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Fri, 05 Sep 2008

Vegetarian Diet, Consciousness, and Compassion

Thanks to Darren C., who wrote the following thoughtful letter in response to the July 15 post, 'The Only Diet for a Peacemaker Is a Vegetarian Diet'. Darren's letter reminded me of a book I recently read, Dr. Will Tuttle's 'The World Peace Diet', which expands on the same theme.

"I just read Rev. Dear's article and your comments and thoughts. I really enjoyed his articles as did I your comments. Truthfully being vegetarian, something that has been part of my life for some 23 years now, is something that evolves from a growing awareness of the reality of our modern world. As a compassionate human being it is unthinkable to knowingly inflict suffering on other sentient beings. However my own journey was a gradual revelation."

Dissociation From Our Food Supply: "The obvious connection between an animal and meat is not always apparent.Many people do not even associate animals with what they buy at the store or in a restaurant, especially in the "developed" world where meats come in neat packages that have no apparent connection to the beings who were sacrificed for their creation. In many countries I have visited, animals are butchered in the open, some with reverence and thanks, others with cruelty and zero compassion, while both remain a very sad sight for my vegetarian eyes. In some ways I prefer to see that stark reality because at least those that do consume meat in such places have a direct vision of what they are doing, unlike in the developed world where we are a lot more dissociated from our food supply."

Waste: "Several key points arise from this item of discussion and one of those is waste. I believe that in a world where we are disconnected from our food supply it becomes easier to be wasteful than when we are directly involved in the production and growing of our food. I would hazard a guess that we waste more in the developed and even urban world than areas where people are more connected to their food."

The Value of Life: "Another item to consider is the act of killing itself. It would seem to me that if you can kill an animal for food, the value you place on life may be somewhat lessened."

Speciesism: "I would further add an item that complicates this topic a little further and that is another cultural quirk of human nature, one some refer to as speciesism. When growing up in the UK and before becoming a vegetarian, I made no connection to animals and food most of the time, although I do remember how we would think how cruel the French were for eating horses and the Koreans for eating dogs. I have since realized the ridiculous nature of these thoughts, although it does illustrate how the mind can justify certain things and not see the broader reality."

Evolution: "After all is said and done, I truly identify with the points brought up in the Reverend's article. Through more widespread education, connection to nature, spirit and our food supply and awareness of the realities of how food comes to our table, I believe the natural evolution of human consciousness has to be towards a vegetarian diet."