“Veganism is not a matter of opinion, lifestyle or particular circumstances. It is a moral obligation that binds us – all of us – just as do moral obligations that involve the fundamental rights of humans.” – Gary L. Francione
Our organization organized a public street event called “Change my Mind” on Tuesday the 28th of June 2022.
We set up a table on the street with the writing “Veganism is the moral duty of everyone”. Next to that, we also had a call to action, precisely a call to discuss and debate the above-mentioned writing and it said “Change my mind”.
Our goal was to have constructive conversations with the citizens of Sarajevo, to gain insight into their understanding of morality, i.e. how they distinguish good from bad, but at the same time, insight into their knowledge of veganism as a lifestyle and their awareness when it comes to animal industries.
Besides that, our Ajdin Arnautović took the opportunity to open up another perspective to those who were not familiar with the topic of morality and veganism.
We didn’t just want to have discussions one-on-one, we also wanted to be approachable to the people passing by to stop and listen to the discussion and maybe even ask a question or two.
It is indisputable that such a call to moral duty towards non-human animals provoked various facial expressions from the people passing by, from positive to negative.
The goal of such a debate was not to force a person to see our perception of morality, but to encourage them to open their own, because deep inside, we are all moved by the suffering of any being. The persons who had a constructive debate were able to answer the question to themselves: “Are my values in line with my actions?”
Immanuel Kant gave a universal definition of morality which reads: “Treat others the way you want to be treated.” If we already agree with this principle of morality, then in one way we already support the main premise of veganism.
If we wouldn’t want another species to put us in cages, use our bodies and take our children, just so they can have a few seconds of pleasure, then all that’s left for us is to align our moral principles with our actions.
We strongly believe in the compassion and equality of all living beings and that every living being has the right to live. Is this really more drastic than killing innocent animals and mercilessly exploiting them and their offspring?
Does your moral duty apply to only some species or to every beating heart?
Cookie | Duration | Description |
---|---|---|
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |