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Epilogue on Doing Animal Rights
...or feelings of pointless inadequacy and ineptitude Animal suffering caused by humanity is so vast that it is easy to feel dismayed at its scale and one's seemingly ineffectual struggles to relieve it. How can we tackle feelings of pointless inadequacy and ineptitude we may sometimes feel? We have to arm ourselves with the right attitudes. Attitude 1: I fight my corner We must choose a bit of the overall picture and do what we can, no matter how small our effort seems. You are not alone; everyone's input makes for the greater whole. Attitude 2: I will not be a slave to my emotions Emotions are not sacrosanct and we can learn to supervise them (if only to put them aside from time to time as best we can). Biologists tell us that our emotions evolved to help our ancestors survive and reproduce (and thus pass on emotion-mediating genes to posterity); and that a key function for having emotions may be that they prioritise our behaviour (for instance, we may be grieving a loss, but when we spot a predator, fear takes first rank, we put grieving aside and flee!). So emotions motivate (not dominate) us and we can strive for a reasonable balance with them. Attitude 3: Perspective is calming Cosmologists tell us that we live in an ageless multiverse. What does this mean for animal rights? Animal suffering induced by intelligent creatures exists through eons on endless planets in countless universes. There is nothing we can do about this. Our planet Earth, and our whole universe, is just a fleeting wisp of next to nothingness. We cannot do any more than keep calm and do our best. Attitude 4: I shall not give up Often there is no headway changing someone's attitude. Then all we can do is gently try to plant an idea in their mind and hope it matures, perhaps years later, while we set a good example. Attitude 5: I count my blessings and keep a sense of humour When all else fails, this always helps!
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