Setting the stage

There’s so much waste and cruelty and so much done against the greater good, that it makes some people despair. For others it quickens the importance of the work that has to be done before things get worse. And that work, the repair of rivers, forests and habitats, as well as the repair of our attitudes to animals, needs a mature, environmentally-aware set of vegan principles to power it. Veganism represents an attitude change which can inspire this sort of repair, by using a non-violent approach to repair. Vegans are in a position to play an important part in restoration work, having cleaned up their act by shaking off their ‘shadow’ … as far as respecting the natural order of things and reversing the speciesism of their fellow humans. Hopefully we’ve learnt to be at-one-with-others by representing non-violence in action. If we’ve done that then vegans are in a position to help bring about a transition to a peaceful future.
If in the future there were to be peace, we’d see the beauty of animals, intend them no harm, and we would come to veganism in a flash. If we were truly at peace with the world we’d even be close to the people who hold different views from us.
But we aren’t at peace yet, which means vegans have to be the first to set an example of peace, by taking on a self discipline that unfortunately, for the present, keeps us separated from others. That’s hard for everyone concerned but especially for vegans themselves. However, there are compensations. We do enjoy a freedom others don’t have and we should make the most of it to work to build a new type of human community.
Vegans and the society in which we live (being in it but not of it) are obviously trying to live as non-violent members of society. Our aim should be to encourage no ‘dislike’, so that we can explore anything without being afraid. We may disagree with others about important issues and yet still like whoever we are talking to. And give the appearance of liking them too, by not having to win every argument – our aim shouldn’t be to put them right or fight tooth and nail to prove we are right but help to maintain a creative flow of ideas and views. Within any dialogue, however we follow up on points being raised by others, we should be leading towards making our own point … by having a direction in what we want to say … maybe not getting anywhere near that point but having that aim nonetheless. Then others will see we have an agenda and that we mean business, yet not ready to sacrifice everything to make our point. However serious our aim is, it doesn’t have to be so serious that it could bring about a feeling of dislike. If there is any animosity, the game is over in an instant, and that disliking will cloud everything that has gone before.
If I am having any sort of serious discussion, I can alter the atmosphere just by raising the tone of my voice, to indicate if I’ve lost patience or am ready to show more interest. We are all adept at showing likeableness or revealing that we have ‘another side’. And if my nasty side comes through I can kiss goodbye to any good will. Once that appears I’m no longer listened to. It doesn’t matter how intelligent my arguments might be, as soon as I’m no longer liked or respected, every word I utter will fall on deaf ears. And if, as an opinion-holder, I’m disliked my opinion will be disliked too; a person might come to dislike veganism on the basis of disliking the vegan who introduced the idea, hence the bathwater is thrown out with the baby.