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I’m not the best person to give advice on how to find your community of vegan friends but I will try my best.Â
So…
Before you go out and meet new people you need to know yourself and what you stand for. Nowadays we all feel like we need to be super PC about our interests and beliefs so that no one gets triggered.
Well, guess what? There will always be someone who will get offended by your words and actions.
Get very clear on what you want from people and what you can give to them. Thinking that you need to change to fit into a group will only make things harder.
Whenever I hang out with other vegans I feel like I need to be careful with what I say. After all, a pink-haired socialist is not my ideal audience and therefore has little in common with me.
Yet although I don’t say much, I don’t shy away when asked about something.Â
It’s different when you want to meet vegan friends, though. I may have to be quiet about my political leanings when I do activism with other people, but it’s different when you are trying to build relationships.
That’s when shit gets real.Â
If you don’t know what you’re looking for you will be satisfied with just about anything. You must have a clear vision of who you want in your close circle of friends and why.
It seems like we usually think that because someone is vegan we automatically have to like each other. While it’s important we share values, there is so much more to friendships than just who we don’t eat.
- What are your interests outside of animal rights? What do you like talking about with others?
- What are the important traits that someone in your friends’ group must have? What don’t you like about people?
- What do you expect from friends? What can you offer?
Before you go and find your community, you must first know yourself.Â
Like I said before if you don’t know what you want you will be satisfied with anything. That may sound good but it’s actually bad.Â
Have standards, have a checklist and be wary of who you let in your life. Yes, it would be nice to have a big group of vegan buddies but at what cost?
Don’t change yourself to fit inside an already established group of friends. Do you and eventually you will bump into those who are similar.Â
It’s just how life works.
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Tanja
