This is where an interesting issue comes up. There are just as many scientists and medical professionals who are willing to claim that man is naturally a pescetarian, instead of an omnivore, as there are scientists who claim that a strictly animal-based-products diet must be followed.
I'm of the school that man is a natural pescetarian (eats fish, no meat/fowl/dairy/eggs).
The polar bear hunts its own animals, it is tailored to do so with sharp incisors, sharp claws, agility, the ability to widthstand cold weather when it swims through freezing water for its prey. Similarly, the omnivores of our planet are capable of catching their pray without the use of farms, guns, knives, sedatives, etc...
Our incisors aren't sharp enough to comfortable tear through raw meat, we aren't agile enough to catch much more than fish and some small rodents, and we most definitely are not of the strength where we can rip a cow to shreds.
I agree that vegetarianism isn't for everyone. Especially if you were raised on a high meat-based diet with quite a bit of sodium, processed foods,etc..., and our culture does an excellent job of relating these things to comfort, and that you must be consuming these to feel at ease with your health. If we've been raised like this, then it is hard to change our lifestyles.
My argument, however, was not about wanting everyone to be a vegetarian/vegan, I think I cite that quite clearly. It was about getting people to stop denying things and trying to sugarcoat things for themselves. We lie to our children about how our food comes from big, beautiful farms where animals are taken extremely good care of... where in fact, the majority of the meat we consume comes from giant factory farms which operate much like prisons, and I think it is important that people research the source of their food. I'm sure we would make different decisions if we all knew what exactly happens to what we are eating, especially in terms of hormones and such.
There is a vital difference between the way we do things, and the way polar bears do things.
Nutrition is nutrition. I get what I need from a plants-based diet but unfortunately, many people would prefer a steak over a cup of spinach... whereas there are countries in this world where the latter would be the feast of kings.
I'm not trying to enforce how eating meat is wrong on anyone, but living by buddhist principles, I do think that unlawfully taking the life of another creature without necessity is murder, and I am tired of people denying it.
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dancing_serpent
Re: Values
Date: 2007-01-19 01:12 pm (UTC)I'm of the school that man is a natural pescetarian (eats fish, no meat/fowl/dairy/eggs).
The polar bear hunts its own animals, it is tailored to do so with sharp incisors, sharp claws, agility, the ability to widthstand cold weather when it swims through freezing water for its prey. Similarly, the omnivores of our planet are capable of catching their pray without the use of farms, guns, knives, sedatives, etc...
Our incisors aren't sharp enough to comfortable tear through raw meat, we aren't agile enough to catch much more than fish and some small rodents, and we most definitely are not of the strength where we can rip a cow to shreds.
I agree that vegetarianism isn't for everyone. Especially if you were raised on a high meat-based diet with quite a bit of sodium, processed foods,etc..., and our culture does an excellent job of relating these things to comfort, and that you must be consuming these to feel at ease with your health. If we've been raised like this, then it is hard to change our lifestyles.
My argument, however, was not about wanting everyone to be a vegetarian/vegan, I think I cite that quite clearly. It was about getting people to stop denying things and trying to sugarcoat things for themselves. We lie to our children about how our food comes from big, beautiful farms where animals are taken extremely good care of... where in fact, the majority of the meat we consume comes from giant factory farms which operate much like prisons, and I think it is important that people research the source of their food. I'm sure we would make different decisions if we all knew what exactly happens to what we are eating, especially in terms of hormones and such.
There is a vital difference between the way we do things, and the way polar bears do things.
Nutrition is nutrition. I get what I need from a plants-based diet but unfortunately, many people would prefer a steak over a cup of spinach... whereas there are countries in this world where the latter would be the feast of kings.
I'm not trying to enforce how eating meat is wrong on anyone, but living by buddhist principles, I do think that unlawfully taking the life of another creature without necessity is murder, and I am tired of people denying it.