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