On my usual morning checks of my three email accounts and Facebook, I came across another heated discussion on vegetarianism. For the record, I am in favour of vegetarianism. I choose this way of sustenance, not to offend others or get them all riled up or even to convert people to my belief system. I choose it because I feel good about it and it gives me a sense of purpose and meaning to believe in something that does not hurt other living things. I believe that we are at the top of the food chain,of course this is obvious. However, with any form of power comes responsibility. It is your responsibility to look after everything that lies 'below' you. Whether you are a president of a country or a parent of a child, it is your duty to look after and protect those you are responsible for. That is your purpose in life, so why does that not apply to the food chain scenario too?
I relay my contribution to that discussion. The arguments against vegetarianism were:
* Why does choosing to eat meat have to be an ethical debate?Is there no middle ground?
* I choose to eat meat because I am aware of my health needs for my body
* I will only eat meat that has been humanely killed and has lived a good life.
This is the cushioned version of how the arguments were put across...I deleted the swear words and the agressive justifications on the grounds that I do not want to make out that this persons lifestyle choice is a reflection of personality or character. It's the subject matter that I want to highlight. They still afterall choose to eat meat which has had a 'good' life and are willing to spend extra money to contribute to a better way of life for the animals. I think that is a sure sign of a compassionate heart. However I think this:
I believe, however, that to fully understand any concept(in this case compassion), there is no middle ground. You wouldn't half arse an orgasm to understand the true joy of one ,would you? Humane by definition is to show kindness,mercy or compassion...when someone shows those traits to you, how do you feel...happy? when someone kills, what are the connotations of that?How does that make you feel?How can any killing be humane? Most people don't like the fact that something has to be killed to give them meat but they choose to eat meat anyway because that's what they want or like. Humans as a whole have always been attached to desire. We have the attitude: I want it, so I take it and we will find any excuse to justify it...that's not just regarding food. You don't NEED meat..no matter what you think. There is enough sustanance and nutritional value in a vegetarian diet. The problem lies with eating a well balanced meal. Most people are uneducated about HOW to eat well. In an age of fast foods and ready meals, we have gotten lazy...I have my moments too..but it's actually pretty easy to be healthy, it just takes a little more education and self discipline...like anything in life.
With these scenarios I start thinking about ethics in general. It's clearly visible that as a society we are struggling to hold on to many moral fibers. Environments have changed so drastically nowadays, I feel that people are finding the line between right and wrong very much distorted..the exception to the rule seems to be changing INTO the rule. People seem to be putting ethics on the back burner to justify their opinion or beliefs. Why can't belief and ethics go hand in hand? Why is it becoming so taboo to be ethical? Why not believe in a way of life that practises compassion, love, tolerance and understanding? People complain so much about the wrongs of this world but haven't the self discipline to change themselves. Ghandhi said: " Be the change you wish to see in the world." We have the power to change perception and cause positive ripple effects throughout the world. We are so arrogant to believe we control everything yet, where it counts, we revert back to our human nature and desires and use that as the excuse not to change the way we live, think and exist. Being ethical is the first step to changing...everything.
