When you first discover the truth about factory farming, it feels urgent. Like a secret you need to share with everyone. Now.
Thirteen years ago, that was me. Fresh from watching those videos, reading those books. I thought if people just knew what I knew, they'd have to change.
I'd sit at dinner parties, making everyone uncomfortable with graphic descriptions of slaughterhouses. Looking back, I probably put more people off veganism than I converted.
These days, I rarely mention it unless asked. Not because my convictions have weakened - they haven't. I still find the meat industry morally repugnant. I still think most people choose willful ignorance about where their food comes from.
But I've learned that change doesn't come from making people defensive. It comes from living your principles quietly and waiting for others to ask why.
The funny thing is, people are more interested now that I'm not preaching. They ask genuine questions. They're curious about the lifestyle. Even if they're not ready to change themselves.
That's why cultivated meat feels like such a breakthrough. It doesn't ask people to change their ethics or habits. It just offers a better way of producing the same food.
Sometimes the best way forward isn't through confrontation. It's through innovation.
