An animal advocate, fighting the cause of Animal Rights, has a life-long objective, some might call it an obsession.
Such an aim as living by vegan principle is, like having a lover, good company. It’s a cause, an ultimate source of satisfaction, an intimate tester of our own shortfalls, a source of confidence and it fills our lives with meaning. The testing bit we may nor like at first, but, like the true lover, it is concerned for our long-term education. To have such a mighty aim calls for changes in one’s personal life, which sets off a sequence of events perhaps unnerving at first. The sequence obviously starts with food and vegan principle, and this goes on to signal a major turning point in our life. But as we go deeper into it all, our ‘going vegan’ leads us into a more natural life. We ‘go’ more with Nature and then towards a love of Nature.
With animal liberation in mind the whole journey starts with a private diet. And by being more in keeping with Nature we find ways of making our vegan lifestyle appealing, first to ourselves and then, by talking about it, to others too. By showing ourselves to be happy with all these changes and then to go on to feeding people (with the sort of food we eat, vegan food), we make it appealing to the public mind.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Our aim is to talk
Once we have an aim, such as going vegan, and have cleaned up our act by going vegan, we’re in a position to be useful. Once we’re eating from plants, clothing ourselves from plants and thereby coming to terms with our conscience, then we’re in motion. First, learning new ways of preparing food, learning about basic nutrition (for our own safety) and then moving on from there to learn about modern-day animal-husbandry (concerning the animals’ unsafety).
To set this ball rolling we need confidence in all sorts of ways. We need it to confirm our decision to go vegan, then we need it to carve out great chunks of time and energy for the ‘work in hand’ (involving learning new information and methods needed for talking about this subject). Already our own vegan diet has started off this process, generating self-confidence, but it comes more so, when we start thinking more deeply about it all. Our thoughts develop from food to the animal sacrifices made for food. We start thinking about how it might be ended - the slaughter. And we come to Animal Rights.
“Oh!” We have to entertain thoughts like “No more lobster, no more ...”.
This whole matter is far too serious to think about human inconveniences. This history of exploitation has to be put to rights. It has to be about them rather than me. It’s the story of their suffering we’re learning about rather than my health and enjoyment. Once we’re on this path we’re advocates-true, and so much closer to being able to talk about it sensibly. Sensible talk (truth) is interesting talk. Now we have a whole generation of people wanting one thing - information (truth in other words). And that is precisely what vegans can come up with. (Over thirty years I’ve never heard any arguments saying vegans are lying!).
Once we’re established as practising vegans then we can move into advocacy. And yes, that might mean getting a communication ‘up-skill’. Animal advocates who aim to promote the liberation of ‘food-animals’ need to convince people to stop supporting the Animal Industry, that all. But that means introducing the whole matter of animal-use to people who’d have otherwise not thought about the subject.
To set this ball rolling we need confidence in all sorts of ways. We need it to confirm our decision to go vegan, then we need it to carve out great chunks of time and energy for the ‘work in hand’ (involving learning new information and methods needed for talking about this subject). Already our own vegan diet has started off this process, generating self-confidence, but it comes more so, when we start thinking more deeply about it all. Our thoughts develop from food to the animal sacrifices made for food. We start thinking about how it might be ended - the slaughter. And we come to Animal Rights.
“Oh!” We have to entertain thoughts like “No more lobster, no more ...”.
This whole matter is far too serious to think about human inconveniences. This history of exploitation has to be put to rights. It has to be about them rather than me. It’s the story of their suffering we’re learning about rather than my health and enjoyment. Once we’re on this path we’re advocates-true, and so much closer to being able to talk about it sensibly. Sensible talk (truth) is interesting talk. Now we have a whole generation of people wanting one thing - information (truth in other words). And that is precisely what vegans can come up with. (Over thirty years I’ve never heard any arguments saying vegans are lying!).
Once we’re established as practising vegans then we can move into advocacy. And yes, that might mean getting a communication ‘up-skill’. Animal advocates who aim to promote the liberation of ‘food-animals’ need to convince people to stop supporting the Animal Industry, that all. But that means introducing the whole matter of animal-use to people who’d have otherwise not thought about the subject.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Sequences - the reasoning behind a decision to go vegan
Let’s say I consider the possibility of going vegan, then my first question is probably going to be why? Why go this far? Why open this Pandora’s Box and invite so many questions (and their sibling answers)? Wouldn’t it be best to NOT consider issues concerning domesticated animals? Best put it all on the backburner?
