Hiya Guys,
This is a long one so be ready to
read lol J
So, I recently converted to
vegetarianism and have received much confusion initially from some people and
wanted to clarify some ideas about it, as to why I did it and the effect it has
had on my life.
Suzanne told me once that a
native American belief was that when someone died in the afterlife all the
animals they had ever killed would meet the person and ask him/her to justify
their reasons for killing it i.e. feeding family, needed the clothes for
warmth. The animal would then assess whether the answer were true and valid.
Hearing this was the first time I realised that my consumption of meat was my
own choice and one I did not have to do and could not justify.
So just to be boring and basic
here are some frequently used but relevant reasons for my initial turning.
Animals are not necessarily ours to own and use. It seems
to me that an ever increasing focus on the consumerist lifestyle that has been
furthered in modern living we have the view that what we can buy is ours to own
and keep. This is also the case for animals we buy them they become ours, but
regardless of intelligence or importance animals are still living beings. I
distinctly remember those years ago when the west thought they were the better
peoples they invaded other countries and felt it was their right and good
reason to buy people and sell them as slaves etc. We feel this is wrong now due
to the acknowledgement, that they did not have the right to own the life of a
living person, how can you buy someone’s life? You might be able to own their skills
like a slave might do your chores or whatever but life you cannot buy it. We
value life and thus slavery is considered wrong by most people, yet with
animals that life is still there but again as we feel we are above them for
whatever reasons (some valid perhaps others not, intelligence etc) we have
ownership over them. We buy them, or buy its life and whats worse is this life
is bought for death (and usually very poor life in poor abusive living
conditions) to supply ourselves with food. We wouldn’t necessarily go into the
wild see and animal and buy it one because no one owns it, because we respect
usually its right to live as it wishes. At what point do we feel this ownership
starts and ends? Lee Evans gives a funny example in his stand up of supermarkets
having animals running free and the customers having to work to catch his food
(this is actually on about fighting obesity) but in similar vein how many of us
could actually do this and accept responsibility? If you could then that’s fine
but I am not sure if I could if there is alternatives, in this way I won’t pay
to let others kill the animals.
Animals suffer horrendously. If
animals were killed humanely as possible (and I mean here as painless and
quickly as possible) then in some ways perhaps we can justify eating meat,
however this does not happen. Everyone has seen countless videos of animals
being cut open while still alive, dragged across the floor while still alive
they struggle, wacked and kicked to try subdue them as they struggle against those
that hold it to kill it. This obviously seems to have little or not effect,
people know this goes on (even I did) and it did not prevent me. So why did I
change my mind? I firstly thought about the fact that even if we kill them, as
human beings we should always be trying to limit the suffering of others
including animals. Secondly I own dogs and cats and love them to bits and would
never consider eating them, but in some countries this is perfectly acceptable.
This made me realise that eating meat of any animal can be acceptable and thus
for the same reason I would not eat my dog (or stray/random dog on the street
even people think its because its my dog that I wouldn’t) I would not eat any
animal. Society tomorrow could easily accept that dogs could be eaten start the
process of killing and selling the meat but I bet a few people would not buy
it, why? Because we value what we can appreciate, we might not see or know
animals in a field but I can be pretty sure that they think and feel the way my
pets do. This is the same when people see baby seals getting beaten for their
fur, but they do think or like to think about the animals getting beaten and
abused to fill up the supermarket shelves.
Recent studies have shown that
animals such as chickens and pigs are just as if not more intelligent that
animals such as dogs. Thus, they are just as capable of feeling pain and
frightened. Aside from the obvious fact that they are killed often the
environment of these animals is horrendous. Cramped, forced on top of one
another, not only do they suffer this abuse but they are often subjected to suffering such as debeaking (right) cutting off their beaks so they can't peck eachother when they are cramped. Cuttign off piglets tails and other body limbs can be common to use whiel they are still alive to reduce on space and sell, this is done with no pain relief.
My health has never been a great
concern of mine but since becoming vegetarian my health and skin has improved
greatly. Despite the obvious such as you will consume less fat as animals often
are bred to be more fatty to increase their earnings. It means that I also have
decreased effects of heart related problems such as heart attack, strokes,
artery blockage and even cancer. The argument that meat contains things you
can’t get otherwise is a lie, meat contains nothing you can’t get from others
sources, and without the bad things from meat. May not be something some people
want but vegetarians live an average 7 years longer than meat eaters, with no
other health issues.
In the long run the amount of
space needed to breed, rear and feed and maintain animals is much higher than
the cost of growing alternatives. Think about it this is why companies that
sell meat rarely let animals roam free and have space, and why free range meat
is more expensive. The cheaper your meat the more likely much more severe abuse
has occurred, although abuse happens throughout constantly. This abuse does not
stop at animals, slaughterhouses that provide meat are usually paying their workers
badly. In relation to world hunger if all the grain used to feed animals for
meat consumption were used to feed starving people then world hunger according
to statistics would not exists (even if this is not true it would be a good
start)
Furthermore any chemicals,
addictives, and hormones such as growth or fattening hormones the animal is
given is also given to you in its consumption. Animals that are subjected to confined
areas are more likely to pass on disease and infection, this means they have to
be injected with antibiotics, which is consumed by us. Recent statistics show
that recently more and more people are becoming immune to penicillin due to
overexposure. Animal meat is also more likely to contain other fluids such as
faeces, blood etc and thus is the most common cause of food poisoning of all
other foods. Not all meat is sourced from the UK and thus does not have to meet our low but there animal standards, or food standards. A recent study on the humanist society stated that most of the meat on the shelves in our supermarkets is slaughtered Halal way (hung upsidedown while alive, throat slid and bled out) and does not need to be declared on the packaging.
I have been able to manage my
food a lot better and much more healthily, the alternatives to meat are often
tastier and I can confirm after a couple of months of being vegetarian I went
to a restaurant and ordered a meat dish I used to love and found it really
bland and boring. Vegetarian food has meant I experiment with cooking more and
more tasty flavours, and without abuse. I actually get more than my 5 a day of
veg and fruit and can maintain my weight much better with less fluctuations (I
am in no way encouraging weight loss)
It has to said as well that if I
knew someone who worked in a slaughterhouse that participated in the cruel
treatment of animals, I would not know how to treat them. Some studies suggest
that abuse to animals represents an increase chance of them abusing fellow
humans. Can we even expect that not to happen or condemn someone who does do
this when they job is the destruction of life even if we do not hold it to the
same height as humans? In this way, vegetarianism gives people an increased
awareness of their ethical and moral path in this world. I personally do not
think there is anything beyond this life and certainly do not want to think of
myself as responsible for death of innocent animals, who if given the choice
would ask to not be killed which we can see in the way they struggle into the
slaughter.
Finally (although I have a lot
more reasons) meat consumption is a strain on the economy and our natural
world, it uses more and wastes more resources. Apparently if everyone in
American went vegetarian, an amount equivalent to half of their carbon
emissions would be saved, That’s a lot.
So this is getting really long
now I will continue to post ideas but I hope if any of you have got this far
that its offered some interesting thoughts. I don’t want to convert people but
just have people understand and not take the mick lol. And also be aware of
what food they eat even if they are not vegetarian
Peace out J
Nessie x
This website has fairly graphic images
http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-slaughterhouse-cruelity-humane-death-myth
