I think that extrapolating this post is part of what makes lab-grown meat so appealing. Can't have animal suffering in the quest for animal meat if there is no animal in the middle. I'd wager we're closer to that than to convincing vast swaths of people to stop anthropomorphizing what animals would want for themselves!
That's how I interpreted this sentence. A little more like "you can't get to Mars by thinking, but by doing," but the war reference makes sense with Mars and the crossbow.
The quote that comes to mind is from Miyamoto Musashi, and appears in several places in R:A-Z:
"The primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy, whatever the means. Whenever you parry, hit, spring, strike or touch the enemy's cutting sword, you must cut the enemy in the same movement. It is essential to attain this. If you think only of hitting, springing, striking or touching the enemy, you will not be able actually to cut him. More than anything, you must be thinking of carrying your movement through to cutting him. You must thoroughly research this."
I would have loved to attend, but I already have a commitment that night. Is this a regular meetup? Are there regular meetups?