Benjamin was a vegan. Not a trendy, chichi vegan who wore it on his sleeve like some removable tattoo, but a hard-core, dyed in-the-(fake)-wool type. Years before it became fashionable. Back when we at the Vegetarian Society still considered our non-dairy offspring to be dangerous extremists.
He wasn’t vegan for health reasons. He was vegan because it was the kind, compassionate thing to do, and those are the qualities I most associate with him. Those, and wisdom. He was a deeply wise person.
I introduced him at several animal-rights events. He could bring the house down simply by walking on stage. The moment he spoke, he had the audience in his hand. Instant rapport. And respect. They knew when they were in the company of greatness.
Benjamin was never the loudest person in the room, though. He didn’t need to be. He spoke truth, and truth has its own quiet resonance.
His departure is shocking. I always hoped he would rise to some sort of political prominence – Britain’s first vegan prime minister? He could have been, and my God how different our world would have been.
But his legacy is deeper than mere politics. He’s touched people lives, not in the superficial, meddling way that politicians like to do, but at an altogether different frequency. Encountering Benjamin, either in person or through his writing, was and will continue to be transformative. He reminds you of your personal agency; that apparently-small actions have positive, real-world consequences, if enough people – like Benjamin – are prepared to stand up for what is right.
He wasn’t vegan for health reasons. He was vegan because it was the kind, compassionate thing to do, and those are the qualities I most associate with him. Those, and wisdom. He was a deeply wise person.
I introduced him at several animal-rights events. He could bring the house down simply by walking on stage. The moment he spoke, he had the audience in his hand. Instant rapport. And respect. They knew when they were in the company of greatness.
Benjamin was never the loudest person in the room, though. He didn’t need to be. He spoke truth, and truth has its own quiet resonance.
His departure is shocking. I always hoped he would rise to some sort of political prominence – Britain’s first vegan prime minister? He could have been, and my God how different our world would have been.
But his legacy is deeper than mere politics. He’s touched people lives, not in the superficial, meddling way that politicians like to do, but at an altogether different frequency. Encountering Benjamin, either in person or through his writing, was and will continue to be transformative. He reminds you of your personal agency; that apparently-small actions have positive, real-world consequences, if enough people – like Benjamin – are prepared to stand up for what is right.
