The rise of the non-veggie vegetarian
Great article on the BBC site today about vegetarians http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8341002.stm
Can you eat fish and still be a veggie? I think not ! I’ve been vegetarian for over 25 years now. Why? Quite simply I don’t believe we have the right to kill another living being. Just as it is wrong to kill and then eat a human – I think it is wrong to kill horses, cows, dogs, cats, sheep, goats, fish and other animals. I don’t rant on about it as much as I used when I was in my teens and waging war on the world of meat eaters – which could be anything between 90 and 97% of the world. I realise I am in the minority and live my life the way which makes me feel I am doing the right thing.
I grew up eating meat and to be honest loved just about everything that was put in front of me, but like most kids never really connected meat with beautiful living creatures. My stepfather’s family were butchers and we ate a classic meat and two veg diet. What changed? When I was about 11 or 12, the family golden retriever got into my pet rabbit’s run and….well basically retrieved my little grey rabbit (called Jenny). Fern shook Jenny back and forth in her bloody jaws until Jenny was no more and this incident affected me profoundly.
I made a connection between animals killing animals and accepted it’s what they do, they don’t know any better, and they are driven by instincts, hormones and the desire to eat, fight etc. But I made a personal decision that as a human I was not as driven by these base insticts to destroy lives, and also that I just basically did not have any right to do so.
25 years on, with two small children who are veggie, I still don’t understand why most of the rest of the planet think they have the right to kill living things. Like I said earlier, I don’t make a big deal out of it nowadays, hubby gets nagged every now and again but I realise I can’t change him and can’t change others.
If you are reading this though and do eat meat. Please just take one minute to think about this – why do you think you have the right to kill things. How is it right to murder animals to eat them?
Me and my children are all as healthy as the next person – we have an interesting and delicious diet. We don’t miss out on anything. We don’t really see it as missing out. It’s just a simple fact that we don’t kill things.
Would love to hear your comments (be nice though!!)
Sharon
I’ve been a veggie for 25 years too and it’s just a normal way of life to me. So much so that I nowadays sometimes forget to tell people that I don’t eat meat – which can be a little embarrassing for all involved and for that I apologise. I’ve never liked the idea of eating meat and have on occasions told people that I would no sooner eat meat than eat a human baby – sounds a bit extreme I know but flesh is flesh. If I ate meat of any kind why wouldn’t I eat any kind of flesh – what’s the difference? I really don’t get the meat eater who will eat chicken, beef, pork but baulks at eating a bunny rabbit or a goat – what’s that all about?
Even though I’m veggie I have a meat-eating husband and 2 meat eating children. I work on the basis that I don’t like meat but they can make their own choices. I do however insist on buying “good” meat – you know, free range, outdoor reared, organic if possible etc. I’m not at all squeemish about the concept of killing and eating animals but I do rather expect that in return we should respect them before we do.
Tracy x
I’ve been a vegetarian all my life, it’s a way of life and I couldn’t contemplate changing now. My partner is an omnivore and I wouldn’t dare challenge that. Strange? Possibly! I believe every person has the right to make their own choices.
The legal definition of “Murder” is: “The unlawful killing of another human being without justification or excuse.”
There are 3 parts to that definition that make eating meat not murder.
It’s not a human, there is justification and therefore, it is not unlawful.
What is the purpose of the Cow, the Pig, or the Chicken if not to provide for animals higher up the food chain? All they can do is eat. They have no other purpose.
I eat meat, and I have no problem with you eating vegetables.
A tattooist friend of mine once asked me “What is the difference between people with Tattoos and people without? People with tattoos don’t have any problem with people without”.
Says alot more than most veggies would care to admit.