825:
It can be deceptive, when the vegan message seems to hit
home and then, later, is forgotten about. Whenever vegan ideas are introduced
to omnivores, as soon as the vegan is no longer around neither are their ideas.
They can evaporate like Scotch mist. However profound we are at the time, each
vegan principle can be forgotten about when back in the real world. What flew
in now flies out. If it isn’t exciting enough then the other, more familiar
reality will be restored - ‘reluctant’ ideas don’t stick in that part of the
brain (or heart) especially when there’s a food addiction or when there’s too
much guilt baggage surfacing. Unless ...
Unless something special happens,
where there’s something impressive about ‘the promoter’, who establishes before
anything else an ‘equal footing’, where they insist that each person has
something substantial to contribute.
Where it all
goes horribly wrong is when the vegan fights as the ambassador for animals and
judges the omnivore to be mistaken for eating them, and where the omnivore
judges the vegan unrealistic and objects to their being judgemental of them.
Both perceived valid positions can go either way – they can be the grounds for
a quarrel or a valuable lesson-to-be-learnt.
There’s value in pursuing each
point of view. But if we slip into the personal push-me-pull-you situation,
where ‘discussion’ can’t move forward, then something happens which needn’t
happen.
Both sides
have their arguments. And whether they are good or bad is immaterial, as long
as each side respects the right of the other to put their argument. (That means
people like me having to listen and not to be so quick to interrupt).
Discussion
on this subject can be stimulating. It doesn’t have to descend into personal
abuse.
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