1. Activist Feedback
Rick Hershey writes:
I handed out 1230 CVA booklets at Rupp Arena for Winter Jam. This crowd
seemed smaller than last year, and 30 mph winds made leafleting difficult.
2. "We Did It" Vegan Support and Advocacy
Susan Sparks writes:
weDIDit is a global movement for a happy, healthy, well-fed
vegan world through improved interpersonal communication, curated content,
and community. Their
GrassRoots Ambassador certification empowers Vegan & WFPB
consumers and enthusiasts to initiate powerful change — for the health of
humans, animals, and our planet.
Learn more about their
certification here, or subscribe to their YouTube
Channel:
weDidit.health
You can view two recent presentations by Dr. Angel Crawford, Psychologist,
Transformational Coach, and Vegan Lifestyle Educator:
Be well,
Susan
ThePlantPoweredPen
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3. Looking for a Moral Compass? Rationalizations
It is difficult to convince people to do things that run counter to their
perceived self-interest. Humans have a remarkable capacity to rationalize
their choices, convincing themselves that their interests and morality have
a fortuitous alignment. People do make some ethical choices, and motivations
include a kind disposition, a sense of duty, a fear of feeling guilty, an
unwillingness to face social condemnation, and concern that cosmic forces
(e.g., God) will punish them for misdeeds.
Humanity’s treatment of nonhumans demonstrates well the limitations of
appealing to human goodwill. If the vast majority of people care more about
their own food preferences than unrelenting pain and misery for countless
creatures, then we can’t count on humans to make significant sacrifices for
the greater good. Fear of social condemnation was a powerful motivation in
small communities, particularly when people depended on each other for
survival. In large, industrial societies, having money is an effective
substitute for having reliable family and friends. The most obnoxious people
have no difficulty finding people willing to sell goods and services.
Fear that unethical behavior might result in punishment in this world or the
next has often limited human immorality. Today, many people doubt that a
cosmic balance of justice exists, and many are also drawn to religions and
cosmologies that excuse or even endorse malignant behaviors.
This might seem quite discouraging, but all is not lost. I will next offer
some thoughts on how humans might be encouraged to act ethically without
requiring that they adopt religious beliefs that many people find
unreasonable.
Stephen R. Kaufman, M.D.
4. Golden Rule Advocacy
Last week’s essay discussed the Golden Rule. Here is a nice booklet that shows the power of this ethic, particularly when applied to nonhumans: GoldenRuleism.pdf - Google Drive.