non-violence

There are other, less energy-consuming ways to be effective. For example - In the world of politics, we only need to practise civil disobedience to effectively make our point. There’s no need for confrontation or swearing or hurling abuse. In the theatre, one gets more impact with satire than a bitter tirade. At home, a general stir-up is better than a family feud. If violence is always hovering like a bad smell, urging us to make threats or persuade people against their will, then non-violence is also present, advocating patience and promising even greater powers. We all have access to reasoned argument even though debating opportunities are still rare.
What is the main issue here, for Vegan Animal Activists? Is it about being non-violent or is it about not eating animals? These two issues should go hand in hand but they often don’t, because activists have a sense of urgency that overrides patience and non-violence. Yet non-violence is a more thorough way to bring about Animal Rights. It is achieved by attraction - through fashion. If Animal Rights becomes "fashionable", laws will follow. But . . . only when the people are actually cool enough to want the outlawing of animal exploitation. Non-violence allows us to take the heat off bad habits and thoughtlessness, to focus on intelligence. It’s our intelligence that lets us ask what we can do to reduce/stop global warming. Soon enough it will be intelligence asking what we can do to stop ‘animal warming’. The question we have to ask ourselves is surely: what position best promotes Animal Rights?