I’m part of two small minority groups, however, I seldom tell anyone. I guess I am in the closet.
I’ve been a vegetarian for about 4 years. Its my preference. I stopped eating meat to support my daughter who is a vegan, however, I soon noticed that it made me feel better.
I’m also a pacifist. I have a deep conviction that violence and war are wrong, ungodly, and evil. I’ve felt this way as long as I can remember. My parents say that when I first learned to talk I would ask why there is war and cry about it.
If I tell someone I am a vegetarian, the response usually ranges from unbelief to mild disapproval to pity (poor guy can’t eat meat). However, if I tell someone I am a pacifist, the response heats up; it ranges from moderate disapproval to anger or disdain.
Pacifists are one of the least accepted minority groups in history. We have been persecuted by almost ever human culture (especially during war) — mocked, hassled, called unpatriotic, silenced, tortured, put in work camps or jail, killed, forced to fight. That’s why you hear so little about pacifists. It’s scary to come out of the closet.
I know that some people disapprove of vegetarians and that many people disapprove of pacifists and think that our beliefs and lifestyle are wrong. However, I am not demanding approval.
People have the right to disapprove of people’s lifestyles. They just don’t have the right to be mean or hostile toward those whose behavior they disapprove of.
So here’s a question: Shouldn’t vegetarians and pacifists have the same right to come out of the closet as other minority groups or should we just be quiet and stay in the closet?