Animal Rebellion
Not the uprising of animals against humans (though did anyone watch that weird series on Netflix called Zoo? Food for thought (before it got sci-fi!)....
No, this is the name of the vegan activist group who are making the case for a plant-based food system to be instated by the government, whilst being aligned with the goals of Extinction Rebellion, who focus on environment-based objectives.
Personally, I agree with both groups in terms of what they stand for and back them in their mission to draw the necessary attention to the urgency required in addressing the biggest problems we, as a species, have ever encountered en masse.
You might not agree with their methods. Perhaps they disrupt your life, block your path for a few minutes, come up in your FB feed and on news channels. Perhaps they spray a favourite monument or deface a loved location. Perhaps they “waste police time”. It is not a waste.
This is small potatoes when you consider the sacrifices that will need to be made by the world at large if things don’t start changing in a radical way soon. And with no other outlet available to voice our discontent at the lack of government action, ask yourself what alternatives are there to peaceful protest and gatherings? The media thrive on drama and so they won’t report on a gathering - more action is required to make it newsworthy, so don’t hate the player. Hate the game.
The people who give up their time to fight for what is right are standing up for a more comfortable future for every living creature. So remember that in your fleeting moment of discomfort and remind yourself that we are all only here temporarily anyway. The impact we can have on the world in that time can be for ourselves, against others or for everybody. We win the war against hate with an abundance of love.
So I ask you that whatever your opinion of the footage you see of protesters, (and some may be co-opting the cause to further their own agendas/create anarchy just for the hell of it), please recognise in their actions that the goal and intention of the genuine people involved is to help remind the government, and any passerby, that every living being has a right to life.
You included.