Article 4. Enjoying the Process of Change

With humility, we could admit all this, and go on to address what needs to be done in terms of repair. But however noble our repairs are, unless we find ways to enjoy the repair process itself, we won’t keep it up. It will look too much like hard work, and we won’t have enough motivation for the job.
By connecting personal fulfilment with practical repair work, we can make changes less painful and actually enjoy the work of it all. By deciding to become vegetarian, no longer using meat and products taken from animals’ bodies, we can improve our health and energy, but the big bonus is that we help animals get off death row. To achieve that, to be even the tiniest part of the eventual liberation of animals, this should be enough to make whatever we do satisfying. When we get serious about repair there are two things happening at the same time - we are doing something big for ourselves and we’re doing something even bigger for the greater good (which of course includes saving animals). It happens mainly by way of self-discipline and then, later, by enjoyment. It starts out as a selfless establishing of habit changes. Then, as we begin to feel the rewards of our efforts, the selfless becomes more clearly self benefitting, and with that comes a realisation that what we want for others is what we want for ourselves. Altruism is neither me-centred nor you-centred. It is really just a matter of striking a balance between common interests.
In order for this approach to work, we must be able to develop optimism, so that we can say: “So what if all this damage has been done, it can be fixed”. Optimism "ups" the energy, which in turn ups our chances of making the transition successfully. We feel as though we are heading towards something worth reaching, not because it’s right but because it’s the most meaningful thing we can do. Ultimate satisfaction will come of that.
"Satisfaction" and "meaning" are big drivers. As soon as we come to know that we’re making a difference (in this case, that animals won’t be killed on our behalf) we can start to feel the effects of having taken a mature and compassionate step in the right direction. And if that makes us happier about ourselves, we can then go on to help others take the same step. And why would we want to do that? Because eventually there must be a majority who want animals liberated. Once we’ve cleaned up our own act we need to gain confidence in our communication skills. It’s natural for us to want to share what we’ve discovered and build a strong support base for animal liberation.
It isn’t enough that we simply pass on information to others. We’re all information-saturated today. There is so much misinformation in circulation today that what we have to say must be accepted as well- informed, truthful and serious. The animal advocate must learn how best to be listened to and how to become approachable, so that he/she can better encourage others to change their attitudes.