Change With a Touch of Pizzazz

2009

If there’s something we want to change, something big we’d like to see changing in our self and, by extension, in our society, we need to know what we’re getting into.

Change can mean having to go the long way round, being patient, thinking along the lines of “better to prevent than cure”. Ideally change would be motivated by a sense of great-improvements-to-come. It would be something we’d enjoy doing at the time. And we’d enjoy it because we’d put in some pizzazz. We all like to be style-merchants so if we are going to do something important we might as well do it in style. If the way we change is optimistic, creative and enthusiastic, what can possibly go wrong?

Often though we change out of fearing-for-the-worst. We might feel a compulsion to change, gritting our teeth and full of determination. The potential enjoyment of change is spoiled by grumbling and procrastination. Changing certain types of habits is as daunting as changing certain types of friends - they don’t like it. Habits feel unchangeable. Even the intention-to-change depends on us being in the right mood. But it isn’t always like that! In another sort of mood we might only consider changing habits to save our own skin. (Like giving up red meat after suffering a heart attack).

Whatever our mood or motivation we should ask our self if we think change is attractive or a turn-off? It depends on what it is that we’re changing, but say it’s one of the classic habits, the addictive habit or a rigid attitude. Changing these habits is hard despite the promise of good returns in the future.

In the vegan drive towards ‘humanising humans’ we have to sell the importance of change, but more importantly we need to be absolutely clear about what we’re saying. Anyone can understand the message we’re putting out but it’s the ‘how’ of saying it that tips the balance - if it can be done firmly but gently it might just catch on. If it does impact, it will because it’s in contrast to the usual finger-wagging, evangelical, make-‘em-afraid approach.

The prospect of becoming a more humane human should make change seem attractive – specifically, enjoying a vegan-principled life which contrasts to the rut most people are in.