909:
The status quo of animal-use is like a lump of concrete - at
present it is set strong. It’s stronger than anyone’s good intentions to change
it. Those of us who aren’t involved in the abuse have to deal with it. We have
to acknowledge this reluctance-to-change, and the disappointment that comes
with it. It shouldn’t put us off. It will always be hard to persuade the
carnivores to switch across, and just as difficult with those vegetarians who
are proud of the progress they’ve already made, in getting away from eating
meat.
If an attitude is locked, it
shuts out any chance of progress. If, for instance, you regard animals as
little more than things, your attitude won’t let you see them as sentient
individuals.
However far we’ve already come,
the concrete attitude sits there blocking our way. But it’s useful for the animal
advocate too. It could act as a springboard for re-evaluating where we’re
coming from, just in case we’re held back by another sort of attitude block.
I think
vegan reasoning points to the ideal, up ahead; it doesn’t show us how to get
there but it explains why we should be moving in that direction, to discover
how our reality can make sense of those who aren’t yet aware of it.
Humans are in dark rooms, looking
for a light-source, groping about at random instead of discovering what should
be obvious (like where the light switch is in this dark room). Once we locate
the light switch suddenly everything is clear. We regret the time wasted spent
searching in darkness for such an obviously more appealing reality.
On one level we already know that
there’s a parallel reality to the one we’re familiar with, and in that
‘reality’ we can see things from the opposite perspective. For me it was a
surprise. It made me want to be less obedient to authority and more intent to
discover if there was any order beyond the chaos.
The following of sequences brings
us from one reality to another. I think a vegan diet, for example, is a more
intelligent way to go (simply because it’s safe and ethical and more
energy-producing.) The same goes for non-violence or compassionate attitude –
it’s wiser if only because it makes us feel less ashamed. And that can’t be a
bad thing.
Always in front of us is the
common aim: to eventually rescue the animals as well as our own souls. In other
words, the sooner we can relax about the hugeness of the challenge, the sooner
we’ll be able to entertain another reality, consciously. That will be one which
satisfies our need to be working for a great cause (whether it be to get people
to go vegan or to get people to be less-violent).
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