Article 32. Acting Out

We try to maintain genuineness whilst giving our opinion. If we do make mistakes it may be because we overestimate the extent to which we can pull the wool over peoples’ eyes. We may think we are protected by ‘having the truth’ and so pay less attention to how we say things, but given the potential for this subject to ignite passions and stir up confrontations, we must be super-conscious when speaking.
It’s likely that some of us amateur communicators don’t see ourselves as others see us. Adults rarely feel comfortable talking about their feelings when there’s a difference of opinion or a moral principle at stake. We’d like to say what’s really on our mind, but issues of animal torture are delicate matters and all we can do is come across sincerely and take special care to observe non-violence principles.
Personal sincerity is at the very heart of going vegan, not only because we need people to believe in us, but because we’re in the business of communicating veganism in public. We cannot afford to be cynical. If we seem fake in sensitive conversations about animal rights, things may turn nasty. In our dealings with others, as soon as we start speaking about beautiful things, it’s best not to look ugly! We’re all guilty of hardness and value-judgments, so we all know the hubris of heated disagreements and their ability to lose us our friends and wreck our energy supply. But we insist on talking unguardedly none the less.
In the absence of conversations and debates about vegan issues, they can quickly become forgotten. Then the same old behaviour continues unquestioned. When something attractive comes along, we can’t resist it. We forget non-violence and decide to take the easier way, which is often the hard-nosed way. We might be aware that another way is possible, but it’s just an idea. It can be shuffled off. We know we feel more confident with the old tried and tested ways - “Hang it, I’ll do what I’ve always done”!