Being non-judgemental

1258: 

When I’m talking Animal Rights it’s impossible NOT to show my inner feelings.  Try as I might, if judgement’s in my mind it’s going to be in my voice.  My words may be carefully chosen, but if I harbour any negative personal feeling it’ll show up in my tone of voice and anyone listening will be thinking to themself, “Avoid, avoid”.  So, for vegans talking Animal Rights, it’s almost impossible for us to win people’s hearts if we don’t seem to be on their side, to some extent.

If I wear the badge of the ‘animal liberationist’, owing to my general reputation I’m easily recognisable.  How do I win people over in order to get them to stay with me long enough to listen to what I have to say?  I would suggest by proving to them, first and foremost, that I’m not judgemental, and if necessary making a direct point of saying so (whether they’re likely to believe it or not).

To do that, I first have to BE non-judgemental, truly so.  I must be convinced of the futility of making moral judgements, whether it’s about the abuse of animals or about anything else I consider to be wrong.  Instead, I need to see it in much the same way a doctor sees a disease, without rancour or disrespect but simply as a fault in the system, which needs fixing up.  A good doctor won’t disparage the illness but simply look for a remedy to counter the destructive element.  That's what we should do.

They say there’s cancer in everyone’s body and that we’d be wise to stay healthy and keep our immune systems robust, to lessen the chances for our cancer taking hold.  In much the same way, we need to keep a healthy resolve ‘to avoid making judgements’, so as not to fall into all the classic trap of appearing too righteous for the tastes of ordinary people .