Trust

1903:

Edited by CJ Tointon

For most people, the 'farming of animals' is a subject they don't want to think or talk about. It must be hard to remain a carnivore when you know all the facts. If I get a chance to speak about farmed animals, I often meet with a poor reception, probably due to the fire and brimstone sermons people are used to hearing from other vegans. It makes omnivores nervous.

When we talk about Animal Rights, people need to know that we have our facts straight. If you are an animal advocate and see the sense in coming together with the adversary, you need to appreciate the irony of the situation. First, we have differing views. Second, we have different values and Third, neither is certain how to proceed without expressing disagreement. We need to be prepared to ask and answer questions honestly and sometimes pull back. 

By becoming vegan, we've taken a fork in the road that MANY others aren't even aware exists! Their path has always been the pursuit of comfort and pleasure at any cost, whereas vegans disassociate from that pursuit if it adversely affects animals. Vegans aim to change the attitudes of others. If communication and coming together are essential to attitude change, we need to establish feelings of non-separation between us and them. Before getting into serious speaking, discussing, debating or arguing, we must first establish our own trustworthiness and show trust in others' willingness to change their attitudes towards the animals they presently eat.

Imagine a situation where you and I are talking about this subject. You are the vegan and I the non-vegan. You would ideally want to know, asap, where I stand on things in case it's a volatile subject for me. No doubt, I'll sense your probing and send you back a "Yes, carry-on" or a "No, I don't want to go there" signal. You'll be able to read me since you're already on the look-out for these signs, adjusting what you say accordingly. On the other hand, you might just think "stuff it" and carry on regardless in a true barge in/make or break style. This usually ends in disagreement, with nothing accomplished and each of us writing the other off.

The subject of 'veganism', like no other, has the potential to disturb people deeply. It's redolent of guilt, shame, weakness and pain; which is why vegans need to recognise how much discomfort they can bring about when raising this subject. Nothing will be resolved if there's agitation, if one finds oneself between a rock and a hard place. Vegans, the very people who can help non-vegans come to terms with animal cruelty, are usually locked into a moral judgment position which they can't get past. They want to be useful, but something stands in their way and they're not sure what it is. Everyone we speak to has his/her own point of resistance and it's helpful to find a non-judging platform on which to discuss matters. This will only be possible if we make it none of our business what a person's 'vegan status' is. With this in mind, we can then talk about this subject without straying into the personal.