We might reason it out that, amongst other important and urgent issues facing us, there’s no room for ‘animal issues’. Take them off our to-do list. And there again, we might not … we might reckon this issue far too important to shelf. So maybe we do take it on. And in doing so we end up heading towards a vegan lifestyle.
Veganism answers so many questions all at once - any number of hatches open simultaneously. Each presents new thoughts, and each new thought is as important as the other. When all the hatches open at once it’s disturbing. Can a plant-based eating regime spark so much all at once? It’s true that for all of us, becoming vegan is at first almost-overwhelming. The very thought of it is enough to stop us in our tracks. Yet we don’t stop.
Like pregnancy, being vegan is all or nothing. As soon as the idea is taken up we experience an explosion of insight, after which (when the flash and smoke have died down) one thing remains - the structure of the changes that are going to be involved. In the mind at first, how did the change take place, what actually happened? What is the usual chronology of events? What is the logical sequence? Now I decide ... I’ll do this. What can I expect to follow? If I take this step is there no going back? Is there something strong within any one of us, which says “don’t retreat at the first hiccup, push through, don’t give up”?
Somehow the idea itself takes on its own momentum and we either ride with it or we jump off, before it picks up speed. If we decide to go with it, we know it’s not a frivolous choice, and yet it’s one we have to learn to relax into. Vegan lifestyle obviously, in theory at least, looks better than our old lifestyle (which can be as dull as the description of it, as a ‘meat and two veg lifestyle’).
As with the development of speed travel, with aeroplanes for example, veganism starts in one place and moves quickly to show up what had, before, been completely unrecognisable. An apotheosis occurs: tiny biplanes using propellers, then light metal structures allowing bigger engines, then supersonic jets and speed travel. If the aim was simply to fly we’d have stayed with romantic biplanes but if it was speed-travel then we end up with what we have today. Vegan consciousness is really a speed-travel idea, a sped-up version of the old lumbering style of omnivore-human survival method. And now we have (the behemoth of) mass denial of logical event-sequence. Independent thought has been sacrificed for the wall Everyman helps to build, to stand huge against what vegans are saying. Our own certainty in vegan principle, as a universal truth, is all we have to fight this denial with.
The reason we become vegan is to overcome the denial of omnivores. We know we’ve got to do whatever needs to be done to win their attention. Get them talking. get them to trust us not to be scheisters. To know we show ‘genuine’ natures.
We have to become strong enough in determination, that we’ll keep in mind why we became vegan - to free the dear, voiceless creatures from their ugly prison farms. That’s the primary reason. That reason has to be more important than any other consideration, and of course there are plenty more. Plenty more reasons to become vegan.
We might reason it out that, amongst other important and urgent issues facing us, there’s no room for ‘animal issues’. Take them off our to-do list. And there again, we might not … we might reckon this issue far too important to shelf. So maybe we do take it on. And in doing so we end up heading towards a vegan lifestyle.
Veganism answers so many questions all at once - any number of hatches open simultaneously. Each presents new thoughts, and each new thought is as important as the other. When all the hatches open at once it’s disturbing. Can a plant-based eating regime spark so much all at once? It’s true that for all of us, becoming vegan is at first almost-overwhelming. The very thought of it is enough to stop us in our tracks. Yet we don’t stop.
Like pregnancy, being vegan is all or nothing. As soon as the idea is taken up we experience an explosion of insight, after which (when the flash and smoke have died down) one thing remains - the structure of the changes that are going to be involved. In the mind at first, how did the change take place, what actually happened? What is the usual chronology of events? What is the logical sequence? Now I decide ... I’ll do this. What can I expect to follow? If I take this step is there no going back? Is there something strong within any one of us, which says “don’t retreat at the first hiccup, push through, don’t give up”?
Somehow the idea itself takes on its own momentum and we either ride with it or we jump off, before it picks up speed. If we decide to go with it, we know it’s not a frivolous choice, and yet it’s one we have to learn to relax into. Vegan lifestyle obviously, in theory at least, looks better than our old lifestyle (which can be as dull as the description of it, as a ‘meat and two veg lifestyle’).
As with the development of speed travel, with aeroplanes for example, veganism starts in one place and moves quickly to show up what had, before, been completely unrecognisable. An apotheosis occurs: tiny biplanes using propellers, then light metal structures allowing bigger engines, then supersonic jets and speed travel. If the aim was simply to fly we’d have stayed with romantic biplanes but if it was speed-travel then we end up with what we have today. Vegan consciousness is really a speed-travel idea, a sped-up version of the old lumbering style of omnivore-human survival method. And now we have (the behemoth of) mass denial of logical event-sequence. Independent thought has been sacrificed for the wall Everyman helps to build, to stand huge against what vegans are saying. Our own certainty in vegan principle, as a universal truth, is all we have to fight this denial with.
