By Akracia – Fenikso Nigra
Perhaps veganism is seen as a fad because it invites us to do something we don’t always like: think before we consume. In our daily lives, it’s much easier to go on autopilot, buy what we always buy, eat what we’ve learned to eat, without stopping to reflect on where it comes from or what consequences it carries. Thinking requires effort, and questioning old habits can be uncomfortable.
When someone chooses veganism, they are not only changing their diet, but drawing attention to something simple and yet profound: our choices affect other beings. Animals feel pain, fear, and the will to live, and today there are already enough alternatives for us to feed and clothe ourselves without causing unnecessary suffering or exploitation. Even so, we often prefer not to look at this, because looking involves responsibility.
Calling veganism a fad can be a way of minimizing this reflection. If it’s just a passing trend, we don’t need to take it seriously, rethink our customs, or leave “our sacred” bubble of comfort, filled with millions of deaths! But, in practice, veganism raises a basic question: if we can choose to consume in another way, why not choose the one that causes the least harm?
The fact that veganism is more visible today is related to access to information. It has never been so easy to know how food is produced, what impacts it has on the environment, and how animals are treated. This information arrives, disturbs, and provokes change—even if slow. Not everyone who reflects changes immediately, and that’s okay. The important thing is to open space for questioning and cause discomfort, to puncture the illusory bubble that everything is as it is and that’s it…
It doesn’t end until the total emancipation of all living beings!
In the end, perhaps veganism isn’t about being perfect or radical, but about awareness. About getting out of automatic consumption and realizing that our daily choices are not neutral. When there is the possibility of living causing less suffering, reflecting on this ceases to be a fad and becomes an exercise in responsibility.
In the struggle, we are dignified and free people!
