In much of the western world veganism and vegetarianism are on the increase. However, as the global demand for food, becomes greater and greater every day, the steady progress of these more compassionate lifestyles becomes increasingly threatened. Vegans and even vegetarians represent a fairly small proportion of the overall population. They are a minority in a world that’s largely opposed to their beliefs and controlled by large corporations. Nevertheless, a minority though we are, these corporations and the governments that support them seek to find as many ways as they can to fight back and protect their vested interests. Veganism and vegetarianism are more than just an ethical stance on what we eat; it’s a way of life and a way of seeing things that threaten the status quo. It would be fair to say then that as a more compassionate lifestyle continues to develop in certain parts of the world, the threat it poses to the established order increases exponentially: a threat that corporations such as the meat, dairy and pharmaceutical industries will seek to counter in greater and more far reaching ways. We are in effect, at war with the established system of abuse that has lasted for thousands of years and one that isn’t likely to give up easily. Therefore, as in any war, we must fight on all fronts, we must never rest on our laurels and we must continue to find new, creative and effectual means in order to further our cause. Talking about food and preaching to the already converted, as we all do, isn’t going to be enough to win this war, or for that matter, make any significant advances either. We also have to deliver our beliefs to mainstream society in ways it’s willing to accept — such as through entertainment. More can be achieved by a movie or a novel that suggests these themes within an entertaining story, than by means which only serve to trigger resistance. The battle to win the minds of those who eat meat and consume dairy can, as in all battles, only be won by understanding the enemy. This, I believe, is an area that hasn’t been looked into enough by those wishing to convert others to a more compassionate way of life. We need to be asking ourselves what we are actually doing when we try to make these changes in people: the answer being that we are trying to increase empathy in others by way of our own beliefs and lifestyle. Empathy is a physiological as well as psychological process which can be viewed as being on a spectrum from say, zero to six. Having no empathy at all is associated with a psychopathic mind, whereas higher levels of empathy will be found in compassionate people, such as vegans. Obviously there is a nature/nurture element to this, but basically anyone who has a degree of empathy can improve it in some way. However, this emotion is rather like intelligence in that it can be enhanced by watching, listening and reading as well as by the influence of those around us. But unlike intelligence, it always requires a response, or it’s not true empathy. Unless we act on our compassionate feelings in some way we are doing nothing more than observing and registering. Empathy is not just about feeling sorry for all the creatures that suffer so much and die so needlessly from the cruelty of man, it’s about doing something about it as well. In other words, the parts of the brain responsible for empathy have to be developed beyond the ability to recognise the suffering of others, to the stage in which they act in response to the suffering of others. Therefore, just as most people’s brains have been conditioned sociologically not to respond to the suffering of our fellow creatures, they now need to be conditioned in a similar way to do the exact opposite. The prevailing forms of such sociological programming stem from a variety of sources, but suffice it to say that the main two are distraction and avoidance. The distraction of our thoughts by what we see, hear and read in mainstream society and our avoidance of that which conflicts with the so called “social norms”. Societies therefore help to erode our empathy to some degree or another, because just as it can be developed, it can also be diminished. So, how do we develop empathy to the level we need it to be in order to stop people from eating animal products and carrying out experiments on sentient beings? We do it by doing exactly what society tries to do to people: we condition them by every means we can think of — unfortunately, we’re not thinking of enough. How many movies and novels for example can you bring to mind that contain an animal rights theme? Now, how many movies and novels can you think of that don’t contain such a theme? See what I mean? Compassion for our fellow creatures is one of the most important qualities in the human race. Nevertheless, it’s found mainly in a minority group who are supported, fed, entertained and clothed by others within this group. The way forward must surely be to take whatever we can from our beliefs and somehow integrate them into mainstream society. Only then will they serve to augment the empathy of those in which it needs to be increased. It was with these thoughts that I decided to write a novel that would appeal to vegans and veggies, but also one that could be enjoyed by others and help to influence them. A book in which its sales could be kick-started by the already converted looking for an exciting read with familiar themes, while others look on and begin to get curious about a novel that says it all, in a truly novel way. “The Empathy Spectrum” warns of the consequences of a world lacking in empathy, and of how we could all become victims of such a place if we don’t find more effective ways to influence the masses. ypdbooks/thriller-mystery-adventure/976-the-empathy-spectrum-YPD00907.html amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=The%20Empathy%20Spectrum%20by%20Kit%20Perry&sprefix=The+E%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AThe%20Empathy%20Spectrum%20by%20Kit%20Perry
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 22:49:56 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015