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If empathy energises us, it also runs out. We want to believe that things aren’t so bad and that if we have empathy it should be for all the beautiful things and not for the ugly. But what a shallow attitude.

Empathy runs out. It fades even as we’re wringing our hands with sympathy for the downtrodden. It needs feeding. It needs some self discipline to keep it focused. Empathy is selflessness and therefore can be hard work. And that hard work comes down to self-discipline. It’s hard work at the best of times, even when self interest is at stake, let alone when it goes beyond that. Should I eat that cream cake of not? And there are millions of people who struggle to resist the temptation of smoking cigarettes - we want something, we know we shouldn’t have it or even want it and yet we’re not used to denying ourselves things. We all struggle with ‘little weaknesses’ but when it comes to consequences of lacking empathy, that’s when we have to be strong, to build it up. Most empathy is needed when we’re doing something for the sake of another.

I want to see people I know, whether vegan or omnivore, friends or family, as purpose-driven strugglers. Amongst animal activists, I like the ones who do hard work on themselves, who struggle to understand the issues and the effect those issues have on people. And I don’t like to think of this as a competition either. At whatever stage we’re at, some not yet empathising with animals and still eating meat or wearing leather, and some doing all the right things - none of us is better or worse than the other, it’s just that we’re all at different stages of awareness. But, as I said, I like the hard workers who take themselves seriously and think hardest about what they’re doing. Amongst fellow activists I admire those who refuse to slacken off. They watch the video footage that shows cases of animal cruelty. As hard as it is to watch, it helps to feed empathy and resolve. It encourages us to work hard for the cause, especially since we know that humans are more likely than not to instigate further atrocities on animals or be ever more passive about cruelty by being money-spending customers.

The important thing to know then, is that cruelty and thoughtlessness are routine in our world. And in societies all around the world, the level of empathy for animals is practically zero. The treatment of animals, everywhere, is heartless. Farmers and their customers team up to hurt countless billions of sentient beings, right now, as we speak. To allow and support a society that does that, or for kind and intelligent people to go along with all this without protest, this is the reality we are dealing with. This is why empathy is so important, for us to be in constant touch with these animals, and for us to be encouraging that empathetic connection in people who are not aware yet.

Those horrible DVDs. I’ve watched them and gone into shock over them. I’m squeamish but I stay watching, to remind me of what’s happening behind those closed doors and to learn more about the sort of word I live in. It’s not for pleasure I study them (anything but!), it’s out of respect both for the victims and those who did the filming to keep us all informed. And, of course, it’s important for any advocate to keep up with the latest findings, to keep one’s finger on the pulse, as it were.

I imagine all vegans want to be well-informed so they’re in the best position to educate others more effectively. But I also want to get closer to the mind of the punter, to remember who I’m talking to, and to bear in mind that these are often sensitive people I’m speaking with. I need to keep reminding myself that we all have different levels of empathy and we’re all at different stages in our awareness.