As obvious as it is to the vegetarian that there is no other diet choice, it’s equally as unobvious to the majority of Americans that it is. Vegetarians are still viewed by our society as a fringe cult, an extreme group of rebellious malcontents who have a skewed view of reality. Vegetarians see society as unfeeling, wasteful, self-absorbed, and truly ignorant about dietary matters and the wide-spread impact of diet. Could these groups have any more in common? Egads.
Given this gap between perspectives that makes the Grand Canyon look like a hole in the ground, how do vegetarians work to shrink the gorge without appearing like religious zealots trying to convert the masses? Not easily. People don’t like being told what to do, how to act, and where to go, in general. Trying to change the way people behave often has the opposite effect than was intended—they become further alienated.
So the challenge is huge, but not insurmountable. Vegetarians need to call on some psychology, sensitivity, and a whole lot of patience. They also must remember back to when they weren’t vegetarians—as most weren’t at one time—and to the influences that swayed them. And most of all it helps to know that, as they say, Rome wasn’t built in a day—the race to a vegetarian world is not for the swiftest, but for those who can endure.