How Do You Go On? (Part Two Of Two)
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Note: This post is part one of two & is crossposted from Making Hay.
Last week, I began the discussion “How Do You Go On?” Today, I will continue to talk to some of my colleagues and friends at Farm Sanctuary about how they continue fighting the good fight (with gusto, I might add), when animal oppression is so ever-present. I’ll then continue to discuss ways that you can avoid activist burnout.
When I closed yesterday, we were talking about Susie Coston, Farm Sanctuary’s national shelter director, and Leanne Cronquist, Farm Sanctuary’s California shelter director. So, in the face of a world where animal cruelty is the norm, how do they go on?
Susie explained it beautifully: “For those of us who work in the shelter, we go on because there are animals physically here – individuals who require hands-on help right now – who need us to be there for them. Many come in near death, and we can watch them bloom, come back to life and thrive. We can see terrified animals begin to trust us – and some turn out to be the friendliest and most loving of all. So in the face of all the ugliness – the live markets we take them out of, the rescue sites we go to, the factory farms we see – we are truly lucky to be able to give these amazing animals a second chance. We get to watch them graze, run, kick up their heels and enjoy their lives. We see them happy. We see people meet them and decide to never eat meat again. Just think of the numbers of individual lives that one person changing their diet will save. There’s so much in the world that’s sad, but we have to go on because each animal here is an individual; so even when one passes, there are hundreds more – right here, right now – who rely on us to keep going. And although it can break our hearts to see these animals coming from such dire situations – just imagine what it must be like to live it! We are the lucky ones; we must go on.”
Leanne Cronquist sees things similarly. She said, “It’s also important to think about what a great life the animals have at Farm Sanctuary. If they live to be 10 to 15 years old, which wouldn’t happen in other places, they have such a great life and get to experience what they should as their species – roaming pastures, sunbathing, swimming in a pond. Even for those animals who pass away shortly after they arrive here, in their last days they still get to see the sun, walk outside, have loving hands touch them. So despite the sadness and death, there is so much goodness and hope. Plus, we know that there are still so many other lives to save, people to change, work to be done, etc. So we go on.”
Savoring the happiness that comes along is another must-do for the lifelong activist. Whether that comes in the form of watching a rescued pig run across a field gleefully, noticing the thumb’s up that a passerby gives you while you’re taking part in a “No Foie Gras” demo, or sitting down to enjoy a yummy, compassionate meal with your family, taking in those little joyful moments as they arise can keep you going.
As for me, I turn my angst into activism. Actually, that’s why I’m an activist. The alternative is complacency, and that’s just plain silly. In the instance that someone makes a snide remark to me about how delicious their dead cow tastes, or if I find myself standing in front of a hot dog stand weeping, or if I see a sad animal story on the news, nothing drives me more than sitting down and spending five minutes writing a letter to the editor. Or raising money for the Walk for Farm Animals. Or thanking my local coffee shop for having vegan brownies. (That’s right, folks, activism comes in all different shapes and sizes, including the gracious variety.) If that doesn’t hit the spot, I cuddle with my dog. Or I plan a trip to Farm Sanctuary, which always reinvigorates me. Or I watch a rerun of The Nanny and forget about my woes entirely. Every single day, I spend at least one hour getting my mind off things, which means I do something entirely unrelated to animal rights. (That’s what Netflix is for.)
This is just some of the advice that we have to offer for those who feel angry or hopeless when confronted with constant reminders of animal oppression. But we also want to heed your advice. So, won’t you speak your mind in the comment-box below and tell us how you go on? Likewise, if you have questions or concerns, feel free to use the comment section below for that, too.
So, tell me… How do you go on?
For more information about avoiding activist burnout, I recommend The Lifelong Activist by Hillary Rettig, The Animal Activist’s Handbook by Matt Ball and Bruce Friedrich, and Aftershock by pattrice jones.
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Jasmin Singer is the National Advocacy Organizer for Farm Sanctuary. Based in NYC, Jasmin oversees the Advocacy Campaign Team, making her the Farm Sanctuary point-person for national and international farm animal activism. In addition to leading monthly activist meetings, and regularly presenting at colleges, universities, and law schools, she has led workshops at conferences such as Taking Action for Animals, the Farm Sanctuary Hoe Down, the SUNY Social Justice Conference, and the Let Live Northwest Animal Rights Conference in Portland, Oregon. Her workshops have been featured in such publications as The Village Voice and TimeOut New York. Publications include “Avoiding Activist Burnout” (VegNews, 2008) and “Coming Out for Animal Rights” (Satya, 2007). In 2009, Jasmin was named one of VegNews Magazine’s 20 Activists to Keep Your Eye On. Prior to her animal activist career, Jasmin was heavily involved with AIDS-Awareness activism, and toured with an HIV-Awareness theatre troupe. She holds an MA in Integrative Health Studies, a certification in Holistic Health Counseling, and a BFA in Acting. She’s excited that she is finally putting her degree in ACT-ing to use. Visit her website at www.jasminsinger.com, and become her facebook buddy.
What an inspiring post. I, as I guess many other animal lovers, do often feel like it’s all too hard. But then, the alternative is to give up these beliefs and start eating animals again – and that is way too awful to bear. The thought of eating anything from animals disgusts me now, and I guess once it’s in your head you can’t get it out again! What keeps me going is that the alternative is worse. But that aside, what inspires me, is reading and hearing about what others are achieving and following dozens of blogs by others who feel like me so I’m not alone.
I try to avoid burn-out by trying to avoid over-extending myself. If I plan to do something for animals, I always, always, always set a goal. Without that goal, I would feel like I never did enough, never accomplished anything, and just sat and spun my wheels.
I go on by not thinking about what I do as activism. I simply choose not to partake in the exploitation of animals and let my money talk. By taking my money away from those who exploit animals directly, and by asking for vegan products at the local coffee shop, grocery store, or restaurant, even if said establishment serves animal products, I cease being complicit and help to influence the market. Just look around you now, in most major urban centres, and even some not-so-urban ones, and you’ll notice a lot more vegan options than even five or ten years ago. Sometimes it seems painfully slow, but activism that is too active, too dramatic, can blow up in our faces by provoking knee-jerk reactions or anger that causes them to dig in their heels and become more entrenched in their positions and their opposition.