Directing Our Approach

1465: 

Edited by CJ Tointon

When I decided to move away from being a 'non-vegan', it involved altering major food habits.  It was to be a test and an adventure but it would all hinge upon my willingness to change.  I wasn't sure how serious I was, how willing, or how permanent my change would be.  So, I carefully observed myself as I went through my own change process, as I would later carefully observe other people going through theirs.  I needed to know that I was in control of my own brain and that I wouldn't try to wriggle out of my decision to change such a major daily habit.

With a newfound respect for animals, I was deciding not to eat them or take part in anything with even the slightest hint of supporting a system which 'used' them.  This was my experiment.  I didn't know if I could do it, but when I later found that I could, I then had a strong urge to persuade others to change in the same way.  Would they try to wriggle out of it, like I did at first?  Would they put up all sorts of reasons why NOT to change?  Or would they be determined to make their change solid and permanent?

What are the main reasons for this sort of change and which are the most convincing?  What holds the change in position permanently?   Is it health concerns, ethical concerns, a dream of building a new future for all? How could I inspire others to do the right thing?  Everything was as straightforward as it was slippery. Everything was tempting (on both sides of the argument) as to whether to change or not.

If you're a pianist and want to perform, you first have to master the piano in order to entertain the listener and be able to play from the inspiring repertoire written for the piano.  But with "Veganism", there's no great skill to acquire before going out and inspiring others.  There again, there's not much chance of an audience being 'entertained' by what we have to say either!  Therefore, approaching this subject involves an entirely different set of rules and the need to adopt a subtle method of communication.  No particular skill or talent is needed, just an insight into what makes people want to make such a major change in their life.

So, to this end, I decided not to go down the usual hellfire-and-damnation path.  I knew instinctively that intimidation wouldn't work.  I wanted to find a better way of telling others about what I believed could inspire a profound personal change, even a transformation of humanity.  But first, old cobwebs had to be swept aside.  I'd have to rule out the obvious instinct to preach: "Look at me - follow me", because it might sound too self-righteous.  Also, I'd have to rule out any use of disapproval, guilt, shame or other emotional blackmail to frighten people into change.

Not only was I now a diet changed person, I was also someone needing to find a new way to approach others.   In particular, I wanted to be an advocate for a non-violent approach to everything.  My idea was (and still is) to eat from the plant kingdom and use only 'cruelty-free' products and services.  I was keen to use the 'gentler approach' wherever possible.  I wanted to cut out all traces of 'hardness', especially in my approach to others about Animal Rights, etc.  I wanted to persuade by using gentle suggestion only.  And if no one else agreed with this approach - then so be it!!  I was going to commit myself to that approach anyway!

          

I realise that this is not how many other - equally sincere - Animal Activists see things.  They agree about the 'food thing' and no longer being party to 'animal abuse', but they might not want to take it to the extremes that I favoured - not using any psychological force when trying to persuade others.  Because this matter is so serious, they might prefer to push things along, to get a quicker result.  They would argue that the urgency of the situation (animal cruelty) calls for a more robust approach.  And maybe they're right in one important way.  Perhaps we can’t afford to let people get away with what they do.  Consumers especially are culpable in the system they take part in and perhaps they need to be woken-up regarding the extent of cruelty in animal farming and the danger in which their compliance puts both themselves and the animals.

Nevertheless, it got me thinking.  I began to look more closely at the standard ways we humans attempt to persuade others to do the 'right thing'.  We so often fail, especially when we question any behaviour concerning non-humans.  It's because the idea that animals are just 'things' is so ingrained.  Our anthropocentric gene kicks in and we come down on the side of self interest.  It's the reason why any form of persuasion using intimidating tactics to make people "go vegan" will always fail.  Heels get dug in and the typical human will always revert to the default position - the human need to make use of animals. 

There's something profoundly wrong with this sort of attitude.  Something has gone badly awry.  This is the law of the bully and animals are easy to bully.  We develop attitudes and then fix them so firmly that (on both sides) we lock ourselves in.  Neither the animal-user nor the animal-defender can move on.  We're supposed to get results by either beating ourselves up, or by beating others into submission.  But such results never last. People always resort back to the old, tried and tested ways of dealing with difficult problems and we make sure we believe we're right.  

As far as I can see, our inflexible approaches towards each other when persuading change is the reason they fail.  We humans have a reluctance to observe change, especially when it's an unpalatable change.  We are so taken with our own human brilliance that we can only see that side of us shining.  We can't step away from it nor step away from the 'normal' way in which humans all over the world behave in relation to animals.  But we have a serious problem here!  The animal stuff we eat is making our bodies sick and our unethical treatment of innocent beings is making us 'heartsick'.   Humans ALWAYS fall back on their brains to solve major problems and ignore the voice of reason coming from the 'heart'.  This is why we vegans will only become effective communicators with non-vegans when we direct our approach gently and sensitively.