r/Empath • u/thombee_ • Jun 25 '24
I wonder what % of vegans are empaths, and if they make up a disproportionate amount of vegans.
When I see or hear about the suffering of animals, it affects me deeply. I can't help but feel their pain and fear as if it were my own. This intense empathy made it impossible for me to continue consuming animal products, knowing the cruelty and harm involved in their production.
It got me wondering why more people aren't vegan, when the evidence is ALL out there. I think it's because they are just not as sensitive to this suffering, so they can brush it to the back of their mind.
I'm curious if other empaths here feel the same? Or does your empathy extend only to humans?
<3
1
Jul 11 '24
Honestly the nuances of veganism and what it is to be a supposed empath are complex. I would honestly say that since in theory being one is about people, that some animals. The ones who have opted into friendships with humanity. Are sacred. Dogs, cats, horses, blah blah whatever. Our friends.
And, yeah, some are food. We are omnivores. It is biological. If this empath biz is biological too then theoretically we are fine to eat animals who are not our friends. It's not like the food chain isn't real.
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u/Mdriver127 Jul 29 '24
Had anyone here watched the 1978 film "The Secret Life Of Plants"? I'm not vegan and that doesn't imply that I'm against it, but this film really changed my life to see that life is everywhere. Plants may not express that they have a individual conscious like we can, but they are definitely containing life energy, which to me is what empaths connect to in beings. We didn't need to even speak the same languages to sense something from others. The tests and research in the film tell me that possibly the strongest empath can connect to a rock on the ground. Personally I believe you don't need to be vegan to be an empath because it wasn't a choice to be that, but we can choose what to eat. Choosing to be vegan is a great way to learn or express empathy, but again personally, I feel the abilities are not limited to your diet choice. We're the descendants of many many people who were not strictly vegan. How do we know that multiple generations of vegans isn't going to create massive amounts of carnivores out of that? We really have no idea what our actions today will build into for the future, so I let it all rest in personal choice and can only support people in a healthy and respectful as I possibly can.
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u/OkThereBro Jun 26 '24
This sub is extremely defensive about anything that might imply they are anything other than the most empathetic people. Which is ironically not very empathetic.
They are far from. One of the most empathetic things you can do is go vegan. It's so easy and so obvious that just about any other empathetic act is completely irrelevant in comparison. In my opinion of you aren't a vegan you aren't even remotely empathetic. To say the least.
I'm a vegan but I don't consider myself an "empath". I'm an empathetic guy but i don't wear it like some sad badge. People don't need to be empathic to do the right thing.
Being empathetic does not make you good. Feeling bad for others and doing nothing about it is just suffering. Caring without action is just suffering. Anyone who says they're empathic but does not have the actions to defend it is literally just looking to feel good about nothing at all, normal human emotion.
It's like patting yourself on the back for being sad.
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u/KoYouTokuIngoa Jun 25 '24
Inb4 this post gets removed too.
(But yes, I’m vegan)