal-rights organizations, and my social life is dominated by mingling with other activists (usually at protests and vegan events).

My problem is that… I’m really sad. All the time.

I think constantly about the people around me who still eat meat and seemingly approve of the torture and cruelty inflicted on animals by the industrial animal farming industry. I want to scream every time one of my few remaining non-vegan friends posts something about homeless dogs or a petition to stop someone from shooting tigers when they still eat meat every single day. I know I’m alienating people I love (because…