I discovered meditation at 27, years before becoming vegan. It taught me to look at my thoughts and choices more objectively.
That came in handy when I was wrestling with the ethics of meat consumption. When you quiet your mind, it's harder to ignore those nagging questions about where your food comes from.
Meditation also helped me avoid becoming that angry, preachy vegan (well, mostly - I had my moments in the early days). It's easier to accept others' choices when you've practiced accepting your own.
The practice showed me something else too - how we often avoid thinking deeply about things that might make us uncomfortable. Like most people, I'd spent years deliberately not questioning my food choices.
These days, I still meditate regularly. And I see similar patterns in how people think about cultivated meat. The initial resistance. The questioning. The gradual acceptance of new possibilities.
Sometimes the biggest changes start with simply being willing to sit with uncomfortable questions.
