Choose To Dwell In Hope
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Animal advocate events, like FARM’s Animal Rights Conference, are an opportunity to learn new things, network with likeminded people and energize yourself and your activism.
I’m sharing my notes from the conference here on Vegan Soapbox. These are my own notes and not a transcript. The notes below are from a talk given at one of the morning plenary sessions by Colleen Patrick-Goureau of Compassionate Cooks.
She says that peace is a biproduct of the vegan lifestyle.
Burn-out in our movement is common; it’s easy to get angry and why not? Our anger is justified. But to remain a joyful vegan is to understand anger. The root of anger is sorrow.
We can choose to dwell in hope.
When you go vegan you’re often expected to be an expert in so many things and you receive a lot of questions and criticism from others. That can lead to depression or anger or burn-out. Don’t let it!
Our word choices reflect our beliefs. We can shift paradigms by shifting our language.
Remember when dealing with nonvegans that we were once in their shoes. Most vegans were not raised vegan. [This always begs the question for me - as someone who basically grew up vegetarian and who is raising a son vegan, I wonder why this concept is so popular in animal advocacy. Must we remember what it was like to consume animal products in order to find compassion for nonvegans and be able to help them transition? Really?]
Try to find common ground and stand together against violence towards animals rather than against each other.
Give others the benefit of the doubt and expect the best of others. [This is great advice. It really is - for all areas of your life.]
She closed her session by reading the Animal Prayer (PDF is here) and then received a standing ovation. The crowd loved her. Here is the prayer:
A Prayer for Humans on Behalf of Animals
My hope is that we can navigate through this world with the grace and integrity of those who need our protection. May we have the sense of humor and liveliness of the goats; may we have the maternal instincts and protective nature of the hens and the sassiness of the roosters. May we have the gentleness and strength of the cattle, and the wisdom, humility, and serenity of the donkeys. May we appreciate the need for community as do the sheep and choose our companions as carefully as do the rabbits. May we have the faithfulness and commitment to family of the geese, the adaptability and affability of the ducks. May we have the intelligence, loyalty, and affection of the pigs and the inquisitiveness, sensitivity, and playfulness of the turkeys.
My hope is that we learn from the animals what we need to become better people.
~Colleen Patrick-Goudreau
UPDATE: see the transcript from this same talk given at Vida Vegan Con. The transcript is up here >>
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Our notes from this year’s conference will be all at http://www.vegansoapbox.com/topics/ar2011/. Notes from 2009′s conference are at http://www.vegansoapbox.com/topics/ar-2009/.
“Must we remember what it was like to consume animal products in order to find compassion for nonvegans and be able to help them transition?”
I definitely say YES because we were all not fortunate to be raised vegetarian or vegan. Just as I can never know how hard it is to quit smoking because I have never had one cigarette in my whole life, someone who did not have meat may not understand the struggle giving it up is for some people.
For myself, I had over 40 years of omnivore living to change. It does help me to be patient with others to remember that I was once in their shoes.
All people have their own experiences on their journeys and they are all valid.
Thank you for sharing the notes of a wonderful lecture.
I agree with Rhea. It really does help to remember–if you can–how you felt and how you responded when you first heard about going vegan. It makes you more patient, and patience is really a virtue when dealing with the public.
Thanks for posting the animal prayer; it was lovely.
That’s interesting, Becci and Rhea. I can see your point.
But at the same time I feel that patience is something that anyone can cultivate; it needn’t require a specific background. A therapist who helps people quit using cocaine, for example, may be just as effective if s/he never used the stuff as if s/he is a recovering addict. I think it would just depend on the individual.
The root of patience is likely empathy and compassion. The very things that make it possible for us to take into consideration the needs and wants of nonhuman animals are the things that make it possible for us to take into consideration the needs and wants of nonvegan humans.
When I hear someone say that “Most vegans were not raised vegan” and that we should “remember what it was like to be nonvegan” I hear something different. I hear: people who grow up vegan (or even vegetarian) don’t have the necessary skills to influence others to go veg.
I don’t clearly remember a time when I was truly “omnivore.” I went vegetarian at age 6. Yet I feel that because of my history I have some unique experiences and insights that people who go veg later in life may not have. For example, I know from firsthand experience what it is like to be a vegetarian kid in a nonvegetarian world. Thus, I can offer help to parents who are considering the transition for their family. There are other ways in which I think my experience helps rather than hinders my activism.
So, I think that it’s helpful to “remember what it was like to be nonveg” for those people who can, but I just don’t think that’s the specific necessary factor in developing compassion for nonveg people.