"The [human] species will never learn to co-exist if given total freedom."

[rva_jeremy]

There's a tension between, on the one hand, lessening the net suffering in the world, and on the other hand, absolving yourself of participation in the suffering. I'm not sure those are equal positions, but they seem to be conflated often. The latter position too often is coopted into extant institutions that perpetuate suffering, whereas the former position requires real structural change that seems beyond anybody's ability. It's kind of like the folks that harp on people to drive less, when private cars are a drop in the bucket on emissions compared to industrial pollution--it almost seems like the personal activism is a way to deter real political action that could make a difference.