Energy

1027: 

On the face of it, dynamic non-violence calls for "right-thinking", which in turn depends upon our ability to discriminate right from wrong.  And this leads us into the quagmire of "value judgment".  We vegans, for instance, who’re secure in our "right-thinking" camp, often compare ourselves to the "wrong-thinkers".  The very fact that we’re then engaging in value judgement takes us away from "right thinking" in an important way.  It makes us look unattractive, even dangerous, and that effectively turns people away from us and therefore from what we’re saying.

We’d be on safer ground if we avoided considering what is good and what is bad and concentrated on strong and weak energy.  By becoming non-violent, vegans tap into a strong energy and if that energy is used for non-violent activity, it generates itself.  Violence, on the other hand, drains this precious energy.

Whilst eating bodies of executed, innocent animals is not usually seen as being 'violent', it’s not exactly an act of non-violence.  It’s seen, at best, as an unfortunate necessity.  It’s part of human habit in much the same way as polluting the planet by driving a car.  Everyone does it!  Everyone can’t be wrong!  It's just part of being human.  Since nobody actually advocates violence per se, it’s more likely to be seen as a fallback position.  We all fear hunger and starvation.  Animal-eating has always been thought to prevent that.  It’s an easy habit that helps to scoop us up when we feel afraid.  It falls into step with our weak-willed side.  It’s part of the attraction of temptation and we yield to it, not because we want to be wicked, but because it provides a quick safety-net,  a quick result.  Animal foods are plentiful, affordable, pleasurable(?) and stomach-filling.  How can eating them possibly suck energy out of us?

But we don’t bargain on the effect of 'ethics-loss'.  Let’s say that our ethical self has a sort of reservoir of energy - call it self-esteem.  The worst energy loss comes when we let that esteem drain away, when we do something we shouldn’t and try to get away with it.   Our energy is then channelled into not getting caught.  In this case, not being identified as an abattoir junky.

Meat eaters think they can "get away with it".  They think their meat diet won’t do too much damage.  But the damage shows up later down the track when it’s too late for rescue.

     

"Dammit" the meat eaters say.   "If only we’d hung onto that self-esteem, hadn’t caved in, hadn’t been so obstinate to advice, listened to our instincts".  Perhaps when things have gone pear-shaped and regrets have set in, meat eaters might wish they'd "Gone Vegan".  They might wish they'd not taken such risks with their lives and the lives of others.  By 'others', I mean the approximately 21,000 animals they would have consigned to death, on their behalf,  throughout their lives.  They might have wished to have had no regrets - like vegans!

Ed: CJ