1759:
Edited by CJ Tointon
When we try to
establish 'Rights' for animals, we won't get far if we abuse the abusers (they
only get off on it!). But what about the consumers? As vegan animal activists,
we need to avoid the temptation to harangue or trap customers into agreeing
with our vegan philosophies. Even if they say they agree with us, it's likely
they just want us to shut up about 'animals' and let them enjoy the foods
they're used to. If they do listen to our side of the
story and take some action, it's likely they'll slip back into their old habits
after a while. People aren't easily convinced about the need to make a major
lifestyle change based on ethical considerations. They want acceptability from
their families, friends and colleagues with whom they like eating and
socialising. They seem to want to think for themselves and show
some individuality - but not too much! Becoming vegan (especially in a world
where there are so few) seems like one huge social risk to them.
The main
personal and practical challenges in becoming vegan are taking on 'Normality'
and moving away from our own comfort zones. It's a struggle because we're so
familiar with having unencumbered choices in clothing, in the people we choose
to mix with and in the food we choose to eat. But these choices are often based
on weaknesses which force us to accept low levels of self esteem. To our peers,
we might seem tough, healthy and acceptable, but our self-esteem can be
fragile. It's affected by the guilt of being involved in anything we don't
really approve of. On the one hand, we value our sensitivity and conscience but
on the other, we're trying to meet the demands of personal comfort. The choices
we make come down to the value we place on having a clear conscience as opposed
to the pain of feeling guilt.
It seems that
these days, we're being made to feel guilty about everything - from smoking tobacco (self-induced
harm) to being wasteful and polluting (indifference towards the collective
good). We take steps to avoid feeling guilty. We cleanup some habits in order
to feel less guilty about those we're trying to avoid dealing with. We start to
recycle. We buy 'green'. We conserve energy and feel quite self-satisfied that
we're making substantial efforts. To include 'Going Vegan' in the cleanup might
seem ambitious, even foolhardy, so we try to leavethat guilt alone despite the relief we know
it would bring.
Maybe that's
what life teaches all of us in the end - that there's a consequence to whatever
we decide to do. Sometimes it shows up immediately. Other times it's delayed,
but it does catch up with us eventually. Whereas if we make a bold move and
ditch our animal dependency, very likely we'll start to feel much better about
ourselves immediately. Self-esteem is boosted. There are many world issues to
address and we have to decide why we feel so strongly about one thing and less
about another. It comes down to priorities and human nature. What can be
changed to make all humans more intelligent?
The 'animal'
question might not at first seem detrimental to our own human development. The
animals aren't rebelling against human authority (yet). But
when we look a little deeper, we see some frightening connections. The foods we
eat from animals ARE making us ill and human violence and violation ARE the
causes of warfare and pollution. And it all stems from our violent treatment of
animals! If we are honest enough to look closely at cause and effect, the
picture becomes clearer. The 'animal issue' is a metaphor for the human
condition. Billions of humans are suffering the consequences of violent
natures. It's simply a reflection of the billions of 'useable' animals being
made to suffer for our convenience. This connection, alongside the sheer
numbers involved in the many ugly useages of animals, makes the 'animal issue'
a high priority.
By totally
ignoring animal issues, we show ourselves to be blind to the obvious links
between how we treat one another and how we treat animals. The bottom line is
that we are afraid of becoming gentler or becoming vegan.
There is a battleground between guilt and comfort. We can feel enlightened in
one way, but not enough to confront our comfort zones. If you know any
enlightened people, try asking them what they eat! Unless they've addressed
this matter of animal slavery, their enlightenment doesn't amount to a hill of
beans!
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