The reason we become vegan is to overcome the denial of omnivores. We know we’ve got to do whatever needs to be done to win their attention. Get them talking. get them to trust us not to be scheisters. To know we show ‘genuine’ natures.
We have to become strong enough in determination, that we’ll keep in mind why we became vegan - to free the dear, voiceless creatures from their ugly prison farms. That’s the primary reason. That reason has to be more important than any other consideration, and of course there are plenty more. Plenty more reasons to become vegan.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
It feels satisfyingly right
"Satisfaction" and "meaning" are the big drivers in life. As soon as we formulate our main aim (in this case, animals not being killed on our behalf) we can start to feel interesting ideas radiating out from it, as if something new is being born, well, at least something new happening. In our minds, in a sort of giving-birth way or an ending-of-constipation way, it’s a private happening. We’ve arrived at a conclusion that has been conceived inside our own heads. And like a foetus it moves, it takes on a life of its own. And all the potential of it comes flooding in, as soon as we decide to contemplate it as our aim. This ‘aim’, as it becomes clearer, comes down to a matter of choice. Decision time. Perhaps we decide to give it a shot.
As one becomes more concerned for the plight of captive animals so we notice, mainly with ourselves, a change of heart. There’s an emergence of empathy. And there’s an instinct to go with it that says empathy is a step in the right direction. It feels mature. It feels unquestionable ... because it’s always connected to compassion (something which so obviously is needed in this violent and wasteful world). It touches the very core of who we are, as representatives of the human race. Satisfaction-wise, that’s worth a lot.
As one becomes more concerned for the plight of captive animals so we notice, mainly with ourselves, a change of heart. There’s an emergence of empathy. And there’s an instinct to go with it that says empathy is a step in the right direction. It feels mature. It feels unquestionable ... because it’s always connected to compassion (something which so obviously is needed in this violent and wasteful world). It touches the very core of who we are, as representatives of the human race. Satisfaction-wise, that’s worth a lot.
Monday, January 3, 2011
The ‘new’ altruism
Altruism is really a perfectly balanced two-way road, both selfish and selfless, intertwined. It doesn’t ‘ work’ if separated.
Take the idea of selflessness, it leads to insufferable saintliness. It’s unsustainable. And the opposite is just as ridiculous - the selfish world leads to trouble. It’s strange how altruism has been highjacked by the morality mob. By taking things towards idealism we hope to appear definite; we try to define ourselves by holding some strong position that everyone will approve of. It gives our life meaning and makes us look good too, but because it’s so far out of balance it doesn’t succeed.
The saintly, unrealistic and selfless faces-off with the selfish and the materialistic; good versus bad. The only way an extreme can work is in relation to the extreme opposite, so if we’re really bad we have to do something really good to balance it … and that’s so contrary to nature that it fails miserably - any attempt at extremism which calls for overcompensating is energy draining.
‘New’ altruism suggests it’s foolish to go out to extremes. If our altruism is reserved for useful work it won’t get sidetracked by extremes. It will operate on low levels of selfish and unselfish motivation and thrive that way. It’s not as impressive, it’s slower to get results but in the long term … well, that what I’d be backing anyway.
If this is the new altruism, what does it mean? That the slow-but-sure, in-balance way brings satisfying results? It is the expectation of getting a result that drives us on. And wouldn’t that be ultimately what we want? We all surely want repairs to work? And if they work, wouldn’t that be the ultimate result? What else could we wish for? If it works for us personally, there’s good reason (in our perception) to be optimistic about our own future and that of our civilisation?
It’s a circular argument that never gets resolved of course, that we need to ‘do’ altruism in a balanced way to feel good about ‘doing’ it in the first place but we need to feel good about it in order to reach balance. It comes back to optimism being the bright light in our lives, and that everything we do is made that much easier if we aren’t gloomy about things. An optimist may take a very pragmatic, benign slant on things, saying, “So what if all this damage has taken place? It can be fixed”. Optimism "ups" the energy. In turn, our ‘upped’ energy improves our chances of making the necessary ‘large leaps ahead’. They’re attitudinal changes. They’re not the easy ones, they often mean some hard work, they’re changes which to the casual observer aren’t immediately obvious, they’re not necessarily, straight away, attractive - but it’s this scale of change, attitude change, which most helps us make transitions.
