RE: empathy

[Guest guest]

Hi Cathy,

 

When I was learning stuff about veganism I wanted to share what I was learning

with friends and family. This is only natural. After all, we have the answers to

many of the world's most pressing problems. Most of my friends were totally open

to learning, and going vegan became something we did together.

 

In the beginning, one friend called me a fanatic and dismissed what I was saying

and doing as just part of my personality, that I just get that way (obsessive?)

about things.

 

Another friend said a number of rude and ignorant things such as (and I quote

exactly) - " You look like death " (even tho I look the same as when I ate

cheeseburgers), that " every vegan I've ever seen has been either nearly skin and

bones or, well, looked like death " (and this person is _not_ an example of

perfect health and fitness, and often complains about being overweight), that " I

have never met a vegan that didn't try to make everyone else a vegan " (of

course, if that's true, he never stopped to think about why that might be), that

" I'd appreciate not having them pushed on me " referring to " my beliefs " when the

extent of our discussion on veg issues was one conversation and a couple emails.

We went for dinner once and he asked what was going on with me and I

purposefully avoided the topic. He kept asking so I began to explain my reasons

for choosing to not eat dead animals. I only talked about me, what _I_ do and

why. I never once mentioned what _he_ should do yet when I was done sharing my

feelings there was a pause and he said " You're preaching " . I won't go into how I

felt at that moment cuz that's not the point.

 

Several days later it struck me. I was pondering the way different friends

reacted and I realized that the two friends who didn't really get it have a lot

in common. I don't think that they are fully able to empathise with suffering.

 

They both are white males, in their late 20's and still live at home with their

parents and their dog. I thought about various things that myself and my other

friends have been through so far in life (divorce, death, disease, addiction,

money troubles etc.) that they may not be able to relate to. Why should they

care about things like racism, sexism, poverty, or whatever? I asked one of them

" When you think about the world, isn't there anything that upsets you or gets

you angry? anything that you want to do something about? " (Which reminds me of

this article http://adbusters.org/magazine/26/newactivism/index.html ) Don't get

me wrong, I'm not saying that they're bad people, they're not. They just see the

world from a different angle.

 

So empathy is exactly what it takes to be vegan. It's like " I know what it's

like to suffer and I do not wish it on any living being " Actually my 'quote of

the week' is exactly that http://www3.sympatico.ca/anji/veg.html from a man who

kept a secret diary while a prisoner in Dachau Concentration Camp.

 

And this brings us right back to the topic of speciesism and the article about

the black woman who is continuing the tradition of slavery and oppression by

running a fur business. If anyone should be able to relate, it should be her.

 

So let's always remember to put ourselve in others' shoes, even if they're

non-human.

 

-anji

 

 

 

> Something that's always puzzled me is how some

> people care so much about animals, others not at > all. What's the

> difference, I've always wondered? And I think now > that the answer is

> empathy (forgive me if everyone else in the whole > world already knew this).

--

 

 

_____________

Free email services provided by http://www.goodkarmamail.com

 

 

powered by OutBlaze