"Don't you think you're taking it just a little too far?"

One of the first things people ask me when they find out that I am a vegan is ‘Don’t you think you're taking it just a little too far?’ This question is usually coupled with a pitying look, a raised eyebrow and a disapproving cluck of the tongue. How do you even answer a question like that? Obviously I don’t think I’m taking it too far, or I probably wouldn’t have made the choice to become a Vegan in the first place. I am a vegan because it is the only sane and logical way for me to live my life.

Let’s just take a look at the question, shall we? “Don’t you think you’re taking it just a little too far?” What do you suppose they mean by it? What exactly is this thing that I am taking too far? Is it my devotion to living a cruelty free life? Perhaps my dedication to non-violence? Or is it my compassion that I am carelessly running amok with?

“Taking it too far” implies that I have crossed some sort of threshold, passed an invisible line. Apparently a certain amount of compassion and non-violence is acceptable and even something to be desired, but once you exceed this level of socially acceptable non-violence you have crossed the line and entered the dreaded zone of ‘gone too far’.

But why would anyone think there was a line to cross or a threshold to surpass in the first place? The question “Don’t you think you are taking it just a little too far?” blatantly implies that human beings will only accept so much compassion before they deem it ludicrous and borderline absurd. Too much compassion is seen as inconvenient, over-dramatic and extreme. The same people who call fur coats barbaric will happily prance around in shiny leather loafers and order pasta carbonara for dinner, pleased with themselves for living a socially acceptable compassionate life.

Is it really possible that we live in a world where an ‘excess of compassion’ is derided, insulted and shunned? Yes. We do. It is not cool to be compassionate, it is not desirable to think of others, and it is definitely not glamorous to think and plan and live a life dedicated to eliminating oppression and violence of all kinds. It just requires far too much thinking and since it can’t be compressed into a snappy 30 second sound bite for The Daily Show, it obviously isn’t worth any real consideration.

By being a Vegan I have bull-dozed across the line that our society strictly defines and fiercely guards. My compassion has overflowed and no longer fits into the strict confines of what has been deemed acceptable by our society and that is threatening to people. It fundamentally disrupts the perceived order of the world and apparently that is terrifying.

There are no boundaries in my vision, no borders in my heart and therefore there is no line that I can cross, much less even see. To me compassion is truly fulfilling its intended role and is boundless and eternal. But many people that I talk to have strictly delineated their hearts and their minds, borders criss-cross their psyches and divide their souls. Until I come along, they are not even aware that they are living in a checkerboard of hypocrisy, their entire world divided into safety zones of white and black zones of hypocrisy and guilt that they never even acknowledge. And that isn’t really their fault. The world we live in makes it nearly impossible to disconnect yourself from the keg-stand of gluttonous consumerism that we are all drowning in. Our society is set up in such a way that we never have to question anything; we never have to put ourselves in the shoes of another person. After all, what would be the fun in that? It definitely wouldn’t make a very exciting reality t.v. show and it definitely won’t sell albums. If we had to feel sympathy and empathize with everyone how could we exploit them? What would we do for entertainment? How could we continue to live our lives of ease, stuffing our faces with cheesy fries and only worrying about who will win American Idol?

When I talk to people about Veganism I turn on a light inside their head and reveal to them the concertina wires, guard towers and border patrols that rule their minds and dictate their thoughts. For one shocking second they realize the hypocrisy that forms a fundamental aspect of their daily lives and they become angry at me, downright hostile. That is what the question of ‘taking it too far’ is really about. These people are mad at me for holding up a mirror and waking them up to their hypocritical slumber. They hate me for disregarding society’s expectations and they resent me for the inevitable feelings of guilt they experience after facing reality. When I awaken them from the safety of their drugged stupor their fear and anger cause them to lash out at me. “Don’t you think you’re taking it too far?” I am in their eyes a dissenter, a traitor, who needs to be reminded of her place. “Get back in line!” Is what that question really means. “Stop rocking the boat!” Is what that question really means. “Don’t make me think for myself!” Is what that question really means. “Don’t you think you’re taking it too far?” Is never a sincere question, no one ever cares to hear my answer. It is meant to be hostile, it is meant to make me look like an idiot, it is meant to single me out and make me an example of what might happen to anyone else stupid enough to think for themselves. “Don’t be like her! Do you want to look like an ostracized idiot?” It is their final ploy, their last ditch effort to shove me to the ground and knock the light out of my soul. But they can’t. They never even had a chance. Compassion isn’t something that can be annulled. You can’t reverse backwards over this line. You can never go too far.