Going vegan is an ultimate transition. And even if the rest of the community doesn’t click into it, for us it can be something worth aiming for. By not confirming our don’t-care-about-violence attitudes, by being a day-to-day vegan, we set a course in a particular direction. And we do that not because it’s right but because it means something to us. And it means something beneficial to others too. It is, overal, instrumental to a good outcome.
Amongst all the blather of modern day man, with all the hype, nonsense and untruth of today, veganism stands out, alone, a beacon of sanity. It’s optimistic and, in balance with Nature, looks pretty good. For a vegan it feels right. It’s as if one is dressed appropriately for the right climate. For vegans, anything we can do to promote the vegan principle will be inevitably satisfying, to us and indeed to all of us.
Take the idea of selflessness, it leads to insufferable saintliness. It’s unsustainable. And the opposite is just as ridiculous - the selfish world leads to trouble. It’s strange how altruism has been highjacked by the morality mob. By taking things towards idealism we hope to appear definite; we try to define ourselves by holding some strong position that everyone will approve of. It gives our life meaning and makes us look good too, but because it’s so far out of balance it doesn’t succeed.
The saintly, unrealistic and selfless faces-off with the selfish and the materialistic; good versus bad. The only way an extreme can work is in relation to the extreme opposite, so if we’re really bad we have to do something really good to balance it … and that’s so contrary to nature that it fails miserably - any attempt at extremism which calls for overcompensating is energy draining.
‘New’ altruism suggests it’s foolish to go out to extremes. If our altruism is reserved for useful work it won’t get sidetracked by extremes. It will operate on low levels of selfish and unselfish motivation and thrive that way. It’s not as impressive, it’s slower to get results but in the long term … well, that what I’d be backing anyway.
If this is the new altruism, what does it mean? That the slow-but-sure, in-balance way brings satisfying results? It is the expectation of getting a result that drives us on. And wouldn’t that be ultimately what we want? We all surely want repairs to work? And if they work, wouldn’t that be the ultimate result? What else could we wish for? If it works for us personally, there’s good reason (in our perception) to be optimistic about our own future and that of our civilisation?
It’s a circular argument that never gets resolved of course, that we need to ‘do’ altruism in a balanced way to feel good about ‘doing’ it in the first place but we need to feel good about it in order to reach balance. It comes back to optimism being the bright light in our lives, and that everything we do is made that much easier if we aren’t gloomy about things. An optimist may take a very pragmatic, benign slant on things, saying, “So what if all this damage has taken place? It can be fixed”. Optimism "ups" the energy. In turn, our ‘upped’ energy improves our chances of making the necessary ‘large leaps ahead’. They’re attitudinal changes. They’re not the easy ones, they often mean some hard work, they’re changes which to the casual observer aren’t immediately obvious, they’re not necessarily, straight away, attractive - but it’s this scale of change, attitude change, which most helps us make transitions.
Going vegan is an ultimate transition. And even if the rest of the community doesn’t click into it, for us it can be something worth aiming for. By not confirming our don’t-care-about-violence attitudes, by being a day-to-day vegan, we set a course in a particular direction. And we do that not because it’s right but because it means something to us. And it means something beneficial to others too. It is, overal, instrumental to a good outcome.
Amongst all the blather of modern day man, with all the hype, nonsense and untruth of today, veganism stands out, alone, a beacon of sanity. It’s optimistic and, in balance with Nature, looks pretty good. For a vegan it feels right. It’s as if one is dressed appropriately for the right climate. For vegans, anything we can do to promote the vegan principle will be inevitably satisfying, to us and indeed to all of us.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Selfless or selfish
When we get serious about repair we’re doing something big for ourselves and something even bigger for the greater good (which of course includes saving animals). To make this work we have to be a little self-disciplined; it means avoiding what is sensually attractive to us, because of its origins; it means avoiding any number of attractive, traditional foods.
At first this seems like a massive sacrifice (which we automatically associate with discomfort). To get past this, we obviously need some strength-of-intention. But once this first hurdle is jumped another level of enjoyment is reached … and the rest is the journey towards both repair and personal satisfaction.
Going vegan starts out as a selfless establishing of new habits, but then, as effort is rewarded, the selfless becomes self benefiting. What we want for others we want for ourselves, and this smacks of altruism of course. But it’s just a concept. Our own altruism may be mistaken, exaggerated, very based upon Western-Christian-good-bad but all it needs is fresh meaning to turn it from a dull difficult idea into something far more interesting. The ‘new altruism’ doesn’t have to be me-centred or you-centred but a sensible balance between the two, to suit common interests.
