899:
‘Satisfaction’ and ‘meaning’ are the big drivers in life. As soon as we find meaning (in this case, that animals shouldn’t be used by humans) we see something new arising – the possibility that non-violence could provide the vital clue to a meaningful and happy life. Here’s an entirely different world, without the barbed wire and therefore without the notion of keeping living beings in captivity for our own ends. In this one aim, I could see emerging an entirely new race of humans who viewed their world in peaceful terms.
As soon as I began to contemplate this noble aim, I had to ask myself, “Shall I give it a shot?” Shall I put into practice my concern for the plight of captive animals, by ending my support for the current system?
With that change of heart I noticed a shift of empathy in myself; I had begun to take seriously the feelings of others, in this case the feelings of non-humans. That feeling of compassion made me aware of my role as a representative of my own species. By becoming vegan I was standing up for oppressed animals, and it was, ambassadorially-speaking, making my own life that much more meaningful. I was to find this sense of meaning ultimately my greatest satisfaction.
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