The following content of this blog does not imply that:
- People who choose to be vegetarians have a feeling of superiority over their ability to manage such a rigid diet.
- Does not lead to scrutinizing or judging other’s choice of foods or lifestyle.
- People who eat animals lack compassion.
- People who profess vegetarianism, are radical preachers of certain religious values.
In india we follow everything our Traditions, Patriarchs, Scriptures, even Bollywood tells us to, Without giving an iota of reasoning or even making an attempt to find the reason.
Things like ‘Don’t cut your nails on Saturday’, or ‘observe the karva-chauth fast’ for, oh! everybody-knows-why!
One such thing most of us keep hearing from our very early days of life is about vegetarianism.
We followed a no meat days on Tuesdays for Ganeshji. Ganeshji is the lord of our Mulaadhar chakra. He likes self control and discipline. The belief is , not indulging in a self controlled Pure plant based diet can get him angered and set your Saturn berserk. And every Person who has heard the word Shani harbours a little fear of it.
But that is not what life is, ‘always being afraid of consequences’. Thats not how Swami Vivekanada- the fear less would like it or even ardent Sholay fans ‘ jo darr gaya samjho marr gaya’.To be fearless and free is everyones wish and right. Not just us humans but every animal, organism and being. To save someones life and not giving in to the lures of tantalising taste buds is what makes us true heroes.
When you see a dead animal on your plate try to envision, that the animals who die for your dinner table die alone, in terror, in sadness and in pain. The killing is always merciless and inhumane.
Animals suffer from pain and fear just as much as you do. How would you like to spend your last hours locked in a truck, packed into a cage with hundreds of other terrified animal and then cruelly pushed into a blood soaked death chamber. Anyone who eats meat condones and supports the way animals are treated.
The problem is most of us just get carried away with the fancy culinary skills, wafting aromas and being at trendy eating joints. Forgetting what atrocities the poor animal has gone through right before it was served to you.
Even when silently inside in our heart of heart we believe that killing other animals is wrong, we never went on to find the reason why vegetarianism / veganism is the best way to led ones life, according to the Doctors, UN, WHO, Ecologists, Environment conservationalists, Marine biologists, Anthropologists and even Theologists.
Here is a little data , collected over the internet.
ENVIRONMENTAL issues
Remember all those times you saw Captain Planet and wished you had the powers too. Powers to bring the change, save the planet and be one of the planeteers, well your wish could come true! Just choosing vegetarian food over non vegetarian could help prevent the planet and races an early extinction.
This article of a Ted talk (link of Ted talk and other videos are in the article itself) presents research results of an Oceanographer on the topic “why fish eating should also be stopped”. She describes how it is important to stop eating all meat and related stuff to save ocean and earth. Article link: http://ideas.ted.com/should-you-stop-eating-fish-2/
UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet, http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2010/jun/02/un-report-meat-free-diet?CMP=share_btn_fb
HEALTH issues
It’s scientifically accepted that animal products like meat and eggs significantly increase the risk of heart attacks, diabetes and cancers (like colon, breast, ovarian and prostate cancers). On the other hand, a plant based diet not only reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancers drastically, but can also reduce hypertension and help reverse heart disease and diabetes. Animal foods also come with antibiotics (fed to animals to fatten them), hormones and toxins like mercury (in fishes), etc.
Another fact, about evolutionary studies,
HUMANITARIAN issue
Views into animal farms will tell us how and where the meat comes form :
Video links:
And, the poor chickens
World Hunger
Not only does raising animals for food gobble up precious resources and produce tonnes of waste, it also steals food from hungry people. Raising animals for food is extremely inefficient. For every pound of food that they eat, only a fraction of the calories are returned in the form of edible flesh. If we stopped intensively breeding farmed animals and grew crops to feed humans instead, we could easily feed every human on the planet with healthy and affordable vegetarian foods.
(Ref.http://www.petaindia.com/issues/animals-used-for-food)
All of us have a heart and a bounty of compassion inside it. We really do, as humans. The most superior of all animals because we have an ability to think, reason and reflect upon or actions. Have the power to overcome our selfishness and exhibit self sacrifice and love. People only differ in how sensitive they are towards this feeling.
Repeatedly exposing one self to violence and abuse of the animals makes one numb and desensitized.
Just like Sirius Black told to Harry Potter- “We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on. That’s who we really are.”
Lets choose our heart over our tastebuds, let us not kill, let us just love, not just ourselves but everyone.
Dr. Zeel Gandhi, B.A.M.S