It comes back to a central question: am I convinced there’s enough in altruism in me? That depends on whether I think it works. Linking altruism to the relationship between me and animals makes me ask myself, why is this important enough to me? Why would I step out for them? And on the other side of this altruism - what’s in it for me? Ultimately - why would we want to become vegan? Why would I want to do that to myself?
At first this seems like a massive sacrifice (which we automatically associate with discomfort). To get past this, we obviously need some strength-of-intention. But once this first hurdle is jumped another level of enjoyment is reached … and the rest is the journey towards both repair and personal satisfaction.
Going vegan starts out as a selfless establishing of new habits, but then, as effort is rewarded, the selfless becomes self benefiting. What we want for others we want for ourselves, and this smacks of altruism of course. But it’s just a concept. Our own altruism may be mistaken, exaggerated, very based upon Western-Christian-good-bad but all it needs is fresh meaning to turn it from a dull difficult idea into something far more interesting. The ‘new altruism’ doesn’t have to be me-centred or you-centred but a sensible balance between the two, to suit common interests.
It comes back to a central question: am I convinced there’s enough in altruism in me? That depends on whether I think it works. Linking altruism to the relationship between me and animals makes me ask myself, why is this important enough to me? Why would I step out for them? And on the other side of this altruism - what’s in it for me? Ultimately - why would we want to become vegan? Why would I want to do that to myself?
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Satisfying repairs
A big part of our life should be about repair. Most of us are devoted to something, feel strongly and perhaps act strongly about the most important issues in our lives. It may be care for trees, for children, for peace, whatever it is we want to repair it if it’s broken or harmful.
But however noble our repairs are, unless we find ways to enjoy the repair process itself, we won’t keep it up. Eventually the novelty will wear off and it’ll look too much like hard work; we won’t have enough motivation to do long term repairs.
Whether we get good results or bad results, the thing we want to repair must be so important to us that to risk losing it or see it harmed would be unbearable. The ‘subject’ under threat might well be satisfying in itself, dealing with it, contemplating it working on it. A hobby, a fascination, a cause perhaps. Most great causes are controversial and not altogether black or white. There is mixed reaction because it probably affects all people who will react in totally different ways.
Certainly Animal Rights is like that in as much as the subject is ever fascinating. It has so many facets and implications. Certainly it is under threat as the attack on animals increases. Today there are many people on the trail of the bad guys who do these terrible things to animals, especially those making a living out of it. They are probably passionate about their livelihood as we are about bringing it to an end. Thamachine they see as working we see as a catastrophe. It’s a very significant subject concerning all of our race, that we think needs urgent attitude-repair. So, yes, if we’re into repair on this scale it’s best we get close to the subject itself. Enjoy dealing with it, on whatever level.
By connecting personal fulfilment with practical repair work, we can make changes less painful and actually enjoy the work involved. By deciding to become vegetarian (no longer using meat and products taken from animals’ bodies and thereby keeping our health as well as keeping animals off death row) we appoint ourselves repairers. When we get into liberating animals then almost anything we do we prmarily do for them, and so it is going to be satisfying.
But however noble our repairs are, unless we find ways to enjoy the repair process itself, we won’t keep it up. Eventually the novelty will wear off and it’ll look too much like hard work; we won’t have enough motivation to do long term repairs.
Whether we get good results or bad results, the thing we want to repair must be so important to us that to risk losing it or see it harmed would be unbearable. The ‘subject’ under threat might well be satisfying in itself, dealing with it, contemplating it working on it. A hobby, a fascination, a cause perhaps. Most great causes are controversial and not altogether black or white. There is mixed reaction because it probably affects all people who will react in totally different ways.
Certainly Animal Rights is like that in as much as the subject is ever fascinating. It has so many facets and implications. Certainly it is under threat as the attack on animals increases. Today there are many people on the trail of the bad guys who do these terrible things to animals, especially those making a living out of it. They are probably passionate about their livelihood as we are about bringing it to an end. Thamachine they see as working we see as a catastrophe. It’s a very significant subject concerning all of our race, that we think needs urgent attitude-repair. So, yes, if we’re into repair on this scale it’s best we get close to the subject itself. Enjoy dealing with it, on whatever level.
By connecting personal fulfilment with practical repair work, we can make changes less painful and actually enjoy the work involved. By deciding to become vegetarian (no longer using meat and products taken from animals’ bodies and thereby keeping our health as well as keeping animals off death row) we appoint ourselves repairers. When we get into liberating animals then almost anything we do we prmarily do for them, and so it is going to be satisfying.
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