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Dr. Leighton explains how the ethical framework shapes diverse priorities and policies. “Even animals who are not able to vote, still, their suffering matters just as much as the equivalent suffering of human beings. Through the organization, I set up OPIS. So, I don’t think it’s either-or; I think that the message of compassion and effective approaches to putting it into practice really need to be spread both among the general population and to influential individuals, whether they’re politicians or other influencers, stakeholders, influential organizations.” “If our goal is really a more compassionate world, we need to take a compassionate approach to building that world. I think there’s a role to be played by our educational systems, because children already have the capacity for empathy, and that capacity for empathy can be built and nurtured. I think there’s an opportunity when children are young to recognize, and to be shown, that animals have feelings too, and that animals don’t want to be hurt.”In 2015, Dr. Leighton produced a 20-minute film called “The Battle for Compassion” to convey essential messages from his book of the same name in another easily accessible format. “I have a strong belief in the power of dialogue, of listening, hearing where other people are coming from, trying to understand what their needs are, and then proposing solutions that respect those needs but also are aimed at reducing suffering. I think this is the key, not just specifically to getting more people to become vegan, but more generally, I think this is the key to a more stable, compassionate system of governance in the world, where active listening to needs takes the place of people fighting for their respective wants.” Dr. Leighton says that veganism has become more mainstream. “I think this can, at least partly, explain why many people, and especially younger people, are more willing to adopt the vegan lifestyle. If we care about social justice for humans, why would we not care about non-human animals as well? It’s entirely logical.”
