Having a closed mindset – ah those who are consciously ignorant. Amidst a chat on #ethicalhour this week (a Twitter chat I would highly recommend for those of you that would like to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle) it was bought to my attention that whilst some people have the means to make a change they simply don’t know about it – or more like they simply don’t want to know about it. After discussing with fellow blogger Edieand the negative response she got among her peers when she said she was vegan; are they saying that because of the stereotype that surrounds veganism? There are some 542,000 vegans in the UK alone (a stat that could well have gone up since the time of release) and I bet that hardly any of them shout it from the rooftops. But people are ignorant to something new, maybe they don’t have time to research it or maybe they are just living in a bubble.
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| I actually drew this last night as I didn’t have any photos for this post and I wanted to get it up for today (yep I am aware it is a little messy. but what can you do?) |
Once we get into a routine it can become very hard to break out of, on average it takes 66 days to get into a habit; don’t quote me on that I did only hear that from a school assembly however many moons ago. That’s a pretty small number in the scheme of things but when it comes to the habit of buying ethically or cruelty free that habit may take a littlelonger. It takes time to research where a store made an item, who made it, was it produced in the UK but through doing so you’re paving the way for the future.
Finding out the difference between whether a product is sustainable (eg the material it is made from) or ethical (who made the product that you’re wearing, what conditions did they work in and how much were they paid) – it is educating yourself that can make a difference. Those with a close mindset wouldn’t chose to find out something new, therefore get stuck in a routine they cannot break out of. Those of you who are reading my blog may have the misconception that buying ethically or cruelty free can cost a huge amount but it really doesn’t; charity shops are a perfect way to shop cheaply yet better and so many drugstore brands are in fact cruelty free or vegan.
Find out one new fact every day, you might surprise yourself.
It is not just with educating one’s self but also in acceptance. It might mean that they just cannot accept something new that is happening, a change – Veganism a perfect example of those that cannot put their head around something that isn’t just a ‘trend’. Yes it’s relatively new and wildly talked about but it’s not going to disappear. If you open your mind up to new things you might just find yourself feeling a little more free.
I dare you to try and open your mindset a little. Whether it be to talk to someone you thought you might not like because of x personality trait or whether it be you want to turn vegan but you’re just thinking you shouldn’t because of a stereotype. If you do some research and conclude that maybe vegetarianism or veganism isn’t for you then that’s totally fine: you made an educated decision.
Do you have a closed or open mindset? I would love to know your thoughts on educating yourself on certain aspects of life, in particular sustainability and topics that are ever growing in the media for example feminism, diets and world views.
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