To prevent abuse, it is necessary to know which types are being committed, as a first step toward working to eradicate it. For a doctor to cure an illness, they first have to know what it consists of. Without a prior diagnosis, there will be no treatment. This is especially true insofar as it is in our hands, at least in part, to put an end to those abuses.

The mere fact of being voters already gives us power in this regard, since politicians usually do what their electorate wants them to do, being to a greater or lesser extent a mirror of society. When their opinion polls detect that most of their voters want a particular injustice to be banned, sooner or later they end up banning it, because they do not want to lose votes. Even dictators strive to have the sympathy of a large part of the people for fear of being overthrown.

With the mere fact of being parents or teachers, we also have the power of educating children. In addition, we can influence our relatives, friends, and our environment in general, since they usually grant us more authority than a mere stranger. And, of course, we can work more actively or even as activists to reduce the different forms of evil.

Read “AVOID HARM! Give meaning to your life by doing something for a better world”

Therefore, being aware of this evil is essential, forming the foundations upon which a better, more benign world can be built.

However, we find two major barriers: not wanting to open our eyes to abuses, and poor communication about them.

FIRST BARRIER: NOT WANTING TO OPEN OUR EYES

This is the main obstacle, and the causes are mainly four:

1.-“Circlism”: as long as the harms do not affect my own little circle—that is, me, my loved ones or the groups I belong to—they do not interest me.

2.-“Wasting time”: my time is valuable and therefore I do not want to devote it to anything that does not bring some kind of benefit to me and mine.

3.-Selfish interests: those kinds of abuses (for example, hens living miserably in cages or medical experiments on animals) have benefits for me and my loved ones, who are an extension of myself, so I am fine with the current status quo. Consequently, I am not interested in news or proposals aimed at changing that state of affairs. Because my loved ones and I are the center of the universe, and therefore all the stars must revolve around us.

4.-Emotional selfishness: I find that kind of information creepy. Above all, what I want is to feel good, and therefore negative inputs do not suit me. I only want positive things.

The basis of all these causes is the so typically human egocentrism, by which we try to make the world fit our measure, taste and convenience and that of our loved ones, like a ring that fits perfectly on our finger. Explained in a clearer and more colloquial way: everything revolves around me and everyone else can go to hell.

However, when we become aware of this innate tendency we have, we can correct it. That said, this becomes more difficult in cases where we are perpetrators or accomplices of the harms committed. This is the case with the exploitation and abuse of animals that allows us to have access to meat and other products at the lowest possible price, in which we are complicit as consumers and voters.

It is like those plantation owners who were not interested in the details of how the overseers mistreated the slaves, as long as productivity was good and agricultural exploitation provided them with a great deal of income with which to support their luxurious lifestyle.

And it is similar to that joke that says that a mother wakes her son up so he can go to school. And he replies: “I do not want to go for three reasons: I am sleepy, I do not like school and the children make fun of me.” And the mother replies: “But you have to go for three reasons: it is your obligation, it is good for you and as it happens, you are the school principal.”

In our case, the tragicomic joke would be: “I do not want news about abuses because none of that has anything to do with me, for three reasons: they are unpleasant, I am not the victim and as it happens, those injustices benefit me.” To which I respond: “Of course it has to do with you, for three reasons: as it happens, you are the victimizer, whether as perpetrator or accomplice; you are causing direct or indirect harm that causes suffering; and, therefore, it is up to you to make amends.”

SECOND BARRIER: POOR COMMUNICATION

There are quite a few abuses of which most people have little or no knowledge, mainly due to two causes:

1.-Lack of interest on the part of those who are informed in sharing with others, due to apathy for the reasons explained in the previous section and for not wanting to bother people.

2.-The media mainly report what their audience wants them to report. And a large part of that audience has no interest in knowing details of cruelties that affect them too little or that even benefit them. On the other hand, there are lobbies and public entities that pay media outlets to ensure news they are not interested in does not appear.

Both barriers—not wanting to know about injustices and the lack of information about them—are closely related and feed each other in a vicious circle.

LET US TURN IT INTO A VIRTUOUS CIRCLE! LET US BREAK DOWN THOSE TWO NEFARIOUS BARRIERS NOW SO WE CAN HAVE A BETTER WORLD!

Be sufficiently informed, and inform others. Be aware, and raise awareness.

OPEN YOUR EYES AND FACE INJUSTICES HEAD-ON!

Let us not remain passive, but rather be proactive. Let us not stand still; let us get moving. Let us not stay silent; let us speak up loud and clear. Let us not sit back with our arms crossed; let us raise our fists in the face of abuses. Let us share, persuade, educate, and raise awareness.

Thank you for doing so, if you want a fairer and happier world to live in,