Article 14. Reputation

The phrase “blessed are the peace-makers” may not mean very much to people who are only interested in winning approval. Being recognised by others could benefit vegans if their recognition had currency, but it might be that because most other people are ethically compromised, their opinions of what we are isn’t so very valid. If they can’t be true leaders or role models, it means that peace-makers must face being alone - to survive and be strong enough to not need others’ approval ... whilst being proactive into the bargain, strengthened by having found this great cause of peace-making. Vegans, simply by knowing our habits, (remoulded for peaceful purposes) make us automatically ethically safe.
By making non-violence work on the habit level, we get used to it and acquire the habit of not faltering, not slipping back into violent ways even when on the defensive. If we can still act violently, it indicates we still have attitudes we haven’t got to the bottom of yet. Habits related to violence show up when we’re least on our guard and often that’s when we’re at home, where we’re so well known that we forget about making an impression. Imagine a vegan in a household of omnivores. When we roll out of bed and take a black mood to the breakfast table, without considering the consequences, we say something. And things fall apart. You feel the vibe, it’s hard. There’s small violence in the air. The damage has been done. “What the hell happened there?” It all happens so quickly. The atmosphere darkens, we can’t take it back once the words are out. We might try to bluff it out, try to justify it, but whatever we say the feeling is left hanging, unresolved.
Once the violent side of us is spotted, others remember. They’ve seen for themselves that we have a nasty side and from then on they avoid stirring us. And so it goes.